Hangzhou’s Xixi Aquarium has just soft-launched at the BF level of Xixi Paradise: Qiyue City, with its standalone branch, Xixi Dolphin Island, opening to the public at the same time. Another independent experience space, the Blue Tears Secret Realm, is currently under accelerated construction.

Situated right next to Xixi National Wetland Park and the China Wetland Museum, the aquarium spans roughly 8,000 square meters. Built around the theme of wetland ecology, its layout takes its narrative cues from Hangzhou’s most iconic waterscape—Xixi Wetland, West Lake, and the Qiantang River—recreating the aquatic ecosystems of the Qiantang River basin and the wetlands. The result is a visitor trail that meanders from wetlands and rivers all the way to the open ocean, offering a compact urban getaway where you can soak up the sights, learn a thing or two, get hands-on, and simply unwind—all without leaving the city.