SHIJIAZHUANG - Beijing and neighboring Hebei province will combine land to develop a national park stretching dozens of miles in northern China, the local government said over the weekend.

Baoding, a city in Hebei province southwest of Beijing, will join hands with Beijing's Fangshan district to turn the region's rivers, forests and wetland into a national park over the next three years, the Baoding government said.

Baoding has been identified by authorities as a key city in a master plan released earlier this year seeking greater integration between Beijing and its neighbor Tianjin city and Hebei Province, in areas such as economic development, transportation and environmental protection.

The national park is also seen as an effort to improve the natural environment in the region and a potential tourism site that promises significant source of revenue for Baoding.

Baoding's mayor Ma Yufeng said the city hopes to use the plan to turn the city into a major tourism destination for the region.