The 14th Meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands (COP 14) is being held until Nov 13 in Wuhan, capital of Central China's Hubei province and sideline meetings in Geneva, Switzerland. At the meeting, Shandong province's Jining was listed in the second batch of international wetland cities. 

Jining has a wetland area of about 152,400 hectares, with a wetland rate of 13.62 percent. It is home to an abundance of wetland resources and many places worth visiting.

Weishan Lake International Wetland Park is the biggest meadow-type wetland in the world and is the only wetland park in Shandong province at the national level.

The park has a great variety of ecosystems, and is home to various birds and plants. The wetland serves as an important place for conserving the ecosystem, culture and biodiversity.

A bird's-eye view of Weishan Lake International Wetland Park. [Photo/WeChat account: jnkzwhlyjt]

Taibai Lake Wetland is known as "a pearl in the southwest of Shandong" for its beautiful scenery and profound culture. The lake has an excellent landscape for people to spend their leisure time. Visitors are able to immerse themselves in nature by taking tour buses or boats in the area.

Taibai Lake Wetland at sunset. [Photo/WeChat account: jnkzwhlyjt]

Occupying an area of more than 4,300 mu (about 286.67 hectares), Lotus Lake Wetland Park is a 4A level scenic spot. Thanks to its beautiful environment and fresh air, the park is hailed as "the rear garden of the city". In addition to its thriving ecosystem, people can also experience the traditional culture in the area.

Flowers bloom along Lotus Lake. [Photo/WeChat account: jnkzwhlyjt]