Chongming Island

Chongming Island lies at the mouth of the Yangtze River and is administered as part of Shanghai Municipality. It is one of China’s largest river-island landforms and combines agricultural land, urbanised areas and significant nature reserves.

The island has been the focus of major land-reclamation and infrastructure projects that expanded its area and linked it by road-bridge and tunnel connections to the rest of Shanghai. Large-scale parks and protected wetlands have been established, including forest parks and tidal reserves that are important for migratory birds.

Contemporary Chongming balances agricultural production, new urban districts and ecological conservation, with accessible public parks that receive many day visitors from metropolitan Shanghai. The island’s landscape is low-lying and dominated by reclaimed plains, wetlands and managed forest stands.

Chongming sits in the Yangtze estuary north of central Shanghai and is reached by road links from the city across river bridges and tunnels; it forms the northernmost major island in Shanghai’s municipal area.

• Size and administration: China's third-largest island by area, located in the Yangtze River estuary and administered as part of Shanghai Municipality.
• Access and conservation: Connected to Shanghai by bridges and tunnels and developed for both urban expansion and large-scale ecological reserves protecting migratory birds.

What to See #

• Dongping National Forest Park: A large urban green space created through afforestation and park development featuring pine plantations, landscaped areas and recreational facilities established on the island.
• Dongtan National Nature Reserve: A protected tidal wetland reserve at the island's eastern shore that provides staging and wintering habitat for migratory shorebirds and waterfowl along the Yangtze estuary.