Under a three-year (2022-2024) action plan, a 260-kilometer hiking trail running from east to west in Shenzhen will be built this year, according to the city’s urban management authority.
The path stretches from Luotian Forest Park in Bao’an District in the west to Dapeng Peninsula in the east, along ridges of Yangtai, Tanglang, Meilin, Yinhu, Wutong, Maluan and Meishajian mountains. It also traverses Honghu, Honggang and Donghu parks.
“This year, we will connect the existing hiking trails in Shenzhen, and improve signposts, information boards, and supporting facilities along the routes,” Feng Zengjun, deputy head of the city’s urban management bureau, said.
Shenzhen’s endeavors to build a city-scale greenway network started 13 years ago. The Shenzhen Greenway Network (GN), as a part of the Pearl River Delta GN, was planned in 2009 and its construction commenced the following year.
The planning of the Shenzhen GN followed the principles of “5 minutes to the neighborhood greenways, 15 minutes to the city greenways, and 30-45 minutes to the regional greenways.”
In 2016, authorities in Shenzhen began to mull over establishing a walking trail system by learning from well-known cases at home and abroad, such as the Appalachian Trail in the U.S., Tour du Mont-Blanc in Europe, and the MacLehose Trail in Hong Kong.
By the end of 2021, the city had built 19 hiking trails and countryside tracks, with a total length of about 181 kilometers.
According to the action plan, construction on the 260-km walking trail will be carried out with minimum environmental impact. The project will preserve the original mountain tracks to the maximum. Meanwhile, efforts will be made to repair pavements, improve drainage, and set up security facilities and information boards, the authority said.
Currently, 2,843 kilometers of greenways cover most built-up urban areas in Shenzhen. The network, including hiking trails, forest tracks, bicycle paths, coastal walkways, and ancient post roads, connects parks, greenbelts, rivers and historical heritage sites and attractions along the routes.
A resident surnamed Bai has climbed almost all mountains across Shenzhen in the past few years. “I have been to over 80 Chinese cities, and Shenzhen is absolutely No. 1 in China in terms of facilities for hiking, jogging, climbing and other outdoor sports,” he said.