Lush greenway set to blossom as urban eco marvel

Citizens walk along Jinjiang Greenway path [Photo provided to China Daily]

Moscow is known as the "green capital" for its abundant and growing forested areas. Chengdu, a city in southwestern China with a population of 20 million, is embarking on a similar extraordinary journey. It is embracing a bold and idyllic vision for a new urban future: its Tianfu Greenway, at a total length of 16,900 kilometers, will be the longest green trail system in China.

The remarkable project is on schedule to be completed by 2035. It aims to transform the capital of Sichuan province into a kind of civic garden of interconnected ecological zones, parks, small gardens and grasslands.

The Tianfu Greenway system project will be the "skeleton structure" of the city's ecological zones, defining its entire ecosystem.

The main body of the Tianfu Greenway, called the Jinjiang Greenway, is located along the Jinjiang River and has a planned length of 240 kilometers.

The north part of the Jinjiang Greenway will start from the celebrated Dujiangyan Irrigation System. The ancient flood control, irrigation and water supply system for the Chengdu Plain in Sichuan -- originally constructed around 256 BC and still in use today -- is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a major tourist draw.

The Jinjiang Greenway will end at Huanglongxi, an ancient town to the south steeped in a 1,700 year history of its own.

Traveling along the route, people will be able to savor the landscapes of 10 different Chengdu counties.

The greenway is designed to link with the other greenways in the city, such as the Panda Greenway, featuring the giant panda as its theme, the Jincheng Greenway, to be built around the city's highway system, and seven more along the riverside.

The Tianfu Greenway will also showcase Longmen Mountain in western Chengdu and Longquan Mountain Urban Forest Park, adding a more rustic tone to the the huge metropolitan garden.

"Tianfu Greenway will enhance the city's living standards in an holistic way," said Li Guo, senior engineer at the Chengdu Institute of Planning and Design and leader of the greenway program.

Sports facilities are also under construction. A series of sporting events, including an international marathon and a bicycle race, will be staged along the Tianfu Greenway this year.

The benefits flowing from the city's enhanced ecological system should cascade down to and promote many other aspects of Chengdu: from its culture and unique cuisine and its tourism to major sporting and musical events. Even the agricultural landscape stands to benefit, Li said.

In June, a test path of Jinjiang Greenway, about 400 m long, was opened to the public. It offers visitors a compelling recreational experience with leisure seats, fitness facilities, railings with engraved pictures and cultural walls.

Smart light poles, equipped with various functions such as WIFI, security cameras and USB interfaces, are laced along the path.

The greenway's designers have also tried to give the city's residents more convenient access to shopping and relaxation through intelligent shopping stalls and culture-themed stores.

According to an official, the Jinjiang Greenway is designed for four groups of people: local citizens, new settlers, business people and tourists -- both domestic and international. It will create tourism attractions with a historical flavor and innovative design.

The Jinjiang Greenway will connect the local delicacies of Chengdu's gourmet bazaars with evening and night tourist walkways, which will have rest spots and public spaces with scenic views enhanced by a hi-tech lighting system.

There are expectations of a Jinjiang River Night Tour becoming a new tourist draw for the city. The official said that the greenway will introduce people to great places to go and new experiences to enjoy, from gastronic delights to unique accommodation, shopping malls and entertainment facilities.

The official added that when finished the Jinjiang Greenway will serve as a dynamic and livable riverside corridor integrating sustainable urban development with cultural spaces, exhibition facilities and homestay accommodation.

Since construction of Tianfu Green began in Sept 2017 1,585 kilometers of the greenway have been completed. The Panda Greenway was opened to the public in July.

The first phrase of Jincheng Green is very close to completion and work on the second phrase will begin in September. The project for Longquan Mountain Urban Forest Park has been approved by city planning officials.

According to Chengdu's urban development plan, the region around the mountain will become a giant park with an area of 1,275 square kilometers, 1.7 times the space of the current central downtown areas.

As an accessible and participatory scenic greenway system, Tianfu Greenway promises to link the city's established industrial clusters and its prospering newer clusters while integrating industrial and tourism resources; the outcome should be thousands of jobs.

The greenway system will favor all residents, including the new workers, with greater access to the natural world.

liyou@chinadaily.com.cn