The Reservoir That Became Xiamen’s Popular Waterfront Park – Hidden Entrance, Beautiful Scenery
Qingming Festival is approaching, and it's also the most beautiful time for spring in southern China, with cities gradually awakening and parks opening their doors to welcome visitors. In recent years, many large cities have focused on environmental improvement, and indoor leisure and relaxation venues have been added. Xiamen, with its reputation as a garden city, has seen many affordable landscape projects added in the past two years, and the recently opened Seashore Health Trail is one of them. On Wenzong Road, there's a park created from a century-old reservoir, let's go with Ducky's camera to take a look!
Unlike other parks, Upper Lishi Reservoir Park doesn't have a prominent park sign, and the entrance is a bit hidden. Currently, Upper Lishi Reservoir Park has two main entrances: opposite the Dongmen of the Plant Museum and opposite the Meihailing entrance. After passing through an inconspicuous entrance, you'll find yourself in a sea of flowers and greenery.
Entering Upper Lishi Reservoir Park, you'll see lush greenery in the distance, with mountains stretching into the horizon; along the wide paths are various trees such as slender lychee nut, beautiful ironwood, five-leaf maple, and fig trees. Near the water, reeds and passionflowers sway in the breeze; along the streams, a small stone bridge crosses over, and climbing the steps, you'll find a wild and charming landscape.
The park's pathway encircles a large water area, and after traversing the hills within the park, expansive lawns are also perfect for relaxation.
The park's core attraction is the Upper Lishi Reservoir Dam. If it weren't for the park's opening, many Xiamen residents might not even know this magnificent dam still exists.
According to reports, this dam was designed and built in 1925 by Siemens of Germany. In 1923, Huang Shijin and Huang Yizhu, Chinese merchants, established 'Commercial-operated Xiamen Municipal Water Company', and through surveying the terrain of Xiamen Island, Huang Shijin and his team selected Lishi, and in that year, they introduced German Siemens technology and let Siemens be responsible for construction. The project was completed in July 1926 and began supplying water to the city, with excellent water quality, making it the first in the country.
A closer look at the dam reveals that this arched dam is constructed with granite stone from north to south, with a pump house in the middle, and a steel-framed gate from Germany at the bottom, with outlet and inlet pipes on the west side. The bottom of the wall is inlaid with stone plaques with inscriptions in both Chinese and English dating back to the 14th year of the Republic of China. This is the first time Xiamen has introduced foreign technology to build a dam, which is not only strong but also beautiful, and it's considered a classic masterpiece. Later, the company built a large office building on Ruijin Road.
Now the dam's top is open, and railings have been installed around the water area and at the top of the dam, improving the safety factor. The reservoir's water depth exceeds 50 meters, so the park area is prohibited from swimming and fishing, and park management personnel patrol and check, and violators will be promptly dissuaded.
Near the Upper Lishi Reservoir Dam, if you look back, you'll see a tall Buddha head on the hill, which was slightly shaped by the workers who built the road here.
Since its opening in 2019, this park has attracted many citizens and tourists to come. The formerly closed Upper Lishi Reservoir Dam has opened a channel between the Plant Museum and Meihailing, connecting the three parks, and continuing the Flower Creek landscape, offering a wonderful viewing and sightseeing experience.
95 years ago, the dam designed and built by a German company has now become a Xiamen 'net red punching point', with an hidden entrance and beautiful scenery!
Travel Guide Information:
Citizens can take bus 52 or B2 to 'Plant Museum East Gate Station' and walk to the East Gate entrance, which is opposite Upper Lishi Reservoir Park entrance.
