Licang district revamp plans on track

Modern service sector taking shape around transport hub

In the 1930s, Cangkou county in northwest Qingdao became a thriving industrial and transportation hub.

A train station was built in 1901 followed by an airport and a harbor in the years after, which made it one of the most prosperous regions in East China's Shandong province.

Modern factories were filled with machinery and workers, and trains, ships and planes transported the goods they produced from Qingdao to the rest of China.

Visitors and residents enjoyed the hustle and bustle of urban life and the city's streets were lined with restaurants, theaters and shops, which gave it the name of Qingdao's "Shanghai town".

The area, which is within Licang district and has more than 100 years of history, was reorganized into Qingdao Transport Business District, a 36-square-kilometer area around the newly built Qingdao North Station, the largest transport hub in Shandong.

To fully take advantage of the city's location and increased traffic flow from the new station, Qingdao is now looking to revamp the district.

"The supreme connectivity and accessibility will help transform the traditional industrial area to a place featuring a comfortable living environment and modern service sector," said Li Fengli, Party chief of Licang district. Qingdao North Railway Station was designed to receive nearly 50,000 passengers a day with 75 trains and transport 15 million passengers each year.

During the National Day holiday this year, the station facilitated 90,000 rail trips in and out of Qingdao.

The station also links Jiaozhou Bay Bridge and the Pan-Jiaozhou Bay Road, which is advantageous to a number of service sectors, especially commerce, logistics and tourism, said Li.

In the near future, the rail station will be linked to three subway lines, which are currently under construction, to allow passengers to transit easily.

Liu Yungang, director at the development office of the business area, said in addition to transport convenience the station also boasts a recreational platform for residents and tourists.

Five world-class design companies including Rheinschiene Architects from Germany were invited to draw up plans for the zone."The concept and model of reinventing an old urban area will set a model for other parts of the city," Liu said.

The East-West Plaza in front of the train station is a large business complex with a partially underground square and shopping center, which integrates local icon elements including the Laoshan Mountains, undulating coastline and railway track.

The plaza provides an open space for people to leave the train station and is supposed to be a symbol of urban culture.

High-end hotels, a convention and exhibition center and a history and culture center are also due to be built near the train station. A number of head offices of Qingdao enterprises have moved into the area and it is attracting more companies.

"With a large amount of quality headquarter offices, the district will soon become the new pole of growth for Qingdao and will churn out an economic output of 50 billion yuan in the not too distant future," Liu predicted.

Renovation

Renovation work was carried out on commercial establishments in the area as well as residential buildings and natural landscapes.

A total of 7,000 families who lived in rundown houses either moved to new apartments in the area or bought houses in other places with cash compensation. Relocation plans also include moving 19 old factories to enhance environmental protection and create new space for service sectors. To preserve and make full use of local culture and history, the district authority renovated the century-old, State-owned No 6 Cotton Textile Factory into the M6 Virtual Reality Industrial Park. The park has 16 virtual reality programs and offers office space for digital technology, culture and entertainment companies.

To date, 24 companies have moved into the park, where there is also a museum and a number of hotels, restaurants and other entertainment facilities. A river treatment project that goes across the whole district is underway and involves flood control, pollution processing, dredging, greenery planning and landscaping.

Similar projects are also expected to be carried out in two other rivers across the district. Three hill parks offer local residents green space to enjoy as well as the coastline around Jiaozhou Bay, where intensive tree planting projects are planned.

xiechuanjiao@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 11/12/2014 page12)