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2008 Olympics>Beijing Review Olympic Special Reports
UPDATED: July-3-2008 NO. 27 JUL. 3, 2008
Putting Down Roots
China's capital has been getting greener by the day in the run up to the Olympics as the city has sought to meet and often beat its bid commitments
By YUAN YUAN

CITY OASIS: The Olympic Forest Park, the largest artificial green area of Beijing, is ready to welcome guests from all over the world (JIANG XIAOYING)

"We've already fulfilled our commitment for the green Olympics," said Cao Qingyao, Spokesman of the State Forestry Administration at a press conference on June 17. The meeting was held in Yanqing County, a county in the surburbs of Beijing that is 78 km northwest to the urban area. It used to be a place with inclement natural conditions and barren mountains.

Since 2000, a forestation project has been launched to re-green Yanqing. Beishan Hill, which stretches for 20 km, used to be a bald mountain. After six years of forestation it was transformed into beautiful scenery.

The barren beach of Longqing Valley, 8 km north to Yanqing County, which occupies 1,067 hectares, used to be a source of sand storms blowing through Beijing due to its low plant cover. Starting from 2002, the local government began to conduct a comprehensive transformation project of the area. The whole project was divided into four phases. Now it is a forest corridor that attracts tourists from the urban areas of Beijing.

Meanwhile, the government of Yanqing County has also employed forest rangers to protect the environment. In their fatigues and red safety helmets the rangers themselves have become an attraction.

Olympic Commitment

When Beijing won its bid for the 2008 Olympic Games, the city made a commitment of fulfilling seven greening targets. By the end of 2007, it had achieved all of them. Green cover in Beijing, in mountainous areas, and in urban areas has reached 51.6, 70.49 and 43 percent, respectively, all exceeding the targets of 50, 70 and 40 percent set out in the Olympic bid.

Three green ecological barriers have been formed, forming a circle around the city; a green belt of 25,000 hectares has been planted along the city's main rivers and highways, beating the original goal of 23,000 hectares; 12,600 hectares of forest has been established in total, exceeding the promised 12,000; and nature reserve areas 8.18 percent larger than the land area of Beijing have been established, in excess of the original 8-percent target. Meanwhile, the urban green land area and public green land area per capita in Beijing have reached 48 square meters and 12.6 square meters, respectively.

A total of 160 greening projects for 31 stadiums, 45 gymnasiums and connecting lines for roads have proceeded well in the run up to the Olympic Games. The green landscape development project covering 680 hectares in the Olympic Forest Park, the core area of the Olympic Park and National Avenue has almost come to an end. The Olympic Forest Park, which will be put into trial use on July 1-5, is the largest artificial afforested land area of Beijing. It sits near to the Bird's Nest and Water Cube and is regarded as an "axis to nature."

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