Parks remove barriers, fences to provide easy access for tourists

Going to a park near their homes has become an option for many Chinese citizens and tourists looking for ways to enjoy their weekends or holidays. During the National Day holiday, 23.8 percent and 16.8 percent of citizens and tourists respectively went to parks located in the city suburbs and downtown areas.

Citizens take photos at a flower expo park in Yinchuan, northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, Oct. 1, 2022. Saturday marks the first day of China's week-long National Day holiday. (Xinhua/Feng Kaihua)

Some cities have taken the initiative to remove park barriers so that tourists and citizens can have more convenient access to them. Starting September, Beijing's Chaoyang district began taking down barriers and fences at 52 parks. Shanghai also has announced that it will open some parks 24 hours a day.

During the National Day holiday, the central green forest park located in Tongzhou district, east of Beijing, became one of the most popular tourist destinations in the city, receiving 120,000 tourists during the seven-day holiday. Since opening two years ago, the park has received nearly 5 million tourists.

Covering 11.2 square kilometers, the central green forest park has no fences or walls, and is directly connected with the roads outside it, allowing tourists to enter it conveniently.

Beijing kicked off a campaign to take down park barriers and fences in July, using the Yuan Dynasty city wall relics park and Qingfeng Park as pilot parks. The Yuan Dynasty city wall relics park is 4.8 kilometers from east to west. Fences and barriers in 19 of the park’s entrance areas have been removed to make it easier for tourists to enter.

Twenty years ago on Oct. 1, 2002, the southern part of the West Lake scenic area in Hangzhou, capital city of east China's Zhejiang Province, was opened to tourists for free. With no fences or walls, and all admission fees dropped, the West Lake scenic area has since become a park for the people.

The West Lake scenic area has resulted in enormous economic and social benefits for Hangzhou. By 2017, the city's tourism revenue was 10 times the figure in 2002. The area has significantly enhanced local residents' sense of happiness. Many people regard Hangzhou as one of the most liveable cities in China.

In recent years, several localities around the country have taken various measures, including opening parks to the public for free and extending their opening hours, to offer convenience to tourists when they visit those parks.

Statistics suggested that at least 90 percent of the parks in Shanghai have extended opening hours and around 60 percent of the parks in the city are open 24 hours a day.

Parks also showcase the sound ecological environment of a city. On Sept. 9, 2022, the first phase of Beijing's Wenyu River Park was opened to tourists. Covering 30 square kilometers, the Wenyu River Park is the largest "green lung" of Beijing. It is also home to more than 600 species of plants and animals, and animals under state protection have been spotted inside the park.