Spotlight on city as world's longest greenway inspires lifestyle discussion

There are many livable cities around the world but they may not be as unique as Chengdu, officials said. Located in Southwest China, Chengdu is not only a megacity with a population of 20 million, but also the builder of the world's longest greenway system.

Initiated in 2017, the Tianfu Greenway has a planned length of 16,900 kilometers, which is longer than the distance from Beijing to New York.

Eventually occupying a space of 14,000 square kilometers, it will be a huge park and green network covering the whole city, according to the local government.

"It's fabulous. Riding on the Tianfu Greenway, you can smell plants in the air and see tall modern buildings in the distance reflected in the water. And the water is surrounded by green trees," said Sebastian Llano Castano, a senior sports consultant from Colombia.

Spotlight on city as world's longest greenway inspires lifestyle discussion
"What's even better is that every Chengdu citizen can share this beauty with his family and friends," Castano said.

Castano just competed in the global finals of the 2019 Hurricane Criterium held in Chengdu, from Oct 19 to 20. He took a tour of the city with some cyclists afterward.

The parks and flower nurseries along the Tianfu Greenway reminded Castano of his hometown, Bogota in Colombia.

"However, the parks in Bogota are not that big," he said. "Before arriving in China, I thought it would be crowded with people and traffic, with a polluted environment."

"However, this trip in Chengdu impressed me with its comfortable environment and beautiful scenery, and I hope to visit again in the near future."

What Castano saw is just a corner of the Tianfu Greenway. Over the past two years, the greenway has been spreading into a network, connecting ecological areas, parks, small gardens and green belts in Chengdu, according to local officials.

As of September, 3,144 km of the Tianfu Greenway had been built, statistics show.

"The Tianfu Greenway will help comprehensively upgrade the quality of the urban environment.

It is a demonstration project of a green ecological concept, rather than planting a few trees or flowers," said a project leader.

Taking the Tianfu Greenway as a method, Chengdu has built a raft of high-quality living and consumption spaces. These not only bring fresh experiences to locals and tourists but promote the integrated development of culture, sports, tourism, business and agriculture in the city, according to the local government.

Jiangjia garden is an ecological park on the Chengdu Jincheng Greenway. An important part of the Tianfu Greenway system, the Jincheng Greenway is built along the circle thruway of Chengdu city, like a necklace surrounding the city.

"I come to Jiangjia garden every morning for a run before going to work," said Li Yong who lives nearby.

Engaged in mobile game development, Li has to sit in front of a computer for a long time, which is bad for his health.

"With Jiangjia garden's opening at the beginning of this year, I often take a run or do exercise here, which makes me feel a few years younger," Li said.

Jiangjia garden is also equipped with an array of recreation and leisure facilities, which allow seniors and children to relax and have fun there. On weekends and holidays, Li and his wife often go to the garden together with their parents and friends.

Li's parents like to walk and drink tea by the lake, while his children play on the swings, seesaw and slide.

Li and his wife can enjoy their leisure time by playing table tennis or kayaking.

To enrich its ornamental value, sculptures from countries including Malaysia, South Korea and Australia have been placed within the garden.

Covering 1.42 sq km, Jiangjia garden has flower beds blooming over 0.27 sq km. Diverse tourism projects, including a children's amusement park, motorhome camp ground and sightseeing farmland, have been established there.

In Chengdu, parks like Jiangjia garden can be seen everywhere. With the establishment of the Tianfu Greenway, the city is expected to form a new urban environment featuring ecological and harmonious lifestyles, according to local officials.

zhangdandan@chinadaily.com.cn