Movement of Chan-Ba Ecological District
5 min readNowadays,”ecological garden city”is a new goal for Xi’ an, and Chan-Ba Ecological District with its”great water and green color”is at the forefront of the construction.
The ecology of Xi’ an needs to be “revitalized”. As history tells us: the fall of a city is often caused by the ecological destruction. Yuangyun Pool, which was prosperous thousands of years ago, had close relationship with the rise and decline of the Tang Dynasty. Therefore, to achieve its goal of an international metropolis, Xi’ an must recover the ecology.
“Ecologicalization is the core competitiveness of Chan-Ba Ecological District, which differs it form the other districts. Chan-Ba Ecological District is the first national ecological district in northwest China. Only innovating in ecological construction can we keep advancing and growing in competence and increasing the value of this district.”Yang Liuqi said, emphasizing the importance of ecology.
Xi’ an China International Horticultural Exposition 2011 was successfully held, which attracted visitors from home and abroad, and changing their impression of Xi’ an. It is a city not only with a long history, but also full of vigor and vitality.
The International Horticultural Exposition changed the image of Xi’ an from an inland city surrounded by tall city walls, to a water city with rivers flowing through. In summer evenings, people walk along the rivers, feeling the cool breeze. Free from the pollution and nosy of the downtown, it is like a paradise.
The hosting of International Horticultural Exposition makes Chan-Ba Ecological District the most”glorious”district in west China. It was a miracle on the yellow earth, making the theme “Eternal Peace and Harmony between Nature and Mankind”known to the world. More than 10 million visitors appreciated the beautiful scenery of Xi’ an, and it becamethe focus of the world again after thousands of years. After the Exposition, Xi’ an International Horticultural Expo Park was built, as the only national 4A grade scenic spot open free to the public. Influenced by the Exposition, the Chan-Ba Ecological District won many awards, including the “AsiaUrban Landscape Award””Award for Outstanding Contribution to Global Green Urban Development””Global Best Green Innovation Award”and”Award for Global Classic Case of Best Green Reformation of Cities”.
Han Ji,a well-known planner in China and the General planner of Xi’ an Planning Committee, was pleased to see the achievements of the District.
The city concept of sustainable development of Chan-Ba Ecological District continues the spirit of Xi’ an, stimulates the dynamics of its development and improving its comprehensive value.
Chan-Ba National Wetland Park is yet another great ecological project which followed the Expo Park.
It is praised as “the habitat of soul and the anthem of life”: flocks of egrets and swans fly between the sky and thewater, wild ducks quacking in the deepth of reeds, unknown waterfowls swimming below the reed catkins, and numerous fish shuttling in the clear water.
If forest is compared to the lung of the earth, wetland is its kidney.Chan-Ba National Wetland Park is the kidney of Xi’ an. Located at the delta of Bahe River in northeast Xi’ an, it covers an area of 5.81 square kilometers, comprising five parts, namely Original Ecological Wetland Park, Water Leisure Park, Green Bahe River Sports Park, Ba Bridge and Willows Exhibition Garden and Botanic Garden.
As one of the first national wetland projects in northwest China, the construction of the Chan-Ba National Wetland Park began in 2008. It offcially opened on the 28 April,2014. There are seven kinds of wetlands: lotus pools with lotus leaves and dancing dragonflies, ponds with green bamboos on sides and singing frogs, islands and swamps with sparkling water, sand bays with lush cypresses, dry-ditch wetlands with luxuriant grass, brooks with floating willow leaves, and village wetlands linked by water channels. The various wetlands connect with each other, like a water net knitted by nature.
Dancing Willow Branches near the Ba Bridge was one of the “Eight Beautiful Scenes in the Guanzhong Region (the central area of Shaanxi Province)”, but due to the deterioration of the environment, those did not exist any longer. To make the scene reappear, Chan-Ba National Wetland Park built a willow garden covering an area of 7.7 mu, with 14 different kinds of willows. The 20,000 willows reproduces the picture of the famous “catkins dancing over Ba Bridge”.
“Egrets fly over the clear water, and the lawn stretches beyond the horizon. It is so beautiful! It is hard to imagine the messy sand pits and garbage hills that were here several years ago. The change is so huge!”said Chen Wu,a man who spent his boyhood in a village in this district. He lives in the High-tech Zone after finding a job there, and seldom comes back to Chan-Ba. The new appearance of Chan-Ba Ecological District surprised him a lot.
The blue sky, flying birds, waving grass, and clear water, all can be seen everywhere in the wetland Park. The most attractive scene is the reeds in the river, bringing a refreshing feeling in the summer.”Reeds and other aquatic plants that gown on the inlet of the of Bahe River flowing to the Park not only offers visual enjoyment, but also reduces pollution and purify the water.”explained by an expert of the Park from a perspective of ecology.
According to him, water in the wetland Park is from the Bahe River. It is first purified by flowing it though the inlet, depositing places, functional wetlands, aquatic plants area and outlet, and flows back to Bahe River. Near 80,000 cubic meters of water flows through the Park, and it becomes “the Kidneys of the Bahe River”. The function of ecological conservation of the Wetland Park implies that the definition and requirement of “humidify”in the strategy of “Eight Waters Humidify Xi’ an”. Meanwhile, since the Park is located upwind of Xi’ an, the water vapor evaporating from the wetlands can make the air of the city moist. The true meaning of the construction of Chan-Ba National Wetland Park is shown in “offering clearing water to Wei River and fresh air to Xi’ an”.
