[Journalists go to the grassroots level]
Qinhuangdao Daily reporter Li Zhengnan
The winter weather in Shanhaiguan is getting increasingly chilly. On both sides of the Shihe River, workers are accurately installing sections of guardrails in place, and the construction of the Shihe Sports Park project is entering the final stage. This dynamic waterfront space spanning the Shihe River with a total area of 260,000 square meters will soon be open to the public.
As the largest and most comprehensive sports park project in Shanhaiguan District in recent years, Shihe Sports Park has been progressing smoothly since its construction started in October 2024. At present, the park’s 7-kilometer fitness trail around the river (including a 510-meter cross-river bridge) has been basically completed. Five types of standard ball fields including basketball, futsal, badminton, table tennis, and goalball, a 2,000-square-meter children’s activity area, two viewing platforms, 78 ecological parking spaces, and more than 40,000 square meters of new greening projects are all in the final stage. The park will be handed over soon.
The Shihe Sports Park, which is about to be put into use, will become a good place for citizens to exercise and keep fit. Photo by correspondent Ji Qian
“Shihe Sports Park is not only a sports venue, but also a demonstration project for the integration of ecological restoration and urban functions.” said a staff member of the Shanhaiguan District Water Conservancy Bureau. “We adhere to the construction principle of ‘all-age friendly, diverse and complex’, fully consider the needs of different groups such as the elderly, children, and youth in the design, and strive to make every green space ‘accessible, participatory, and dynamic.'”
Shanhaiguan District’s urban renewal is not limited to such “generous projects”. At the corner of the streets, pocket parks are quietly “growing”. “Chang Garden”, located in the eastern section of Gangshan Street, covers an area of about 5,500 square meters. It incorporates the concept of sponge city and is equipped with solar term cultural landscape stones and four-season flower designs. It has become a new space for residents of surrounding communities to rest, do morning exercises, and carry out cultural activities. These pocket parks solve the problem of insufficient parks and green activity venues around the people, and achieve the construction goal of “seeing green within 300 meters and gardens within 500 meters”.
From Shihe Sports Park to Pocket Park, Shanhaiguan District is gradually building an urban park system with clear hierarchies, complementary functions, and age-friendly features: large parks carry systematic sports, ecological restoration, and waterfront leisure functions, while pocket parks focus on daily interactions and nearby accessibility needs of community residents. In the next step, Shanhaiguan District will further improve the park operation and maintenance mechanism, promote the integrated development of “park +”, and explore the embedding of functions such as cultural display, smart fitness, and emergency avoidance at key points to ensure that green spaces are “well built, manageable, and used for a long time.”
This is a vivid practice for Shanhaiguan to explore high-quality urban renewal and promote green development. With the completion and commissioning of urban park projects one after another, Shanhaiguan District has added new landmarks one after another. From grand ecological corridors to tiny street corner green spaces, an urban green vitality network with warmth, resilience and a sense of belonging is quietly forming in Guancheng.
Editor: Xue Jialin
Editor: Li Zhicai
Editor: Liu Fuqing
Supervisor: Wang Qing
