Hengshui occupies a low, flat part of the south-central plain where water collects in shallow depressions. Hengshui Lake, the largest such wetland in the region, holds open water through the winter and draws migratory birds. Wuqiang County, to the north, has printed New Year pictures from woodblocks for centuries, a craft that survived the disruption of the twentieth century and is still practised.
Hengshui Lake is 75 square kilometres of water on the North China Plain and a staging point on a major migration route. Its winter counts include 120 Baer's pochards seen together in January 2025 and more than 60 wintering species.
Wuqiang in Hengshui printed New Year pictures from woodblocks for farming households across north China. The craft peaked in the Qing, was rescued after 1949, and entered China's first national intangible heritage list in 2006.
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