Ecological Construction Accelerated in BeijingBig sandstorms since last Spring have once again sounded the alarm for ecological construction in the municipality of Beijing. The CPC Beijing Municipal Committee and the People's Municipal Government have paid greater attention to and made urgent call for accelerated construction of three green ecological shelters around Beijing. Centering on stepped-up work for putting sandstorms under control, taming sand and an improved ecological environment by the capital, it is demanded that Beijing is to be built according to plan into an international modern metropolis known for its "fine ecology, fresh air and beautiful environment".The first green ecological shelter is in a large afforestation area on Yanshan Mountain and the Taihang Mountain range there will be a large green shelter to be constructed to protect Beijing. Looking like a giant fan to embellish the land of seven mountain districts to the west, north and east of Beijing the green shelter will be built 700 km long and over an area totaling 10,400 sq.km from Fangshan's Shidu to Jinhai Lake in suburban Pinggu County. "Five Rivers and Ten Roads" and green ecological web of farmlands and woodlands will make the second green ecological shelter. Among the "Five River and Ten Roads" are the Yongding, Chaobai, Dasha, Wenyu and Beiyung Rivers and Beijing-Shijiazhuang, Beijing-Kaifeng, Beijing-Tianjin, Beijing-Shenyang, Beijing-Miyung, Beijing-Zhangjiakou and Shunyi-Pinggu Highways, Outer Loop Road No.2 and Beijing-Kowloon and Dalian-Qinhuangdao Railways to form an ecological shelter net totaling over 1,000 km inside and outside Beijing. A key to Beijing's ecological construction and of vital importance for new sustainable economic advances is a forest ring to be built within the 4th and 3rd Loop Roads over an area totaling 240 sq.km in the city proper of Beijing. This will be the third green ecological shelter. Construction of three green ecological shelters around Beijing forms the largest afforetation project ever known to history in the capital. According to Director Song Xiyou with the Capital Afforstation Office, a "Green Necklace" formed of many a varied sizes of woods and forests over an area totaling 100 sq.km will be built within three years in Beijing. |
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