How to Build a Park in 20 Days

Parades and traffic restrictions aren't the only things springing up because of the October 1st holiday. Last week on beijingkids we carried a post on a new park being built along the Tonghui River just south of Jianwai Soho. Sure enough, less than a week later the park is up and running, just in time the next week's 60th Anniversary celebration.

The speed of the work has been remarkable - the photo below of the park entrance was shot last Thursday (September 17). Compare it to the same scene in the photos following, taken this morning (Tuesday, September 22).

The project has been a long time coming - plans to beautify this part of Tonghui He have been around at least a decade (a "park view" was touted as a selling point for southward facing units in the Soho compound as early as 1999) and the project was supposed to be done in time for last year's Olympics, which didn't quite happen.

This year, however, it very much is. Just a month ago, the river banks east and west of this stretch of the Third Ring Road were rubble-strewn lots. Prior to that they were home to a few long running restaurants, including Huang Cheng Lao Ma (a hotpot restaurant) and Le Cafe Igosso on the eastern side and the structure that once housed the old Decathalon sporting goods store and until recently a Si Ji Qing mutton hot pot restaurant.

Then trees and a wooden gazebo were planted and erected literally overnight, and the stone steps and decorative column went up almost as quick.

After a few finishing touches over the weekend, by the beginning of this week the park was more or less finished. As well as the small pagoda, the area holds some nice water features.

So Jinwai Soho finally has its park views.

Now all they need to do is clean up Tonghui He. The sludge on the water undermines the idyllic scene just a little...