Jiangsu is among the provinces with the largest wetlands in China. It has almost four million hectares of wetlands, occupying 39 percent of the total area of the province. Of all the wetlands, 1.75 million hectare are natural wetlands, the other 2.25 million hectares are artificial wetlands. Of all the natural wetlands, 642,000 hectares are lake wetlands, 487,000 hectares are river wetlands, 456,000 hectares are coastal and beach wetlands, 163,000 hectares are marsh wetlands.

Yancheng Coastal Nature Reserves
The Yancheng coast is a large and dynamic wetland with extensive mudflats, river channels and salt marshes. The wetland has two National Reserves: Yancheng Nature Reserve and Dafeng Milu Nature Reserve. The Nature Reserves are internationally assigned as Reserves for the Biosphere by UNSECO and as Wetlands of International Importance (Ramsar Convention on Wetlands sites).

Yancheng National Nature Reserve
Geographic location
Yancheng National Nature Reserve extends 582 kilometers along the coast of Jiangsu, covering an area over 50 percent of Jiangsu’s coastline from Xiangshui County in the north to the southern part of Dongtai County.

The wetland of the Yancheng National Nature Reserve is divided into several geographical zones to distinguish various degrees of conservation and sustainable development: a core area in Sheyang County, two buffer zones located at Sheyang and Dafeng County, and the experimental or transition zones in Xingshui, Binhai and Dongtai.

The core area is completely protected from human disturbances and commercial activities are restricted. The buffer zones are surrounding the core area. Only limited activities and land use that significantly do not impact the natural landscape nor intrude into the core area should be conducted. The transition zones are areas where cooperative agreements between private and public institutions and cooperation for development should follow the principles of wise use and nature protection. In Yancheng Nature Reserve, the core area occupies 21,889 hectares; the buffer zone 55,682 hectares; and the transition zone 206,608 hectares.

For birdwatchers, the best time for visiting the reserve is between November and March when there are thousands of migrant birds. In summer time, the wetlands present an enchanting landscape.

How to get there?
Yancheng Nature Reserve Center is only 40 kilometers from Yancheng, which is about 300 kilometers from Nanjing (4 hours’ travel) and 400 kilometers from the northwest of Shanghai (about 4-5 hours).

By vehicle: From Yancheng take the Yanhai Road to Nayang, then to Yandong, following this way you will arrive at the Reserve, close to Xinyanggang village. A coastal highway is under construction.

By bus: Take a bus to Yancheng from Shanghai North Long-Distance Bus Station (adjacent to Shanghai North Railway Station, 4.5 hours) and then a local bus to the small village of Xinyanggang (one hour). Walking down by the main road you will reach the Reserve Center.

From Nanjing ZhongYangMen Bus Station, take an express direct bus to Yancheng leaving from 7 am to 7 pm daily with an interval of 20 or 30 minutes. Upon arrival to Yancheng, follow the same directions as above.

By plane: Yancheng Airport has regular connections with Beijing, Guangzhou, Nantong, and Seoul (Korea). The airport is located 10 kilometers from the city center.

By railway: You can take an overnight train from Beijing Railway Station to Yancheng. A local bus from Yancheng East Bus Station to Xinyanggang village will bring you to the Reserve Center.

Train services to/from Yancheng are to Lanzhou, Harbin (via Beijing), Touzhou, Chengdu.

Accommodation
The reserve has a hotel with a restaurant in the village of Xinyanggang, inside the Reserve Headquarters. Booking in advance is recommended. Booking number: 86-515-2640800

Dafeng Milu National Nature Reserve
Geographic location
Dafeng Milu National Nature Reserve with an area of 2666.7 hectares is located in Dafeng County at the Yangtze estuary, south of Yancheng. The reserve overlaps with the transition zone of Yancheng Nature Reserve. The Nature Reserve is 50 kilometers southeast of Dafeng and 95 kilometers southeast of Yancheng City. It is 300 kilometers away from the northwest of Shanghai, northeast of Nanjing and southeast of Xuzhou. The reserve was founded to reintroduce Milu deer (Pere David’s Deer) to the wild and is the largest of its kind in China.

How to get there?
By vehicle: Take the road to Tangshang, then Caomiao and you will arrive to the Reserve.

By bus: There are two buses a day that go from Yancheng to the nature reserve, one in the morning and one about 3 pm. Otherwise, you can catch one of the local buses to Dafeng Town from Yancheng (see above) and then another bus to the reserve.

By plane: Yancheng Airport has a regular connection with Beijing, Guangzhou, Nantong, and Seoul (Korea). The airport is located 10 kilometers from the city center. Dafeng County is 40 kilometers away from Yancheng Airport in the north

By railway: Lanzhou, Harbin (via Beijing), Touzhou, Chengdu

Accommodation
You can stay at the hotel of the reserve or in Dafeng Town where more choices are available. You can see more information on the reserve’s websites:

Yancheng Nature Reserve: http://www.yccrane.com/  
Dafeng Milu Reserve: http://www.chinamlw.org