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"The local residents usually would plant a camphor tree in their backyard if a baby girl was born, and then when she got married, her parents would chop it down and make a camphor suitcase for her to keep her belongings in. The special fragrance of the wood would prevent some bugs from eating the cotton clothes in the box."
Hezhu Tower, is located in the center of the village. We climbed up to the top of it for a panoramic view of the whole Xixi area. Looking down from above, the wetland is like a chessboard, where green plants fill the grids and the water surface shines. Gray tiles, white walls and delicate courtyards and houses reflect the elegance of Chinese-style architecture.
I imagined the lives of the local residents—the fishing boats, the beautiful women growing silkworms in the yards, and the old nuns singing holy songs at the Autumn Spring Nunnery in a remote corner of the Xixi waterway. If I not had seen the city buildings to the far east of the wetland, I would still have thought this was an isolated paradise far, far away from the noisy, dusty world.
Lu Liang points to the east of Xixi and says…
"We can see that the whole Xixi area is surrounded by the city. In fact, many property developers are exploiting the land near Xixi. But to be honest, we don't want commercial things to invade this piece of land too much. It's a healthy ecological system, and all the living beings here enjoy their lives very much. But as a precious wetland in city, it's really difficult to prevent the lure of money and keep a perfect environment at the same time."
Xixi wetland is the first and only national wetland park in China. Located in the western part of Hangzhou in Zhejiang Province, it covers a total of 11 square kilometers or 26,000 acres. The park is densely crisscrossed by six main watercourses, among which are scattered various ponds, lakes and swamps.
Xixi wetland has a history of more than 1,800 years and an abundant cultural heritage. It's the original site of Chinese South opera; it has a traditional Dragon Boat Festival contest and it contains the vivid life of a water village, featuring silkworm feeding and silk production.
In today's On the Road, CRI's Liu Min will take us there to take a look.
"Hangzhou in East China has enjoyed a long reputation as a paradise and continues to attract visitors from all over the world. But just like any other modern city, Hangzhou also is a busy metropolis with bustling traffic day and night.
But this city has a special attraction. Once you step into the delicate gardens on the sides of the roads or any scenic spots surrounding West Lake, the tranquility and peace always captures your soul. It is always difficult to tell whether you are in a city with a garden, or a garden with a city.
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