Hongshan Forest Zoo (Chinese: 红山森林动物园; pinyin: Hóngshān sēnlín dòngwùyuán) is a zoological park in Nanjing, the capital city of Jiangsu province, China. Located on 168 Heyan Road in the Xuanwu District of Nanjing, it is a 168.03 acres (68.00 ha) park and forest with 85% green coverage rate.[1] The zoo houses over 3,000 animals of more than 260 species.[2][3] It is the first zoo in China to end animal performances in 2011.[4][5] Subsequently, in 2014, it also stopped visitors from feeding the animals.[4]
| Hongshan Forest Zoo | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 32°05′39″N 118°47′54″E / 32.0941024°N 118.7982634°E | |
| Date opened | 1998 |
| Location | Nanjing, Jiangsu, China |
| Land area | 168.03 acres (68.00 ha) |
| No. of animals | 3,000+ |
| No. of species | 260 |
| Annual visitors | 6 million+ (2023) |
| Director | Shen Zhijun |
| Public transit access | Nanjing Metro |
| Website | www |
On January 30, 2013, Hongshan Forest Zoo was officially designated as a national 4A-level tourism site by the Chinese National Tourism Scenic Quality Grading Committee.[6]
History
edit
Early years
editIn 1928, Xuanwu Lake Park was established, and it was then called "Wuzhou Park." Chang Zonghui ,the director of the Xuanwu Lake Management Bureau at the time, proposed the idea of establishing an "Animal Garden" to the Nanjing government. This suggestion was approved by both Jiangsu Province government and Nanjing City government.[7] [8] However, there were no animals yet for the "Animal Garden".
On September 22, 1928, a group of macaques were transferred from Changzhou First Park to the "Animal Garden." As a result, this group of macaques became the first animals in the history of Hongshan Zoo.[9]
On May 14, 1934, Shanghai's "Da Mei Wanbao" published a report titled "The Xuanwu Lake Oddities". It described three "odd individuals": one with a large head, one with a small head, and the last one called the "Half-Body Beauty". Lu Xun commented to a friend, after seeing this report, that two of the three odd individuals were deformed, while the one with the large head was a patient with cerebral edema, which was quite pitiful to be placed in the zoo.[8]
In the end, the “Animal Garden" was destroyed during the Second Sino-Japanese War.[8]
Mid-20th century
editIn July 1947, the Nanjing Municipal Government approved the "Organizational Constitution of the Preparatory Committee for the Nanjing Zoological and Botanical Gardens". An 11-member preparatory committee was formed, led by Mei Chengzhang, the director of the Municipal Landscape Management Office. The committee included Zhu Zhangeng, the director of the Central Health Laboratory, Zhang Shouyu, the head of the Horticulture Department at National Central University, Zheng Wanjun, the head of the Forestry Department at National Central University, and Chen Bangjie, a professor of botany at National Central University, among others.[8]
On June 8, 1948, The Nanjing National Government approved the draft of the "Organizational Constitution of the Preparatory Committee for the Nanjing Zoological and Botanical Gardens".[8]
In January 1954, Xuanwu Lake Zoo was completed at Lingzhou within Xuanwu Lake Park and officially welcomed visitors on May 18 of that same year.[9]
Between 1955 and 1980, Xuanwu Lake Zoo underwent significant expansion, resulting in the construction of various new facilities. These included monkey mountain, an aquarium, small animal enclosures, a crocodile pool, a carnivore house, a bird house, bear mountain, a panda house, a giraffe house, a gorilla house, and a peace pavilion.[7]
1998 - present
editHongshan Forest Zoo was founded in 1998 by combining the former Xuanwu Lake Zoo and Hongshan Park. Starting in 1928 the Nationalist government in Nanjing had a zoo of birds, monkeys, bears and other animals north of Xuanwu Lake.[7][10]
Present
editThe zoo consists of Xiaohongshan bird region, Dahongshan beast region, Fangniushan herbivore and Primate animal region, and an amphibian and reptile hall. There are 260 species among the 3000 animals in the zoo. There are protected animals such as Asian elephant, giraffe, zebra, kangaroo, white tiger, panther, orangutan, mandrill, flamingo, macaw parrots, gold python and so on. The first degree protected species from China at the zoo include giant panda, golden monkey, gibbon, red-crowned crane, northeast tiger, and Yangtze alligator.
Transportation
editNorth Gate (Heyan Road Gate): Take Metro Line 1 and get off at the Hongshan Zoo Station or take bus routes 8, 54, 64, 72, 76, 77, 575.[1]
East Gate (Hongshan Road Gate): Take bus routes 40, 74, 501.[1]
References
edit- ^ a b c d "南京市红山森林动物园". www.njhszoo.com. Retrieved 2024-10-18.
- ^ 刘峻凌. "南京红山森林动物园转型调查：为何能让年轻人向往？". www.china.com.cn. Retrieved 2024-10-18.
- ^ 南京市玄武区地方志编纂委员会 (2005). 玄武区志. 中华人民共和国地方志丛书 (in Chinese). 方志出版社. p. 106. ISBN 978-7-80192-470-4. Retrieved 2024-05-21.
- ^ a b 郑, 超 (2024-02-08). ""网红"动物园转型记". Legal Weekly. Retrieved 2024-10-11.
- ^ Li, Wenxiu (2023-12-29). "Research on Communication Strategy of Refusing Animal Performance Concept in Nanjing Hongshan Forest Zoo Based on STEPPS Model". Highlights in Business, Economics and Management. 23: 980–987. doi:10.54097/79s6t285. ISSN 2957-952X.
- ^ "南京市国家等级旅游景区名录表（截至2021年12月31日）_办事指南_ 南京市文化和旅游局". wlj.nanjing.gov.cn. Retrieved 2024-10-18.
- ^ a b c 江苏省地方志编纂委員会 (2003). 江苏地方志 (in Chinese). 江苏地方志编辑部. p. 4. Retrieved 2024-05-21.
- ^ a b c d e "南京动物园民国建园往事:曾因展出怪人遭鲁迅谴责-中新网". www.chinanews.com. Retrieved 2024-10-18.
- ^ a b "回忆杀！南京人的童年，都在这了！". Weixin Official Accounts Platform. Retrieved 2024-10-18.
- ^ "南京市红山森林动物园70岁了，见证生态保护越来越"热"". www.xhby.net. Retrieved 2024-10-11.