Wuxi to develop into 'park city'

Wuxi completed afforestation of 926.7 hectares in 2020, of which 780 hectares were newly planted, according to official data from the related government bureau.

The city also built 2.5 million square meters of green areas in the urban area, as well as carried out greening projects on main roads and avenues inside the city, including Xixi Avenue, Luonan Avenue, Zhonghui Avenue, and the northern extension of Xingchang Road.

Huishan district started its investment of 440 million yuan ($67.7 million) to build and reform green areas besides roads in 2016. A total of 2.53 million square meters of green areas have since been upgraded.

The shrubs originally planted in the central zone of Zhonghui Avenue have been replaced by deciduous trees, such as liquidambar formosana hance, water elm, and Chinese tallow. Experts said that this can help increase the leaf area index and the amount of greenery.

According to officials, Wuxi will plant more kinds of flowers to build the city into a "park city" all year round.

More cherry trees will be planted in Xinwu district, aiming to provide a scene of cherry blossoms from February to April every year. In addition, colorful plants, such as lagerstroemia indica, ginkgo, and hairawn muhly, will show their beauty throughout the seasons.