Nanwan Reservoir
# Nanwan Reservoir

The scenic Nanwan Reservoir is located within the borough of Xinyang, Henan Province, China, situated on the Shihe river, one of the largest branches of the Huai River. The dam was constructed between 1952 and 1955. The dam has resulted in protection from floods, an increase in agriculture production, electricity production, and improved navigation that benefits tourism. The Nanwan Reservoir scenic spot has rich connotations of mountains and islands. It is known as "The First Lake In Zhongyuan". It is a national forest park and national irrigation works scenery zone.

## Specifications

Nanwan Reservoir is a famous natural scenic spot. Nanwan Reservoir and the Nanwan Reservoir National Forest Park comprise the Nanwan Reservoir Scenic Spot. There are 61 islands that are covered by forests interspersed in the Nanwan Reservoir. Since being developed and constructed as a national forest scenic spot since 1991, a total investment of 80 million yuan has been invested to Nanwan Reservoir. Four main scenic areas of Nanwan Reservoir scenic spot have been completed; they are the water scenic area, the western hills scenic area, the dam scenic area and the pier scenic area. 42 scenic attractions have been constructed, including Dragon Pavilion, Bird Island, Summer Island and Monkey Island. The dam is 816 metres (2,677 ft) long, 38.3 metres (126 ft) tall, and 8 metres (26 ft) wide at the crest. The reservoir holds 16.3 cubic kilometres (3.9 cu mi) of water, and drains an 1,100-square-kilometre (420 sq mi) area. This capacity will reduce the frequency of major downstream flooding from once every ten years to once every 100 years.

## Impact

An important function of the dam is to control flooding, which is a major problem for the seasonal river of the Huai River. Plenty of critical infrastructure is situated downstream of the dam, like Beijing-Guangzhou railway, Nanjing-Xi'an Railway, 107 State Road, 312 National Road, Beijing-Zhuhai Expressway, Beijing–Kowloon fiber optic cable, and Western Union fiber optic cable. Approximately 20 million tourists come to Nanwan Reservoir each year, bringing 30 million yuan of tourism revenue to the local government. The basic tourism system of "dinner, housing, transportation, traveling, shopping and entertainment" has been integrated into Nanwan Reservoir Scenic Spot.

## Natural and cultural resources

Nanwan Reservoir is famous for lush forest resources, the vast expansion of green water, many exotic islands and harbors, numerous exotic animals, beautiful and fascinating flowers and plants, long history, and strong folk culture. It is a multi-function eco-tourism zone which gathers natural landscape, cultural sights, economic education, and forest health hygienical spot. Hundreds of smart and lovely wild monkeys live on the Monkey Island and are enjoyed by tourists. Folk song and dance performances and snake technical performances on the Summer Island have unique local style. Wild boar, camels, lions, tigers and other animals living in Baishou Gardon can be seen by visitors. Fish grown in Nanwan Reservoir are not only delicious but also rich in trace elements. The anti-cancer element "Se" in the fish of Nanwan Reservoir is 3-5 times more than the common fish. Particularly the silver carp grown in Nanwan Reservoir, which has rich DHA in its head, is a popular health treasure. Upstream area of Nanwan Reservoir is the authentic origin of Xinyang Maojian, which is a precious kind of green tea. It was imperial tribute since Tang Dynasty.

