The Coastal Park in Dinghai district, Zhoushan, East China's Zhejiang province becomes a charming landscape of the district. [Photo/zhoushan.cn]

With lush trees and blooming flowers decorating the coastline, the Coastal Park in Dinghai district, Zhoushan, East China's Zhejiang province has become a charming landscape of the district.

Dating back to the early 1980s, however, the park area was a mere mud flat, with a humble stone wharf that served as one of the city's main passenger and cargo terminal, according to Liu Zhihao, deputy director of the local shipping administration. 

The mud flat and the wharf constitute what the original Dinghai Port looks like.

The original Dinghai Port in the early 1980s [Photo/zhoushan.cn]

With the development of the city over the past 40 years, the port has undergone significant improvement in infrastructure, environment and services.

Its cargo business has been moved out, and it is now focusing on inner-island passenger transport and tourism. 

The Coastal Park was established on the site of the original wharf in 2005 and started opening to the public the next year.

The Coastal Park becomes a popular entertainment place for local residents in Dinghai district. [Photo/zhoushan.cn]