Aixi Lake (艾溪湖) is a restored urban wetland in the Qingshan Lake district, covering several hundred hectares of open water, reed beds, and native vegetation. The wetland supports a diverse community of waterbirds — herons, egrets, kingfishers, and during the winter migration, ducks and geese arriving from Siberia. Boardwalks extend into the reed beds and birdwatching platforms have been placed at key viewpoints.
The park represents a genuine effort at urban ecological restoration and is considerably wilder feeling than the manicured formal parks elsewhere in the city. Early morning visits offer the best birdwatching; the surrounding residential areas have cafes and breakfast shops for a noodle stop afterward.