Leisure lifestyle blueprint mapped out for Changshou Bay
High-rise buildings with terraces of different heights, dubbed as “the Hanging Gardens of Babylon,” are seen at the construction site of a shopping complex along Suzhou Creek in Putuo District. It is part of the “1,000 Trees” project, one of Putuo’s efforts to remodel the Changshou Bay area into a landmark leisure lifestyle zone.
PUTUO District has released a blueprint on Changshou Bay, the first river bend of Suzhou Creek within the district, to create it into a landmark leisure lifestyle zone.
Changshou Bay has always been the most dynamic and popular region along the 21-kilometer-long creek within Putuo. A batch of key commercial, cultural and tourism projects, such as the “1,000 Trees,” M50 creative park, textile museum, QSW Culture Center have gathered in the area.
Putuo government aims to incorporate more quality resources in the area to develop Changshou Bay into a “name card” of the city’s Suzhou Creek waterfront.
The Caojiadu Flower Market is being turned into a cultural and entertainment site.
After a series of studies, the district government plans to create a culture and entertaining center featuring electronic sports and other entertainment events. A pedestrian overpass will also be built to connect the Caojiadu area with the Longde Road Station of Metro Line 11 and 13.
A characteristic industrial zone has been planned for the Changshou Bay area. The M50 Creative Park will be renovated into a cultural and creative landmark, while the Tian An “1,000 Trees” project will form a comprehensive commercial cultural landmark.
The Yuexing Furniture Plaza will be developed into an experience base for imported furniture, and the QSW Culture Center will feature cultural and sports performances.
The future Changshou Bay area will involve functions for business, creativity, culture, leisure and entertainment for both residents and tourists.
As a highlight project, the initial phase of the “1,000 Trees” project will be open to the public in late 2019 and include restaurants, museums, art galleries and entertainment sites, developer Tian An China Investments Co Ltd said.
Residents and tourists have been intrigued by the structure’s unconventional appearance, with trees planted on its pillars and balconies. There will be up to 1,000 balconies filled with plants and trees, giving the structure a hill-like appearance.
‘1,000 Trees’
The structure is along Moganshan and Changhua roads in Putuo to the east of the Changhua Road Bridge. The riverside region was a former site of China’s earliest private flour factory — east Asia’s largest and most modern plant of its kind when it opened in 1900.
To highlight the history of the site, four buildings belonging to the former flour plant have been preserved and will be incorporated in the new complex. One building is being converted into a museum about the flour factory, while the others will house an art gallery and restaurants.
The inspiration for the design came from China’s Yellow Mountain with the two phases of the project resembling two peaks, while the trees and plants make it look like mountain cliffs.
The project is beside the M50 art hub, home to around 130 galleries and organizations from 18 countries. It opened in 2001 and features fine art, fashion design, architecture, furniture, film and animation, jewelry and art education.
To cap the development blueprint, Putuo will launch a renovation project near the Aomen and Changhua roads.
Through high-standard road and environment landscape designs, the area will become a downtown high-end public activity space. Public service facilities on education, sports and seniors’ care will be added to the region to meet the demands of nearby residents.
Putuo also plans to further develop culture and history along Suzhou Creek. A story wall will be erected on each bridge and bay along the creek within Putuo. A culture and sightseeing belt with international standard will be created along the creek by 2020.
