Situated in the western part of Hangzhou, about 5 km from West Lake, Xixi National Wetland Park is a rare urban wetland. (Photo by Qiu Guoqiang/Chen Shoucan/Raymond Zhou/China Daily)

Entry to the central section of the park along the 2.3-km Blessed Causeway is free, giving visitors access to Jiang Village and Hezhu Street and their old-style architecture and artifacts.

The ideal way to tour Xixi is by boat. (There are many choices available.) The winding rivers provide the best views as they course through different areas and present endless visual surprises. A gentle bend and you are face to face with a flock of egrets or boats with smiling fishermen.

For those so inclined, there is also a tour that makes you a fisherman for a day. For 1,350 yuan a boat, which can accommodate up to five people, you can pull in your own catch.

Xixi may seem pristine now, but to keep it this way it costs a lot of money.

Work on restoring Xixi, the first wetland park in China, began in 2003 and cost 10 billion yuan.

But the rewards have been abundant.

Not only has it seen 34 mil-lion visitors, including 22 mil-lion in the free area, but it has drawn more flora and fauna to the area than before.

Since the first phase of the park was completed in 2005, it has had an increase of 453 new plants, making a total of 674; 385 new insects, making a total of 862; and 92 new birds, adding up to 171 in total.

The health of the water bodies, which is the real center-piece with 2,700 ponds and 100 km of waterways if straightened, has also improved dramatically.

Whether on foot or by boat, there are many areas that are not accessible－except for a handful of scientists.

They are reserved for birds and insects that otherwise would have little chance of surviving in a modern city.

In the delicate man-nature balancing act, Xixi has obviously tilted toward the latter.