On March 8, visitors were climbing mountains at Nanshan Mountain Peach Blossom Garden, Fangniu Village, Nanshan Sub-district, Nan’an District. There used to be a barren mountain called “Liaojiadang”, while now a beautiful Peach Blossom Garden is built.

On March 3, many visitors were attracted to Shancheng Footpath in Yuzhong District to enjoy warm sunshine. 

At Community Park, Xinhuacun, Banan District, people were walking on the footpath. (File photo)

On January 9, 2018, at Longtanzi Reservoir in Beibei District, people were strolling on the footpath around the reservoir. (File photo)

On January 31, 2019, Colorful Footpath in Xishancun of Zhongliang Mountain built around Tiaodeng River, attracted many people. (File photo, photographed by Zhong Zhibing)

On October 2, 2018, at Shancheng Footpath in Yuzhong District, the “Shancheng Footpath Outdoor Photographic Exhibition” of the 2018 Chongqing International Image Festival Series attracted many visitors. (File photo)

CHONGQING (CQNEWS) -- Footpaths are beautiful views and “capillaries” of Chongqing. With the development of urban construction, together with leisure activities and culture tourism, Shancheng Footpath is becoming a brand symbol of Chongqing.

Many citizens enjoy the charm of Chongqing by walking on footpaths. According to the data of Chongqing Outdoor Alliance, there are over 100 hiking clubs and associations in Chongqing with more than 1 million active members.

Experience: Walking on footpaths becomes a fashion

Walking from Zhongxing Road to Shancheng Lane, you’ll arrive at the starting point of the 3rd Shancheng Footpath. On the footpath, there are more residents and tourists having leisure walks rather than running for a living. After the construction in recent years, historical buildings with various guidance signs and introduction stone plate, tell stories to visitors.

In front of Houlu Residence, many visitors posted to take selfies. Wooden Trail, not far from Houlu Residence, is a famous place on the 3rd footpath. The light yellow plank path, with special construction style, attracted many people to visit and take photos, causing road blocked.

Thanks to Chongqing memories like Houlu Residence, the 3rd footpath can attract an endless stream of tourists. While the lively Tiandi Lake Footpath located in Chongqing Tiandi reflects a living attitude of Chongqing people.

At 6:30pm the same day, Tiandi Lake Footpath becomes busy gradually as usual. Some people are running and doing exercises, some people are wandering, others are walking dogs or playing with children. The users of fitness facilities equipped become more.

Meanwhile, at Gele Mountain Fitness Footpath, Jinyun Mountain Fitness Footpath, Kaizhou Hanfeng Lake Footpath and other places, where there are also many people doing exercises and enjoying lives. The design for these footpaths is “unique”, that is, length, footsteps, energy consumption, health tips and motivational sayings are marked, aiming to encourage and guide people to do leisure activities often.

Design: Making people walk in a slow pace

According to Chongqing City Upgrading Action Plan, the construction of footpaths will be further promoted. By 2022, a network of footpaths in main districts will be built to publicize the city brand of “Shancheng Footpath”.

Luo Zibai, senior consultant for tourism development of Chongqing Municipal People’s Government and head of Chongqing Tourism Development Research Center said that footpath is an important means to let people walk in a slow pace to enjoy Chongqing. During footpath’s construction and upgrading, we should break limitations and promote profound deposits.

Firstly, we should evacuate historical culture to extend city civilization and retain the “root” of footpath. For example, scholars of generations left many inscriptions and poems along Huangge Ancient Footpath which was built in the Tang or Song Dynasty; Hongyadong Ancient Footpath as a vital channel for water supply in the past, carries many city memories. Secondly, according to modern people’s needs and beauty appreciation, we should make innovative designs to build high-quality and creative footpaths which integrate ecology, leisure and fitness. Finally, footpaths built shall be of Chongqing features; that is, projects with Chongqing features like viewing platforms and stilted buildings can be built along footpaths. (Translated by Mao Qiao, Fathom Language Limited)