The jewel in Beijing's emerald crown

By Alexis Hooi (China Daily)
Updated: 2008-07-17 14:32

Like those Beijing residents who have found their lives overwhelmed by the run-up to the Olympic Games, I can't wait for the international sporting event to be over.

In my case though, it is because I am anticipating a feature of this Olympics that literally lies beyond all the furor.

Just north of the Olympic Green, where focal points of the Games such as the Bird's Nest and Water Cube are situated, sits the new Olympic Forest Park.

Covering more than 600 hectares, the $1.12 billion park is about the size of Beijing's famed Summer Palace and Yuanmingyuan (Old Summer Palace) combined, making it the largest green space in the capital and arguably one of the biggest parks in any city across the world.

The forest park is also the most exciting addition to current greening efforts.

Beijing authorities plan to have 20 new free-admission parks in the city proper by this year and build up to 20 city parks annually, in line with an aim to have such spaces never more than 500 m from any resident in a few years' time.

Add to these major attractions that also serve as green refuge - such as the temples of Heaven and Earth, Chaoyang and Beihai parks, Botanical Garden and two summer palaces - and the city's future can seem like a breath of fresh air.

Parks serve a crucial but commonly undervalued function in cities. The flora and fauna in these green lungs represent a fundamental right of urbanites to open spaces where they can breathe, unwind and keep their sanity as they cope with the relentless pace of the concrete jungle.

Just imagine what life in global cities such as New York and Tokyo would be like if their residents could not run to public spaces such as the Central and Ueno parks, let alone the numerous smaller ones that dot the metropolises. With the disproportion of urban demands over the amount of greenery necessary for easing such burdens on the environment and people's psyche, there will never be enough parks in cities.

That need for green space is even more apparent and urgent in Beijing, where new apartments, offices and shopping malls continue to mushroom with smoldering development.

The capital is at a critical juncture in its race for growth - preserving and accommodating green areas for future generations before dwindling space makes these amenities part of a lifestyle that can only be reminisced over.

That is why the new Olympic Forest Park is well-placed to become the jewel in Beijing's emerald crown.

Slated for public use by the May Day holidays next year, the park contains more than 500,000 plants of 180 species from neighboring regions. In the north lies a hill formed with earth from the construction sites of key Olympic venues and a 300-hectare forest. The south sports a 24-hectare lake, with wetlands nearby. There are waterfalls, meadows and streams.

Authorities have said that the park will cost about 100 million yuan ($14.6 million) a year to maintain and that the ticket price for visitors has not been set, although they give the assurance that it will be affordable.

Considering what it represents and the promise of its public function, entry to the forest park - at least its main sections - should be kept free for all of Beijing to enjoy, just like any community park.

Along with the expanded public transport network, improved infrastructure, increased business and global attention, the forest park should be a legacy of the Games that Beijingers and visitors can truly look forward to enjoying.