City's first mountain-sea hiking trail completed

Shenzhen's first mountain-sea hiking trail extending from Tanglang Mountain to Shenzhen Bay via the riverbank of Dasha River in Nanshan District has been completed, according to the city’s urban management authority Friday.

Sightseers enjoy the view from Jimu Pavilion, the peak of Tanglang Mountain in Nanshan District. Li Zhong

Hikers can start from Jimu Pavilion, the peak of Tanglang Mountain, where they can have a panoramic view of Shenzhen Bay and the northern area of Hong Kong, walk downhill to the Chaguang entrance at the foot of the mountain, and pass through the newly built Zijianyuan Park to enter the Dasha River Ecological Corridor before finally arriving at Shenzhen Bay Park.

The 13-kilometer trail is the first finished project of the city’s three-year (2022-2024) action plan for the construction of a “city of parks” in Shenzhen unveiled early this month that intends to connect mountains, rivers and sea in a more harmonious way.

Part of the city's 260-kilometer-long east-west walking trail stated in the plan, the footpath provides residents with green escape for leisure, social activities, and mental restoration.

According to the action plan, created by the city’s urban planning committee and the urban management authority, hiking trails will connect the city’s key urban nodes, historical architecture, natural scenery and coastlines.

The construction of the last 150-meter section of the Tanglang Moutain-Dasha River-Shenzhen Bay trail was not easy.

After field investigations conducted in the first half of this year, the urban management authority identified the Honghualing area of Tanglang Mountain as a suitable area to connect the Chaguang section of Dasha River Ecological Corridor, with a straight-line distance of less than 150 meters.

However, in between Dasha River Ecological Corridor and the Honghualing area was a deserted building materials market piled with waste. The authority finally decided to turn it into a community park named Zijianyuan Park, while preserving the original banana trees and plants that give the area a rustic charm. They also added an entrance at Chaguang at the foot of Tanglang Mountain.

The building of the trail adopted environmentally friendly principles to reduce impact on the natural environment by laying no new concrete walkways and mitigating any impact on biological species.

It also set up curb stones to prevent tourists from treading on surrounding vegetation.

Activity traces of animals such as leopard cats and Centropus sinensis have been found along the Chaguang-Tanglang Mountain hiking trail, according to the authority.

Dubbed the “city of 1,000 parks,” Shenzhen will have more than 1,350 parks and at least 4,000 kilometers of green pathways by 2025 and more than 1,500 parks and at least 5,000 kilometers of green pathways by 2035, according to a city development plan.