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Altogether 600 square meters of illegal structures were removed on East Gulou Street, 1,098 meters in length. More than 300 stores along the two sides of the street were repaired in accordance with the architectural styles of Ming and Qing Dynasties. CFP
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Developing the Districts
Before the pace of Beijing's urban modernization went into hyper-drive, BeiwuVillage west of the SummerPalace was a place where migrant workers congregated and the environment was precariously substandard. Today, however, thanks to environmental improvements underway throughout the urban corridors and suburbs of Beijing in preparation of the 2008 Olympic Games, the village has been transformed from a"city village"to a"city within the city."
Beiwu, with a permanent population of 2,600, is co-inhabited by 16,000 non-native residents. Many illegal and substandard residential dwellings were constructed by the villagers for lease to the non-natives. The streets, already not wide enough, became even narrower because of these buildings. To improve the environment, a normative commercial zone comprising 0.67 hectares was built to the north of the village. There people acquire vegetables, fruits, meat, various household needs and clothing, and the merchants live adjacent the area.
Back a year ago, there were no drainage pipes servicing the village, and wastewater simply flowed into pits dug near the houses. In each summer and winter, villagers suffered through the foul odor and would have to manually clean the pits.
In bettering their environmental drive, the villagers laid water supply lines and drainage outlets. Today the villagers wish to enjoy the same quality of living standards and environment as the urbanites, with such facilities as a library, recreation room and gym.
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Site of the new plant of Shougang Group at Caofeidian, Hebei Province. CFP
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Moving the Manufacturers
The Beijing Coking Plant was once a large factory comprising 1.5 square kilometers and six large cokeries. It produced coal gas for city residents, while expelling enormous quantities of smog. The plant was the main source of pollution in Beijing. To improve air quality, after 47 years in operation the plant was officially shut down on July 15, 2006. Three new companies were established to provide the employees with new jobs, while some of the equipment and former workers moved out of Beijing.
The relocation of Shougang (Capital Steelworks) Group was another important move to improve the city's environment. According to a plan approved by the State Council, the group would fulfill the historic mission in three stages: a reduction of 2 million tons in the total production of steel by 2005; a reduction of another 2 million tons by 2007; and by 2010 the part of work which involves the production of steel will be moved outside Beijing.
Shougang Group owns a 600,000-square-kilometer outdoor mineral storage facility processing vast quantities of coal and ore. Half of some 8 million tons of products are transported via highways, and about 500 to 600 diesel trucks pass in and out the facility each day. Most unfortunate for the city's residents and environment protection authorities is the fact that the facility is upwind from Beijing. And when that wind picks up, smoke and dust permeates the city.
The primary reason for the relocation of the facility is the drive to greatly reduce the source of industrial pollution and operate a green Olympic games. According to data released by the State Environmental Protection Administration of China, the relocation of Shougang will reduce the absorbable particulate matters by at least 18,000 tons a year.
Caofeidian in Tangshan, Hebei Province, will serve as the new home for the eight-million-ton capacity operation. Zhang Fuming, chief designer of the steelworks base of Caofeidian, said the new factory would operate according to the rules of a circular economy.
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July 15, 2006: The 47-year-old Beijing Coking Plant is officially closed. On that day, the factory director turned the switch to begin producing the last batch of coke. CFP
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Installing the Infrastructure
Environmental construction in preparation for the 2008 Games is changing the face of the city with each passing day.
Chaoyang District in the east of Beijing, where almost half of the 31 Olympic venues, including the Beijing Olympic Stadium, known as the"Bird's Nest,"and the Olympic Village are located, is undergoing a change. Environmental construction in the district includes the demolishing of illegal buildings, standardizing the market, controlling outdoor advertising, reducing and controlling garbage on streets, greening the area and bringing water usage under control.
To improve the traffic flow during the 2008 Games, 42 new roads, altogether 92 kilometers long, have been constructed in the district. For pedestrian convenience, 110 paths stretching 300,000 square kilometers have been maintained. In 2007, 74 road projects will be carried forth and the total length of pavement will reach 64.7 kilometers.
Chen Gang, head of the district, says environmental improvement brings not only a kind of honor, but will also present a boon for Beijing citizens.
Environmental improvement drives are also active in other urban districts in Beijing. For instance, in Xicheng District, 16 main roads and three"villages in the city"will be renovated by the time of the 2008 Olympic Games, and because of this, about 4,000 Beijing families will thus enjoy improved living conditions.
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The"villages in the city"and their obsolete facilities will soon be replaced by modern communities. CFP
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Cultivating the Character
While still in the bidding for host city for the 2008 Games, Beijing's managers pledged to improve air quality. By the arrival of the Games, they said, the level of emitted sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, nitric oxide and absorbable particulate matters would meet or exceed national standards.
Through sustaining controls, in 2006 the number of secondary days or better than secondary days reached 238, accounting for 65 percent of a year (the term 'secondary' means a pollutant concentration of less than 150 microgrammes per cubic meter). According to Shi Hanmin, general director of the Beijing Environmental Protection Bureau, today the emission of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide already complies with standards, and now the emphasis is on limiting absorbable particulate matters.
In recent years, in preparation for the Olympic Games, a project of environmental construction, which aims to control pollution, neaten the environment and improve the quality of life for citizens, is now carried forward in every corner of the city.
In 2006, the 2008 Environment Construction Headquarters was officially established. In the same year, 55"villages in the city"were rectified, 4.5 million square meters of illegal structures were torn down, and altogether 45 kilometers of waterways were regulated, including the Bahe, Qinghe and LiangshuiRivers. On the former site of the illegal structures and the"villages in the city,"many greenbelts will become recreation and exercise areas for citizens. By the end of 2007, surfaces of the buildings on the main roads and in key areas will be cleaned and whitewashed. By the arrival of the 2008 Games, the hutongs in the city will be renovated while maintaining their historic style and features. Beijing's environmental improvement combining city function and preservation of historical culture, will maintain the diverse character of the vast city's unique and treasured communities.
According to the director of the 2008 Environment Construction Headquarters, Lu Haijun, the 2008 Olympic Games is a precious opportunity through which the city may greatly improve the environment, the beauty and overall livability of the city."That was our original intention and is our final objective. Of course this goal cannot be achieved overnight, but only with unremitting effort,"said Lu Haijun.
Beijing Olympic Update
Water Cube and Bird's Nest Soon in Play
The ChinaNationalAquaticsCenter (Water Cube) and the National Stadium (Bird's Nest) are expected to be complete this October and at the start of 2008, respectively. The International Athletics Open will be held at the main stadium of the Beijing Olympic Games, the Bird's Nest, from late April to early May in 2008. This will be the first competition held in the new stadium. The Water Cube will first be put to use during the China Swimming Open in February 2008.
Forestry Expansion Underway
¡¡¡¡In order to improve the ecological environment of Beijing and Tianjin and provide a sufficient and safe water supply, since 1999 hundreds of thousands of hectares of forestry centers have been created in Beijing-Tianjin area. To date, the first two phases of construction, comprising 1.58 million hectares of new forests, have been completed. By the time the third phase is completed in 2010, 3.47 million hectares of forests will appear in the north of Beijing-Tianjin area. The completed forest, plus the north of Beijing and Tianjin and the joint part of the Inner Mongolia Plateau, will form four ecologically protective forests. In total, 5.33 million hectares of multifunctional shelter-forest will hold back the sand blown in from Inner Mongolia while conserving moisture and soil.
International Long Walk
¡¡¡¡In celebrating the 500-day countdown to the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, approximately 10,000 people joined the Beijing International Long Walk Carnival. Taking part in the 18-kilometer activity were Olympic volunteers, the staff of the more than 40 foreign embassies in Beijing and foreign students.
