As the only large-sized wetland in Beijing's core area, the Xihai Wetland Park in the Shichahai area, Xicheng district, is a popular destination among tourists and local residents to enjoy their leisure time.

Covering an area of 10.9 hectares, the park features a mallard reserve, two artificial float islands, and a 1,450-meter lakeside pavement.

Every summer, tourists visiting the park can admire the charming scenery of blooming lotus flowers, flocks of mallards, and reeds swaying in the breeze.

Compared with several years ago, the park has undergone substantial changes, a local resident surnamed Wu said, adding that there used to be some restaurants and pubs occupying the footpath.

The change is a result of the restoration project launched by the Xicheng district government in 2018, which aimed to improve the environment and preserve the cultural heritage of the Grand Canal, an artificial waterway dating back to the 13th century.

Spanning about 3,200 kilometers, the Grand Canal is one of the longest of its kind in the world, linking Beijing in the north to Zhejiang province in the south. It was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2014.

As the northern destination of the Grand Canal, the Shichahai area in Xicheng district consists of three lakes: Qianhai, Houhai and Xihai.

During the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), the area was a bustling harbor for goods transportation, but in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), it gradually lost the function as a navigable waterway and now becomes a scenic area famous for natural beauty and Beijing lifestyles.

Committed to the protection of the Grand Canal cultural heritage, the district has been renovating and upgrading the Shichahai area in recent years.

"During the transformation of the Xihai Wetland Park, we demolished more than 14,000 square meters of illegal buildings nearby and shut down or relocated pubs in the scenic area, reducing their number from over 100 to 30," said Zhang Ruisheng, director of the administrative office of the Shichahai Scenic Area.

In collaboration with environmental authorities, local officials have made efforts to step up the ecological management and protection of its waters, and rigorously prevent any pollutants.

In 2022, more than 114,000 people participated in Shichahai's waste collection, with 13,505 metric tons of wastes treated.

zhanglinwan@chinadaily.com.cn