Yuandang waterfront walkway upgrade completes third phase
The ecological waterfront walkway stretches for 23 km along Yuandang Lake.
The third phase of a continuous 23-kilometer ecological waterfront walkway upgrade along Yuandang Lake has been completed, featuring new floral scenery and landscapes and offering an ideal getaway for residents, Qingpu District government announced on Wednesday.
Yuandang Lake is located on the boundary between Shanghai and Jiangsu Province, the core area of the Yangtze River Delta Ecology and Greenery Integration Demonstration Zone.
The lake covers 12.9 square kilometers, with its waterfront stretching to 23 kilometers, including 6.2 kilometers in Qingpu and 16.8 kilometers in Wujiang, Jiangsu Province.
The first two phases of the project involved 3.1 kilometers in Qingpu and work on the remaining 3.1 kilometers in the third phase began last year.
A bird's eye view shows the walkway beside Yuandang Lake.
The third phase involved newly built roads totaling 4 kilometers, nine new bridges, and two new sluices.
Landscape greenery totaling 231,800 square meters was added and the water ecological environment totaling 200,000 square meters was repaired.
There are five newly built or renovated rest stations.
The third phase embodies Jiangnan (regions in the south of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River) culture with the arrangement of new plants and cultural essence elements included in the design, relying on tourist attractions along the bank of the lake such as Shanghai Daguanyuan (Grandview Garden).
Stories related to the famous 12 characters in "A Dream of Red Mansions," one of the four great Chinese classic novels by Cao Xueqin of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), are replicated via 12 landscapes, creating classic Jiangnan gardening scenery with lush greenery and murmuring streams and presenting a Jiangnan watertown cultural corridor.
The project is creating new landscapes beside.Yuandang Lake.
Flowers that represent the 12 characters are featured as well.
Nine ancient bridges and a new walking track are also part of the project to provide an accessible leisure and fitness venue for residents.
The wetland environment along the bank of the lake was repaired in the third phase.
Qingpu has a dense water network and is home to 1,936 rivers and 23 lakes.
"The district is developing a world-famous lake district to let the public enjoy the best ecological resources," said Cheng Guangyu, director of the Qingpu District Water Affairs Bureau.
"Another 6,000 mu (400 hectares) of high-quality riverfront areas will be opened to the public and about 100 landscapes will be created," Cheng said.
