Yiyuan county – administered by the prefecture-level city of Zibo, in East China's Shandong province – has been thoroughly renovating an abandoned water park as an urban cultural activity zone and plans to open it for full use in September 2022.
The revamped facility – renamed the Shengli Mountain Jiujiu Park – is expected to be a multi-functional center for the elderly, workers, women and kids to chill out and a place to organize and participate in a whole host of activities. It will lay out four functional areas for teaching, indoor activities, community organization affairs and an office.
The site is also expected to be a leisure and life zone with technology book bars, cafes, fashion restaurants, cultural and sports venues.
Yiyuan county has been upgrading the Shengli Mountain Jiujiu Park for use by the elderly and children's paradise park for kids and teenagers, to help achieve its overall goal of building a "modern park city with landscapes".
Liu Mingyang, a 72-year-old resident practices the erhu, or Chinese violin, in part of the park that has been opened early. "I used to bring my lighting facilities and chairs to the park when practicing with my friends," Liu said.
"Now the park is getting better with everything on hand."
In addition, Yiyuan county plans to build more so-called 'thumb parks' – small green areas equipped with auxiliary facilities such as benches, pavilions, lighting, fitness equipment and toilets – so residents can get to a park within a 15-minute stroll.
Children play at part of the park which has already been opened, in Yiyuan county. [Photo/WeChat account: yygdzsyy]
