The Xixi Wetland Park - China's first - opened in May. in Hangzhou, capital city of East China's Zhejiang Province.

For Shen Miaoquan, one of the 3,000 people who came to visit the park on its opening day, it was an emotional experience. Shen was forced to leave the house he had lived in for fifty years in 2004, along with thousands of other residents, so the park could be built. But he says he is impressed with the wetlands now.

"This is what Xixi Wetland should be like," the former villager said. "I find the waters have become clearer, and there are more trees along the shores. And there is no more garbage around."

The daily number of visitors to the site is being limited to 3,000 to protect its ecological integrity, said Huang Chunlei, general director of the project.

Huang told China Daily the project was launched in September 2003 and is expected to reclaim an area of 10.08 square kilometers of wetlands by 2007.

"It involves renewing natural and historical wetlands that have been lost or degraded, and returning some of these ecosystems to their approximate pre-disturbed conditions," he said. A system of drains has been built in the wetlands and all livestock farms that previously discharged excrement and sewage into wetland waters have been closed, Wang said.

More than 270 biological species have been introduced to heal damaged natural systems, Huang said.

The Xixi Wetland is located on the western outskirts of the city. It boasts great biodiversity, providing habitats to many unique plant and animal species, including 89 birds varieties and many kinds of plants in a cramped city of skyscrapers.

The wetlands used to rank as a major scenic spot along with the city’s famous West Lake, but urban expansion and human activity threatened their survival.

Chen Kelin, an expert from the Wetlands International Organization, said the Xixi Wetland Park has set a good example on striking a balance between environmental protection and tourism for the country's wetlands' protection.

"We should make use of wetlands' economic value associated with recreational and commercial functions, while allowing their natural functions to be reclaimed," said Chen.

Through the opening of the park, people will grow to understand the importance of wetlands conservation and will be more familiar with the wildlife there, Chen added.

So far, 353 wetlands areas have been listed as reserves in China.

The country has preserved 38.48 million hectares of wetlands resources, the largest in Asia and fourth largest in the world.