With 85 kilometers of coastline in the east of the Yellow Sea and no mountains, Dongtai is a strange place with forests, sea and wetlands, a place that is well versed in the aesthetics of nature. Visit Dongtai in the golden autumn, you will enjoy the leisurely days!
Tour in a Picture - Colorful Huanghai National Forest Park
The Huanghai National Forest Park is the largest forest in China's coastal area, which was once a vast ocean and is now an eco-tourism resort. From ocean to lush forest, it is nature's ingenious work, but also a great legend written by generations of "Huanghai foresters" and "Dongtai laborers".
From early autumn to late autumn, the Huanghai National Forest Park shows the nature’s immense charm. You can walk along the wetland corridor, take a bamboo raft, and photograph the trees and flowers that contrast beautifully with each other; or take a walk on the skywalk, and watch the cedar trees nearby as they shed their spring and summer green; or climb up to the "Eye of the Forest" viewing tower to overlook the forests as they are dyed with warmer tone by the autumn wind, and enjoy the colorful view of ecological conservation.
Huanghai National Forest Park is also a vacation spot for family time. There are forest classrooms for science education and research, an adventure park for Outward Bound, a forest carpentry workshop for the pursuit of craftsmanship, and a fantasy world where you can interact with squirrels. Forest cabins, hot spring hotel, and featured homestay offer quiet and peaceful accommodation, so that you can fully enjoy the forest experience.
Bird Watching - Migratory Birds in Tiaozini Wetland
Tiaozini Wetland is the core area of the Migratory Bird Sanctuaries along the Coast of Yellow Sea-Bohai Gulf of China (Phase I), China's first coastal wetland of World Natural Heritage. As the largest and best-preserved coastal wetland on the west coast of the Pacific Ocean, and a key node on the route of East Asia-Australia migratory birds, millions of migratory birds fly to Tiaozini Wetland every year to continue their migration and reproduction, making it an "international airport" for birds.
Autumn is the season for the migration of birds. Migratory birds glide gracefully over the water, fly high in the air, and rest on the mud and sand for food, these bustling flocks of birds add vitality to the wetland. You may have the chance to see a variety of rare birds here, such as spoonbill sandpipers, little greenshanks, Baer's pochards, red-crowned cranes, Saunders's gulls, etc., which come in increasingly bigger flocks.
Tiaozini Wetland’s scenery in autumn is also breathtaking. Artemisia halodendron that grows tenaciously on the alkali soil forms patches of red bush in late autumn to paint the vast mudflat into a breathtaking picture. The endless rice field in the Tiaozini Wetland will also play the symphony of harvest, there will be a golden sea as far as the eye can see. When the migratory birds are gathering, the colors of autumn are just magnificent!
Mouthwatering - the Flavors of Local Specialties
As the autumn wind comes, hairy crabs and swimming crabs are getting fatter every day. Stir-fried swimming crab, mixed with thick soup and crab roe, tempts people with spicy umami; steamed hairy crab features the original flavor and is full of crab roe and crystal meat, a sip of it spreads the sweet freshness in the mouth, and gives the addictive pleasure.
The water caltrop of Qindong, Dongtai is also a major delicacy. Qindong water caltrop is different from other water caltrops for its thin shell, high protein content. Peeled Qindong water caltrop has white meat and is shaped like a shoe-shaped silver ingot. It can be stewed with meat, cooked in soup, or stir-fried and so on. Qindong's lotus root is also very sweet, and can be eaten raw. It’s crunchy with a light sweetness. When cooked, it becomes sweet and fragrant with lingering taste. It is also suitable for stir-fry, fried lotus root sandwich, stew and so on.
Dongtai people have the custom of eating Cold Pot Scone in autumn, especially during the Mid-Autumn Festival. Freshly baked Cold Pot Scone has the fragrance of oil, flour, and sesame mixed together, tastes sweet and tough, and is the hometown food that many people living away from home think of a lot. Today, there is also "Dunmen Flatbread", which is transformed from the Cold Pot Scone. It is as big as a cattail leaf fan, with golden skin. Soft and crispy in the mouth, the more you chew, the more flavorful it is, and if you dip it in fish soup, it will add a unique hometown taste to your meal.
