AT A GLANCE
Why go?
Leifeng Park (雷锋公园) is a large waterside public park in Changsha's Wangcheng District, set beside Leifeng Avenue on the Banma Lake East wetland. Opened to the public on 1 October 2014, it is the district's biggest park and a favourite spot for local strollers, joggers and families who come for open water, green slopes and easy lakeside walking.↗↗↗
What gives the park its character is the wetland itself: roughly 450 of its nearly 1,000 mu is water, woven through with landscape bridges, viewing platforms and a 2.4-kilometre loop path that circles the lake. The later zones lean more on nature than on modern landscaping—dense bamboo and tall trees create a quieter, shadier mood, and low-lying marsh has been shaped into islands and jetties that bring you close to the water's edge.↗↗
It takes its name from Lei Feng, the PLA soldier and national symbol of selfless service who was born and grew up in this district, and the park sits within a network of Leifeng-themed landmarks that make Wangcheng known across China as 'Lei Feng's hometown.' For visitors it is best enjoyed as a relaxed, free green escape—an urban wetland where willow-lined banks, evening light and nesting birds give it its quietly scenic appeal.↗↗
Good to know
- Park
- 23 kmfrom Changsha center
- Wheelchair accessentrance
- Changsha
A waterside park built around a wetland
Leifeng Park was developed in phases around the Banma Lake East wetland, with its first zone opening in October 2014 and a second zone following soon after. The overall plan covers roughly 1,100 mu, making it the largest park in Wangcheng District, and it was conceived as part of a wider 'Emerald Wangcheng' landscape system that threads ecological corridors and green routes through the city.↗
Water dominates the experience. About 450 mu of the park is lake and marsh, and the design keeps the public close to it—landscape bridges span the channels, waterside platforms invite you to pause, and a dedicated loop path lets you walk or jog the full circuit without backtracking.↗
What to notice and do
The simplest and most rewarding thing to do here is follow the 2.4-kilometre lakeside promenade, watching the reedy shallows and open water shift around you. The first zone leans into a more polished, modern parkland feel, while the later areas trade that for a wilder atmosphere: generous plantings of bamboo and canopy trees create cool, green corridors, and the 150-mu low-lying wetland has been fashioned into small islands and亲水 (water-touching) platforms.↗↗
Locals come for the wetland's signature mood—green sloping banks fringed with willows, rosy evening skies and egrets settling for the night—and a water show adds a focal point on the lake. It is a place for easy, low-key leisure: walking, photography at golden hour, and birdwatching over the marsh islands rather than any thrill-ride attraction.↗↗
The Lei Feng thread
The park's name honours Lei Feng, the soldier celebrated throughout China for his modesty and willingness to help others, who was born, raised and did some of his early work in this very district. Wangcheng has woven Leifeng-themed landmarks—memorials, theatres, avenues, stations and public buildings—through its streets, and Leifeng Park forms part of that landscape, set near the Leifeng Avenue corridor that links Wangcheng with central Changsha.↗↗
If the theme interests you, the nearby Hunan Lei Feng Memorial and the district's other 'Lei Feng' sites offer a deeper look at the hometown story that gives the park its name.↗
Visiting
The park sits in Wangcheng District on the north-western edge of Changsha, alongside Leifeng Avenue near the Banma Lake wetland, and is open for casual daytime and evening visits. As a municipal wetland park, its appeal is its wide paths, open water and greenery rather than ticketed attractions, and the main entrance area is step-free for wheelchair users.↗↗
What makes it special
A little planning goes a long way
About this guide
Compiled with AI assistance from the sources below; this is not a first-hand visit. Place details collected October 5, 2026. Hours, access and ratings can change; confirm with the venue before visiting.
