In 2023, the city’s 41 scenic spots will be free to the first-time visitors. Xixi Wetland will follow suit from Jan.1 to Mar. 31.

Jan. 7 and 8, the first weekend for free admission to Xixi Wetland, saw a surge of the visiting population. Some 42,000 people visited the wetland park during the two days, an increase of 40% over the previous week, including the 27,000 visitors in non-free areas, a rise of 145% over the last week. More people coming for sightseeing carts and boats also marked a rebound of the local tourism.

“A warm day usually spurs early blossoms". The warm weekend was also filled with the sweet fragrance from plum blossoms, like Zhusha, Jiangmei, Gongfen, etc., in the wetland park. For visitors, it’s better to take a route by electric boat or rowboat to savor the red-blossom-dotted waterscape around.

The entire wetland has over 20,000 plum blossom trees over a land 300 mu wide, covering sorts like Zhusha, Gongfen, Lv’e, Yudie, Meirenmei, etc. The best place to enjoy the blossoms is the Meizhu Leisure Area, where Meizhu Villa and Xixi Meishu have the most. The blossoms also flank the path on the Meidi Causeway connecting Zhoujia Village and Gaozhuang. Days around the Spring Festival will be the prime time of them.

In addition to the boat tour, recreational programs like "Fisherman's Tour" and "the Air View" are also selling like hot cakes. It was all driven by the free tickets. Please remember that, during the free admission period, you’ll still need to book the seat on the official WeChat account "Xixi Wetland" for places other than the free one.