A group of expats from eight countries joined in a joyful trip to Hangzhou on Oct 20 to learn more about the wetland biodiversity and ecological beauty of East China's Zhejiang province.

The eight foreigners, hailing from Australia, Mexico, Bolivia, Japan, Georgia, Zimbabwe, Sudan and Kenya, mostly have been long-time residents in China, but they still claimed to have been treated with "visual feasts" during their visit despite drizzling rain.

Their itinerary included two main wetland parks in Hangzhou – the West Lake, which is well-known for its picturesque landscapes and cultural heritage, and Xixi National Wetland Park, China's first and only national wetland park to combine urban life, farming and wetlands.

During their three-hour exploration at the West Lake, the expats toured the site of Ancient Qiantang Gate, the Marco Polo Statue, the Su Causeway and the Broken Bridge, and were introduced to various efforts taken by Hangzhou over the years to achieve an upgraded environment.

Jin Jiaying, the guide for the West Lake tour, said that the measures include clearing silt, circulating water to improve the West Lake, and promoting public awareness of environmental protection.

More aquatic birds have made a comeback to the West Lake over the years and the mandarin ducks populate the area. Jin also said that the lake's fish and algae have become more abundant, which in turn enriches the lake's ecological diversity.

Jin warned the group of expats not to feed the wild birds at the lake in order to protect them from being overfed.

"I have seen a lot of lakes in China before, but the West Lake is unique for its location, background and water," said Brian Ayugi, a postdoctoral researcher at Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology. "Although it's rainy today, it doesn't bother me too much. There are so many good things about this place for me to know and learn about."

The group was invited to the Xixi National Wetland Park, which is known as the "kidney of Hangzhou" due to its cleansing properties contributed from the abundance of natural resources and water networks, rivers, ponds, moors, swamps and mudflats.

Mutawarira Takudwa from Zimbabwe said he was amazed by the views of plants and birds at the Xixi park during the tour. He recommended others to take a tour of the park for rest, pleasure or other exploration purposes.

According to Shi Xiaodan, the bilingual guide at the park, the Xixi wetland has been minimizing the impact of human activities in wildlife habitats by improving water quality, controlling pollution and regularly monitoring the environment.

Shi said that Chaotian Muyang, an ecological protection area, was set up in the park for experts and scholars to research biodiversity.

Statistics from the latest research show that by the end of 2020, Xixi wetland had housed 711 vascular plant species – which is 490 more than in 2005, 898 insect species – 421 more than in 2005, and 193 bird species – 114 more than in 2005.

The city of Hangzhou is rich in wetland resources, with the total area of wetlands that are above eight hectares having reached 140,000 hectares, accounting for 8.5 percent of the city's total area.

Statistics also show that 2,731 species of various animals and plants are recorded in Hangzhou now, including 506 species of terrestrial wild animals, 159 species of freshwater fish and 2,066 vascular plant species.

Due to its achievements in conservation of biological diversity, Hangzhou was invited to share its experience at the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP15), which was held in Kunming, Yunnan province, on Oct 11.