Jiabei Country Park to open in September
Farmers harvest rice at a vast farm set within Jiabei Country Park.
The first phase of Jiabei park will feature over 20 kilometers of waterways. All the area's rivers, creeks and lakes have been connected to improve water quality.
The city’s largest suburb park in north Jiading will open to public from September 24, featuring farmland, historic buildings and driverless vehicles.
Officials said on Tuesday that Jiabei Country Park will open its first phase, covering some 7.3 square kilometers, during a trial operation.
Upon its completion, the park will have a total land area of 14 square kilometers, the district government said, adding admission will be free, but the park will close at night to ensure safety.
Jiabei is one of seven in a first batch of country parks to open in Shanghai, mostly in suburban districts including Minhang, Jinshan, Songjiang and Qingpu.
Entering the park, visitors will see a vast rice farm and a sea of lavender.
Workers have planted Chinese tallow trees, red maples, and sweet gum trees from North America along three main avenues of the park in addition to the original cedars.
“The three avenues will put on a charming display of brown, reddish yellow and red colors in autumn,” said Tang Yu, a press officer with the park.
The park aims to improve the ecological environment by creating beautiful countryside scenery.
A large area of farmland, equating to some 400 football fields, have been kept in the park for the cultivation of rice and grain. Farmers are also planting grains of different colors to create a colorful farmland, Tang said. Grapes, kiwi fruit, bamboo and aromatic crops will be planted in future.
While the south part of the park is featured by original farmland, the north part will be covered by a large forest covering over 600,000 square meters. Seven parts of the forest are designed for "romantic rambles," birds’ habitation, children’s activities, physical exercises and ecologic protection, according to the park.
“The park is to improve the ecological environment in the area as well as creating beautiful countryside scenery and holiday making,” Tang said.
The park's land was previously occupied by 133 companies in a former industrial zone, most of them highly polluting factory houses with low efficiency, an official with the district government said.
The park operator has relocated the factories, demolished the plants and dredged rivers for the park construction, while the farmland, forest and rivers have been preserved in their original state.
The first phase of the park will featured over 20 kilometers of waterways. All the rivers, creeks and lakes have been connected to improve water quality.
A large area of farmland, equating to 400 football fields, has been kept for the cultivation of rice and grain.
A sightseeing cruise service will be launched after the park's opening. Visitors will be able to take an ancient-styled ship to tour the waterway. It will become the first cruise service launched by a local country park.
The operator has built 18 sightseeing bridges in various styles that are named after the legendary stories of local celebrities and folk tales in Jiading.
In its future development, some 5,000 square meters of historic buildings originating from Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) will be relocated into the park. An archway — decorated with 800-meters of Chinese wisteria plants on both sides of the walkway — will become a major attraction once the plants have grown.
Ten driverless vehicles will take visitors to tour around part of the park. The vehicles will follow a 2.6-kilometer circular route and stop automatically for tourists to get on and off.
The park operator has set up a total of 2,500 parking lots to serve visitors. A rescue team and security guards are on stand-by to prepare for the trial opening. Some sharing bikes will be introduced in the park, according to the operator.
The nearest Metro station is Jiading West Station on Line 11, which is 2km away. Visitors can also reach the park by driving along the Shanghai-Yixing Expressway and turning Pengmen Road M.
Jiabei Country Park covers over 7 square kilometers in its first phase to become the city's largest country park.
