Five years ago, on April 1, 2017, China announced the establishment of the Xiong'an New Area, a 1,770 square kilometers site in North China's Hebei Province about a two-hour drive from Beijing. It is expected to become a high-level socialist modern city that is green, low-carbon, intelligent, livable and relatively competitive, by the end of 2035. By the middle of this century, it should become an important part of the world-level Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei city cluster.
Since its establishment, Xiong'an has started 177 key projects with a total investment of 618.4 billion yuan （$97.4 billion）。 In peak times, more than 200,000 workers are employed on the construction projects, according to data from Xiong'an's management committee. Now the foundations of the new "dream city" are taking shape in a miraculous manner, with construction cranes dominating the skyline, new modern buildings springing up one after another, and a magnificent landscape created with trees, forests and wetlands that echo the city's focus on innovation and green development.
The past and present photos of Xiong'an New Area. [Source: <https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202204/1257375.shtml>]
People-oriented Xiong'an
Xiong'an is designed to be a people-oriented place that considers both the physical and mental well-being of the citizens. The urban structure is designed that people can comfortably access educational, work, commercial, medical and cultural facilities within a 15-minute walking distance. The new constructed communities are fully equipped with facilities like gyms and children's playgrounds. Within 3 kilometers there are educational facilities like kindergartens and elementary schools, as well as a large park.
The landuse plan of Anxin District in Xiong'an [Source: <https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/RdyaE1XvH1-Cqbl9UHf34Q>]
Green Xiong'an
"Green" is a core concept of Xiong'an's development plan. Environmental protection has always been a priority in the construction of Xiong'an. It aspires to become a green city with harmonious human-environment interaction.
Since the first tree was planted on November 13th ,2017, Xiong'an has added more than 20 million trees and more than 30,267 hectares of forests, raising its forest coverage from 11% to 32%. According to the Xiong'an development plan, forests, greenery and water bodies will make up 70 percent of the city's total area.
Aerial photo taken on March 19, 2021 shows a forestation project in Xiong'an New Area, north China's Hebei Province. [Photo:Xinhua/Mu Yu]
Ecological Xiong'an
All-out efforts have also been made to restore the ecological environment of Baiyangdian Lake, an important wetland in the region. Over the past four years, local authorities have regulated more than 13,000 heavy-polluting enterprises, built new sewage treatment facilities and reduced fishery areas on the lake.
The project of rural sewage treatment in Rongcheng applied since October 2019, has constructed 221 kilometers of pipe network, 19 integrated sewage treatment facilities, 11,483 inspection wells and reconstructed 15,840 seepage wells. Its daily water treatment capacity reached 3,500 tons, benefiting more than 50,000 villagers in 19 villages in Rongcheng. It controls the water quality of Baiyangdian and improves the ecological environment of the Baiyangdian River Basin.
Xiongxian, another county of Xiong'an New Area, applied projects to restore the dried ponds and wetlands, and build reclaimed water plants and new sewage treatment facilities.
Thanks to the restoration efforts, the lake has expanded to about 290 sq. km and the water quality of its central area has improved from Class V, the worst level in China's water quality grading system, to Class III.
Aerial photo taken on March 16, 2021 shows the scenery of Baiyangdian Lake in Xiong'an New Area, north China's Hebei Province. [Photo:Xinhua/Mu Yu]
High-tech Xiong'an
High technology is going to represent a big part of the future success of Xiong'an. Since the establishment of the Xiong'an New Area, more and more new technologies have been implemented and application scenarios such as "sponge city", 5G smart robots, smart buses, self-driving cars, and Internet of Vehicles.
In the construction of every project in Xiong'an, builders adopted BIM and CIM technologies, which enable engineers to provide an accurate description and calculation for the use of every inch of steel in the facility. The Xiong'an Citizen Service Center was applied more than 30 new building techniques during the construction process and the Xiong'an Business Service Center was constructed with more than 100 green building techniques.The efforts to explore smart buildings and ensure strict quality control have laid a solid foundation for high-quality and high-standard construction of projects in the Xiong'an New Area.
People visit a high-tech experience center in Rongdong district, Xiong'an New Area, North China's Hebei Province, on December 10, 2021. [Source: <https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202204/1257375.shtml>]
Five years on, the Xiong'an New Area represents today a true emblem of China's visionary approach to a future where smart sustainable cities are going to play an increasingly important role in a country's modern economic development.
Sources:
<http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2021-04/01/c_139852880.htm>
<https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202204/1257375.shtml>
<https://english.www.gov.cn/news/topnews/202101/25/content_WS600e18eec6d0f72576944733.html>
Edited by Jia Mengyuan
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