Tasting the Oriental Chicago on the East Lake Greenway

By Bo Ning

Wuhan is the largest international metropolitan city along the Yangtze River in central China. It is also known as the “City of Lakes” and the “Oriental Chicago.”Like a piece of fine jade, the East Lake is one of the most beautiful among all lakes. Covering an area of 33 square kilometers, it is one of China’s largest incity lakes.

Throughout Wuhan’s history, the city and the lake have nourished and complemented each other. If we talk about the “Oriental Chicago,” the first topic we need to pick up is the East Lake. Looking west from the east side of the lake, skyscrapers rise above the lush maple trees and cast a reflection on the crystal clear water. The beauty of the scenery resembles Chicago against the backdrop of Lake Michigan.

The East Lake has become a place where busy urban dwellers come to seek peace and leisure. Now with the greenway open for use, they have one more way to enjoy the nourishment of nature.

A Green Heart of Legendary Origins

Legends have been passed down through the generations about the East Lake. One is about the dragon prince who lived in the East China Sea. He had a beautiful piece of jade—huge and fine. The prince loved it so much that he never separated with it. He adorned it with colorful ribbons and braids.One day, the jade accidentally fell to the human’s world and turned into a lake—its ribbons becoming rivers and braids bays. The prince descended immediately to take it back but it was too late. In desperation, the prince turned into a mountain to accompany the jade. The lake the jade turned into is the East Lake, and the mountain the prince turned into is Moshan Mountain. That’s why Moshan Mountain is also known as Dragon Head Mountain.

In recent years, the Wuhan Municipal Government decided to make the East Lake the ecological green heart of the city, and build a greenway along the perimeter of the East Lake within three years in three different phases, which will become the “veins” to the “green heart.” The project is undoubtedly world-class. The total length of the greenway is about 124 km, of which 82 km is the main path and 42 km side tracks. The first two phases of project have been finished, with 101 km completed and open to the public. Secondly,the greenway connects all the scenic spots so that visitors can exercise while surrounded by beautiful views. The East Lake Greenway is the longest path surrounding a city-center lake in China.

武漢，也叫江城，中國中部長江邊最大的國際化大都市，素有“百湖之城”、“東方芝加哥”之稱。東湖是百湖之中一塊美玉，也是中國最大的城中湖之一，水域面積達33平方公里。

古往今來，城湖相養(yǎng)，相得益彰。說“東方芝加哥”之美譽，還得說東湖之濱的美。從湖東往西看，林立的高樓從蔥綠的楓樹中聳起，倒映在清澈的水面，是景更似畫，仿佛密歇根湖映襯下的芝加哥。

徜徉在東湖湖光山色之間已是城市人躲避喧囂的休閑絕佳選擇，而今匠心獨運的綠道開發(fā)，更使人們從閑庭信步中盡享大自然的給養(yǎng)。

美玉下凡化綠心

關于東湖的由來，民間有著種種傳說，其中之一這樣說道：東海龍?zhí)佑忻烙褚幻叮T大晶瑩。太子對其愛不釋手，綴以彩帶，飾以美穗，終日佩戴，不離其身。一日，美玉不慎跌落人間，就地化為湖泊，彩帶化作江河，美穗變成湖灣、港汊。太子緊隨下凡，想銜回美玉，奈何為時已晚。無奈之下，太子化為山巒，時時與美玉相伴。美玉所化，乃今日之東湖，而龍頭便是如今的磨山，故磨山亦有龍頭山之稱。

近年，武漢市提出將東湖建成“生態(tài)綠心”，并沿東湖各湖打造綠道工程，分三期建設，三年內(nèi)建成，給這顆綠心裝上了“律動的脈搏”。這條綠道無疑是世界級的，首先是她規(guī)劃總長約124公里，其中綠道主線82公里，綠道次線42公里。一二期101公里已建成并對外開放。其次，她串聯(lián)多處景點，讓游客健身觀景兩不誤。據(jù)了解，東湖綠道已成為中國國內(nèi)最長城市核心區(qū)環(huán)湖綠道。

動靜皆宜大手筆

身處鋼筋水泥的都市樓叢，面對紛紛擾擾的人事繁雜，越來越多的人渴求在城市生活的重壓之下，覓一方靜謐之所，把健身寄托于觀景之中，東湖綠道首當其選。

作為國內(nèi)首條城區(qū)內(nèi)5A級景區(qū)綠道，去年，1285萬人次造訪東湖風景區(qū)，移步東湖綠道的就超過800萬人次，日高峰達26萬人次以上，高峰小時客流超過3萬人次。

2016年，武漢東湖綠道項目，入選“聯(lián)合國人居署中國改善城市公共空間示范項目”，并在第三次全球人居大會上進行國際宣傳推廣。聯(lián)合國副秘書長華安·克洛斯實地考察后感慨：“東湖綠道真正意義上實現(xiàn)了武漢城市公共空間平等共享，給市民提供了更可達、更生態(tài)、更包容的公共休閑場所。”

“大美東湖”國際名校賽艇挑戰(zhàn)賽選手留影 Athletes participating in “Graceful Donghu” World-famous Universities Rowing Challenge

如果說杭州的西湖美如小家碧玉，東湖則更彰顯大家風范。靜可令游客領略湖光山色之美，動可供玩家放松身心、暢快玩樂。截至2017年底，綠道內(nèi)共計開展活動713場次，包括馬拉松賽、C4峰會、環(huán)東湖綠道自行車賽等大型賽事活動，各項現(xiàn)場活動參與人數(shù)達32萬人次。2018年全國首屆大學生馬拉松賽相中東湖綠道，2019年世界軍運會帆船賽和馬拉松賽同樣選址于此。

A Place for Tranquility and Recreation

In the forest of skyscrapers and chaos of social interactions, more and more people wish to escape from the pressure of city life and find a place of peace and relaxation, where they can enjoy views while exercising, and the East Lake is their first choice.

Last year, nearly 13 million people visited the East Lake Scenic Area. As the first walking path within a national 5A-level scenic spot in China, the greenway attracted people from many walks of life.On peak days, more than 260,000 people visited the Greenway, and at peak hours, more than 30,000 people were sharing the path simultaneously.

In 2016, the Wuhan East Lake Greenway Project was listed as a demonstration project of urban public space improvement in China by United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UNHabitat), and was promoted internationally at the Habitat III Conference. Dr. Joan Clos, Executive Director of UN-Habitat, expressed after visiting the East Lake himself, “The East Lake Greenway truly is an example of people’s equal rights to urban public spaces in Wuhan. It provides local citizens with public leisure space which is accessible, ecological,and inclusive.”

If you say that the West Lake in Hangzhou is as beautiful as a pure maiden, the East Lake in Wuhan is more comparable to a cultured lady. For people seeking a relaxing moment, they can rest and enjoy the mountain and the lake; for those looking for exercise, they can play and have fun. By the end of 2017, 713 events had been held in the greenway area, including a marathon, the C4 summit, and a cycling race, which altogether attracted nearly 320,000 participants. In 2018, the first National College Students’ Marathon will be held at the East Lake Greenway. The 2019 Military World Games has also chosen to host its sailing races and marathon here.

風水寶地藏雅趣

東湖是龍?zhí)有斡安浑x的隨身美玉，也是令文人墨客、歷史先賢流連忘返的風水寶地。其草木山水，既有自然之美，亦有人文之趣。

東湖風景區(qū)內(nèi)有景觀景點100多處，12個大小湖泊，120多個島洲，112公里湖岸線曲折，環(huán)湖34座山峰綿延起伏，10000余畝山林林木蔥郁。

她是植物王國，植物類型多樣，景觀獨特，水生植物科數(shù)占中國水生植物科數(shù)的40.37%，世界的29.87%。其濕地原生態(tài)保護區(qū)內(nèi)種有古樹名木對節(jié)白蠟、紅豆樹、金桂、垂直重陽木、古樸等，樹齡多達200年以上。

梅園、荷園、櫻園等13個植物專類園各具特色。東湖梅園有梅花品種320余種，其中152個品種登錄國際植物名錄，占全世界梅花登錄品種的60%，居全球第一，有臘梅品種100余種，占世界90%。荷園有荷花700多種，占世界80%以上，是世界規(guī)模最大、品種最全的荷花品種資源苗圃。櫻園與日本弘前櫻花園和美國華盛頓櫻花園并稱為世界三大賞櫻勝地，種植櫻花50多種10000余株。

東湖更是鳥兒的天堂，5大類型234種珍稀鳥類棲息于此。其中瀕危鳥類2種、二級保護鳥類9種、省級保護鳥類10種，是觀鳥旅游的絕佳場所。

自古以來，東湖就是游覽勝地。屈原在東湖“澤畔行吟”，楚莊王在東湖擊鼓督戰(zhàn)；三國時期，劉備在東湖磨山設壇祭天；南宋詩人袁說友用“只說西湖在帝都，武昌新又說東湖”贊美東湖；李白在東湖湖畔放鷹臺題詩；毛澤東建國后先后視察東湖44次，在東湖接待64個國家的94批外國政要。

Athletes on a sightseeing boat on the East Lake賽艇運動員乘船游覽東湖

A Botanical Garden with a Touch of Culture

The East Lake is not only the inseparable jade of the dragon prince, but also an auspicious place that literary minds have gathered at throughout the history. Its beauty is not only natural, but also has a touch of culture.

There are more than 100 scenic spots within the East Lake Scenic Area, which is composed of 12 lakes of difference sizes, more than 120 islands and peninsulas, 112 km of winding lake coast, 34 mountain peaks surrounding the lake, and more than 7 km2of lush forests.

It is a botanical garden with diverse plants and unique landscapes. The diversity of aquatic plants accounts for 40.37% of the total varieties of aquatic plants in China, and 29.87% of the world.The preserved wetland ecological zone is carpeted with ancient and precious trees such as fraxinus huphensis, ormosia hosiei, sweet olive, vertical sunwood, hackberry, and others. Some of the trees are more than 200 years old.

There are 13 gardens for plums, lotus, sakura,and others. In the Plum Garden, there are more 320 varieties of plum blossoms, 152 of which are registered in the International Botanical List,accounting for 60% of the world’s registered plum species and ranking first in the world. There are more than 100 varieties of Japanese allspice, accounting for 90% of the kind’s varieties in the world. The Lotus Garden accommodates more than 700 kinds of lotus, accounting for more than 80% of the world’s varieties. It is the world’s largest lotus nursery garden with the most complete varieties. The Sakura Garden, together with Japan’s Hirosaki Sakura Park and the United States’ Washington Sakura Garden,are considered the world’s top three sakura viewing spots. There are more than 10,000 sakura trees in the garden, with more than 50 varieties.

The East Lake is a paradise for birds. 234 rare species of birds under 5 classes inhabit here. Among them, there are 2 endangered species, 9 species on the national secondary protection list, and 10 species on the provincial protection list. It is a perfect place for birdwatching.

賽艇運動員欣賞京劇《大鬧天宮》后在東湖長天樓合影留念Athletes taking a group photo in Changtianlou (Infinite Sky Tower) by the East Lake after watching Peking Opera Havoc in Heaven

一草一木含匠心

以打造世界級綠道為目標，東湖綠道從設計到施工，每一步都蘊含著設計者諸多的匠心。

東湖綠道在設計之初，便有美國SWA、美國EDSA、荷蘭NITA、中國泛亞、中國易蘭等頂尖景觀機構參與。其建設一直秉承尊重自然、以人為本的原則。

按照世界級標準，為具備舉辦國際環(huán)湖自行車賽的能力，東湖綠道的自行車道與步行道將分行，其中，步行道寬度不低于1.5米，自行車道寬度不低于6米。

然而，為保護生態(tài)，一期磨山道一段成為特例。為避免移植或砍伐路邊的27棵大樹，磨山道路段由原定的6米寬度改為按4米寬度施工。二期湖町道建設中，為保護十株水杉，原先路堤填筑的方案也被改為架橋，使斷面變窄，為樹木留出生存空間。

綠道的建材，許多為廢舊回收材料，既重現(xiàn)古樸之美，又實現(xiàn)循環(huán)利用。如，一期郊野道上數(shù)百個磨盤多為從北方農(nóng)村里面收集而來，以體現(xiàn)農(nóng)家郊野樂趣。鵝咀南島岸邊鋪裝的是從廢棄鐵路上搜集來的舊枕木，其耐久性、防腐性更好，更穩(wěn)定。郊野道西埂處步道使用的耐火磚，主要從湖南一些磚窯廠搜集而來。與新磚相比，廢舊的耐火磚顏色深淺不一，看上去色彩斑斕，更為美觀。

綠道還規(guī)劃13條生物通道，以保護百種野生脊椎動物的生存，減少人類活動對生態(tài)環(huán)境的干擾。比如為小野兔、小松鼠等小型動物設計可以穿行的管狀涵洞和箱形涵洞，管涵設低水路和步道，以便小動物通行。

在生態(tài)環(huán)保的理念指導下，綠道建設非但沒有破壞生態(tài)環(huán)境，還將東湖水質(zhì)提升到40年來最好水平。東湖建設者對湖泊岸線環(huán)境進行了系統(tǒng)改善，修建帆船基地，湖底重新清淤10萬立方米，增添污水管網(wǎng)，還修整邊坡減少水土流失，利用湖邊種草、水里養(yǎng)魚等生態(tài)手段，最終促進東湖的生態(tài)優(yōu)化。

為便利市民出行，東湖綠道的停車位設置大于1萬個，大巴泊位多達350個，有22條公交線路可抵達。

綠道還提供諸多智慧服務措施，市民下載移動客戶端或者關注相應的微信平臺，便可暢行東湖綠道，查看東湖綠道周邊交通情況、查找停車位、租用自行車、移動支付等，遇到突發(fā)狀況還能一鍵報警。

東湖之美，非一文可以窮盡，難憑一游盡覽。她需要您親自邁進那一方山水，呼吸那一口清甜的空氣，品茗那一草一木背后的人文底蘊。◆（圖片由東湖綠道公司提供）

The East Lake has been a tourist attraction since ancient times. Poet Qu Yuan (340–278BC)strolled along the East Lake and sang his poems;King Zhuang of Chu (died 591BC) played drums at the East Lake to encourage his solders; during the Three Kingdoms Era (220–280), Liu Bei (warlord,161–223) made sacrifices to the God of Moshan Mountain; during the Southern Song Dynasty (1127–1279), poet Yuan Shuoyou (1140-1204) in praise of the East Lake, wrote, “We hear the West Lake in our capital, but we praise the East Lake in Wuchang”; Li Bai inscribed a poem at the Eagle Release Platform lakeside of the East Lake; Chairman Mao Zedong visited the East Lake 44 times after the founding of the People’s Republic of China, and received 94 delegations sent by 64 countries.

Heart and Soul in Every Detail

To create a world-class greenway path, the East Lake Greenway Project was carefully conducted from design to construction. Every step was injected with the designers’ thoughtful ideas.

From the very beginning, the project has attracted multiple top tier landscape design agencies from around the world, such as SWA and EDSA from the US, NITA from the Netherlands, and EADG and Ecoland from China. And its construction has adhered to the principle of respecting nature and people.

Following world-class standards for international bicycle races, the bicycle and pedestrian lanes of the East Lake Greenway are separated. The width of the pedestrian path is no less than 1.5 meters and the bicycle lane is no less than 6 meters.

In order to protect the surrounding nature,the Moshan Greenway part (in Phase 1 of the Greenway Project) was treated differently. To avoid transplanting or cutting down 27 trees along the roadside, the Moshan Greenway bicycle section was paved 4 meters wide instead. During the construction of the Huting Greenway part (in Phase 2 of the Greenway Project), in order to protect ten metasequois, the original plan to fill in a ravine was replaced with building a bridge, which narrowed the cutting area and provided space for the trees.

Many of the construction materials for the greenway were recycled, restoring the ancient beauty while still protecting the environment. For example, dozens of mile markers on the country road section were collected from rural areas in the north to imitate country life. The shore of Eju South Island was laid with old railway ties collected from abandoned railroad tracks to make use of the materials’ durability, stability, and corrosion resistance. The fire bricks used at the footpaths of the western bank of country road were mainly collected from brickyards in Hunan Province. Compared with new bricks, used refractory bricks have different colors, thus looking much more colorful.

13 animal passages have also been designed in the greenway to protect the living space of many kinds of wild animals and limit human impacts to the ecological environment. For example, for small animals such as rabbits and squirrels, tube culverts and box culverts were designed and constructed below the waterways and the greenway for the animals to pass safely.

Guided by the principle of ecological protection,the construction of the project didn’t cause any harm to the ecological environment but instead improved the lake’s water quality to its best in 40 years. The construction teams systematically improved the ecological environment around the lake, built a sailboat port, cleaned up 100,000 cubic meters of dredges at the lake bottom, installed a sewage network, and rebuilt the lakeshore to prevent soil loss. Other ecological measures such as planting trees and grasses along the lake and stocking fish have combined to ultimately improve the ecological conditions of the East Lake.

For the convenience of visitors, there are more than 10,000 parking spaces for private cars nearby the East Lake Greenway, in addition to 350 bus parking spots. 22 bus lines run through the greenway.

The greenway’s management also provides services through modern technology. Citizens can download an application or follow the public account on WeChat to check traffic, find parking, rent a bicycle, and pay for purchases on their phones. They can also make emergency calls by simply hitting one button.

One article is not enough to describe the beauty of the East Lake and one trip is not sufficient to see its entire splendor. You need to come to visit, breathe in the sweet air, and taste the culture behind the trees and the flowers. ◆