Hangzhouxi Railway Station and the adjacent areas Photo: Chen Zhongqiu
Highlights
By Jin Yingying
Hangzhou has been collecting conceptual planning proposals worldwide for its Second Botanical Garden (tentatively named) and the construction of the core area of the Garden is expected to commence by the end of this year.
The selected proposals paint a diverse and beautiful future for Hangzhou's new botanical haven, garnering increased attention and anticipation for this upcoming super botanical garden on the western side of the city.
Spanning approximately 4.67 square kms, Hangzhou's Second Botanical Garden is to be built at the Cloud City, part of the new urban center on the city's west side. Adjacent to the huge transportation hub, Hangzhouxi Railway Station, and Hangzhou's tallest-to-be skyscraper, this area is poised to become a bustling hub and a potential future urban Central Business District (CBD).
The vision for Hangzhou's Second Botanical Garden is centered around East China's plant relocation and conservation, aiming to build it into a natural eco-park, botanical panorama park, Jiangnan garden boutique park, and central urban garden that integrates cultivation, research, education, recreation, culture, and gardening.
According to the collection call for planning proposals, the garden design will cover an area roughly from the north side of Hangzhouxi Station to Wushan Mountain and Guashan Mountain, covering approximately 4.67 square kilometers--more than twice the size of the present Hangzhou Botanical Garden. This area encloses the Cloud City.
"The natural conditions in the area, including the mountain and water resources, micro-terrain, and soil, especially the water network, meet the prerequisites for constructing a botanical garden in the first place," said an expert involved in the garden planning last May.
This region boasts rich and interconnected water resources, complemented by a landscape of fields and forests with deep and fertile soil, making it ideal for planting with typical Hangzhou characteristics.
Much like the harmonious coexistence of the West Lake and the old city of Hangzhou, it can be anticipated that this new botanical garden will add a vibrant splash of green to the western part of the city, patched with towering buildings, a sign of the thriving economy.
Looking ahead, standing atop the observation platform of Hangzhou's highest building-to-be, the Golden Key Tower, one can envision a vast piece of greenery nestling in between skyscrapers.