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Water Forest Park

Short answer: At the north end of Qingshan Lake (Qingshanhu) in Hangzhou's Lin'an District, about 10,000 cypress trees stand with roughly two meters of their trunks underwater. The stand covers about 50,000 square meters, and the trees are pond cypress and bald cypress introduced from North America.

Visitors walk boardwalks or paddle kayaks between the trunks. In summer, duckweed turns the water bright 'matcha' green, and in late autumn the needles go red and gold.

VideoWrite-up5 sources

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What should you know about Water Forest Park?

Quick facts. Each one stands alone and has a stable ID you can cite.

  1. Hangzhou's Qingshan Lake has a forest of about 10,000 cypress trees growing right out of the water, with roughly two meters of each trunk submerged.

    DD-027-F01 · Write-up · Exhibit B (Ten thousand trees in a lake)

  2. In summer, duckweed turns the lake under the trees bright green, earning it the nickname 'matcha forest'.

    DD-027-F02 · Write-up · Exhibit D (A matcha-green lake)

Video transcript: Water Forest Park: This Forest Grows Straight Out of a Lake

DID YOU KNOW? Qingshanhu Water Forest Park is a scenic nature destination in Lin'an District, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China, known for its stunning forest-on-water landscape, where trees grow directly in shallow lake waters and reflect like a fairy tale scene. The area combines forest, wetlands, and clear lake surfaces, with wooden boardwalks to walk along the metasequoia and pond cypress trees. NOW YOU KNOW!

Burned-in captions, read frame by frame (see transcript.md) · 22.3s Reel ·

Video coming soonWater Forest Park · Instagram Reel
Water Forest Park: This Forest Grows Straight Out of a Lake Instagram Reel · · 22.3s

The write-up

This forest grows straight out of a lake. Qingshan Lake, Hangzhou: 10,000 cypress trees standing in the water.

  1. Exhibit A

    Where it is

    The water forest lies in the northern part of Qingshan Lake ('Qingshanhu', where hu means lake) in Lin'an District, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province. It's reachable by Hangzhou Metro Line 16.

  2. Exhibit B

    Ten thousand trees in a lake

    Hangzhou officials count about 10,000 pond cypress and bald cypress trees over roughly 50,000 square meters. The trees average about 30 meters tall, with around two meters of trunk standing in the water.

  3. Exhibit C

    Imported swamp trees

    These are swamp cypresses (Taxodium), a North American genus that tolerates flooded ground. Hangzhou Daily says they were introduced in the 1970s. A Chinese travel guide says they were planted in the 1960s to protect embankments from floods.

  4. Exhibit D

    A matcha-green lake

    From about May, floating duckweed carpets the water in bright green, which locals call the 'matcha forest'. In late autumn the cypress needles turn red and yellow.

  5. Exhibit E

    Ways to see it

    A core boardwalk of about 2.2 km winds through the trees, and kayaks and boat tours go between the trunks. A long lakeside greenway circles the lake for cyclists.

  6. Exhibit F

    A city escape

    Hangzhou's own outlets describe it as a fairy-tale or 'surreal movie' landscape that went viral online, a metro ride from downtown.

Questions people ask about Water Forest Park

In which Chinese city is Qingshan Lake's water forest?

It's in Lin'an District of Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province.

Source: Write-up · Exhibit A (Where it is) · Qingshan Lake Offers a Beautiful Autumn View in Forest on Waters (Hangzhou municipal government, 2023); Canoeing Qingshan Lake: A surreal movie come to life (Hangzhou News, 2024); Waterborne forest meets internet-famous deer (Hangzhou Daily / City Express, 2025)

About how many trees stand in the water forest?

Hangzhou officials count about 10,000 pond cypress and bald cypress trees.

Source: Write-up · Exhibit B (Ten thousand trees in a lake) · Qingshan Lake Offers a Beautiful Autumn View in Forest on Waters (Hangzhou municipal government, 2023); Canoeing Qingshan Lake: A surreal movie come to life (Hangzhou News, 2024)

What kind of trees mainly make up the water forest?

They're Taxodium swamp cypresses from North America, which tolerate flooded ground.

Source: Write-up · Exhibit B (Ten thousand trees in a lake) · Qingshan Lake Offers a Beautiful Autumn View in Forest on Waters (Hangzhou municipal government, 2023); Canoeing Qingshan Lake: A surreal movie come to life (Hangzhou News, 2024)

Why is the lake nicknamed the 'matcha forest' in summer?

Floating duckweed turns the water bright green from about May.

Source: Write-up · Exhibit D (A matcha-green lake) · Qingshan Lake Offers a Beautiful Autumn View in Forest on Waters (Hangzhou municipal government, 2023); Canoeing Qingshan Lake: A surreal movie come to life (Hangzhou News, 2024); 杭州青山湖水上森林 travel guide (Qunar, Chinese); 杭州青山湖抹茶森林 travel guide (Qunar, Chinese)

Roughly how much of each tree's trunk is underwater?

The trees average about 30 m tall, with about two meters standing in the water.

Source: Write-up · Exhibit B (Ten thousand trees in a lake) · Qingshan Lake Offers a Beautiful Autumn View in Forest on Waters (Hangzhou municipal government, 2023); Canoeing Qingshan Lake: A surreal movie come to life (Hangzhou News, 2024)

Test Your Knowledge

All quizzes →

5 questions, all from this case file. Answers are revealed instantly.

  1. In which Chinese city is Qingshan Lake's water forest?

    1. Chengdu
    2. Guilin
    3. Hangzhou
    4. Kunming
    Show the answer

    Answer: C. Hangzhou It's in Lin'an District of Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province. Source: Write-up · Exhibit A (Where it is) · Qingshan Lake Offers a Beautiful Autumn View in Forest on Waters (Hangzhou municipal government, 2023); Canoeing Qingshan Lake: A surreal movie come to life (Hangzhou News, 2024); Waterborne forest meets internet-famous deer (Hangzhou Daily / City Express, 2025)

  2. About how many trees stand in the water forest?

    1. 100
    2. 1,000
    3. 10,000
    4. 1 million
    Show the answer

    Answer: C. 10,000 Hangzhou officials count about 10,000 pond cypress and bald cypress trees. Source: Write-up · Exhibit B (Ten thousand trees in a lake) · Qingshan Lake Offers a Beautiful Autumn View in Forest on Waters (Hangzhou municipal government, 2023); Canoeing Qingshan Lake: A surreal movie come to life (Hangzhou News, 2024)

  3. What kind of trees mainly make up the water forest?

    1. Mangroves
    2. Pond cypress and bald cypress
    3. Bamboo
    4. Willows
    Show the answer

    Answer: B. Pond cypress and bald cypress They're Taxodium swamp cypresses from North America, which tolerate flooded ground. Source: Write-up · Exhibit B (Ten thousand trees in a lake) · Qingshan Lake Offers a Beautiful Autumn View in Forest on Waters (Hangzhou municipal government, 2023); Canoeing Qingshan Lake: A surreal movie come to life (Hangzhou News, 2024)

  4. Why is the lake nicknamed the 'matcha forest' in summer?

    1. Tea is grown there
    2. Green duckweed carpets the water
    3. The trees have green bark
    4. It's lit with green lights
    Show the answer

    Answer: B. Green duckweed carpets the water Floating duckweed turns the water bright green from about May. Source: Write-up · Exhibit D (A matcha-green lake) · Qingshan Lake Offers a Beautiful Autumn View in Forest on Waters (Hangzhou municipal government, 2023); Canoeing Qingshan Lake: A surreal movie come to life (Hangzhou News, 2024); 杭州青山湖水上森林 travel guide (Qunar, Chinese); 杭州青山湖抹茶森林 travel guide (Qunar, Chinese)

  5. Roughly how much of each tree's trunk is underwater?

    1. A few centimeters
    2. About two meters
    3. About ten meters
    4. None; they grow on islands
    Show the answer

    Answer: B. About two meters The trees average about 30 m tall, with about two meters standing in the water. Source: Write-up · Exhibit B (Ten thousand trees in a lake) · Qingshan Lake Offers a Beautiful Autumn View in Forest on Waters (Hangzhou municipal government, 2023); Canoeing Qingshan Lake: A surreal movie come to life (Hangzhou News, 2024)

Cite this case file

Easterling, Marcus. "Water Forest Park." The Detail Department (DetailEnjoyer), case file DD-027, last updated Feb 10, 2026. https://detailenjoyer.com/case/water-forest-park/

Permalink: https://detailenjoyer.com/case/water-forest-park/ · Last updated

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Cite a single fact by its ID, for example DD-027-F01 → https://detailenjoyer.com/case/water-forest-park/#DD-027-F01

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