Driving past the gateway junction of Paitan Town and Conghua District, the once monotonous lawns have quietly given way to layered Rhoeo discolor, Bougainvillea spectabilis and Duranta repens, which stretch out like a natural welcome scroll on the earth, adorning the roadsides with vibrant vitality. This is an ordinary scene along the “Most Beautiful Tourism Highway” in the High-quality Development Leading Area of Counties, Towns and Villages around South Kunlun Mountain and Luofu Mountain (hereinafter referred to as the “Leading Area around the Two Mountains”). This layered and colorful scenery is no accident, but a delicate stroke made by Zengcheng with the “Million Project” as a brush on this landscape painting of mountains and rivers.
Meticulous Craftsmanship Creates Stunning Scenic Routes
Since the beginning of this year, the District Bureau of Forestry and Landscape Architecture has closely integrated greening work with the construction of the Leading Area around the Two Mountains, and refined the major transportation arteries with meticulous care.
In Zhengguo Town, a scenic corridor of about 7.5 kilometers has taken on a stunning new look. The entrance and exit of the Guangzhou-Hezhou Expressway is no longer a dull transportation node; the carefully arranged flower borders make the “Zhengguo” landmark stand out prominently among Asparagus densiflorus, Salvia splendens and Gomphrena globosa. The traffic green islands once covered with bare loess are now carpeted with neat lawns. The once isolated and abrupt landscape walls, embraced gently by Musa basjoo, Ixora chinensis and Bougainvillea spectabilis, have become eye-catching scenic spots for visitors to stop and admire. On the railings of Zhengguo Bridge, Bougainvillea spectabilis blooms in full splendor, as if tying a colorful ribbon around this transportation hub. Beside the glass plank road in the Old Street of Zhengguo, the rearranged Pennisetum setaceum ‘Rubrum’ and Cordyline fruticosa seamlessly blend modern facilities with natural wild fun.
The same meticulous craftsmanship has also extended to Paitan Town. The road stretch of about 25 kilometers has been divided into themed sections including gateway entrances, vacation tourism zones and natural river banks for targeted upgrading. At the junction of Zengcheng and Conghua, the formerly empty lawns have been transformed into a striking gateway landmark by adding clusters of Bougainvillea spectabilis and colorful flowering plants. At the bridge nodes along Baishuizhai Avenue, Bougainvillea spectabilis with full crowns and abundant blossoms have been planted, making driving across the bridges feel like passing through a floral corridor. At the entrance of Shuiyue Park, plant clusters are ingeniously integrated with landscape sign walls, forming a harmonious and unified visual guide.
These renovations are not large-scale overhauls, but targeted prescriptions tailored to the defects of each node—through replanting, replacement or adding colorful vegetation, the roads themselves have become linear parks for experiencing a green and beautiful ecology.
Systematic Safeguards Solidify the “Vital Greenery”
To green the land is far from enough; the beauty must endure and the vegetation must thrive healthily. The District Bureau of Forestry and Landscape Architecture has safeguarded every shade of new green by strengthening three guarantees: organizational support, factor guarantee and technical backing.
District-level forest chiefs take the lead in demonstration, town and street departments promote the work in coordination, and Party members, the general public and social forces participate extensively. A social atmosphere of loving, planting and protecting greenery has taken root in both urban and rural areas of Zengcheng.
Faced with the challenges of securing land, raising funds and selecting seedlings, Zengcheng has adopted flexible and pragmatic solutions: scientifically planning and allocating greening land, and formulating tailored greening blueprints for each village; raising a total of 73.31 million yuan through superior government support, local supporting funds, village collective investment and social participation; building four provincial-level guaranteed nurseries, and advocating the priority use of native tree species and precious tree species with both ecological and economic value.
Technical support covers the entire process. The district has held multiple greening-themed training sessions for counties, towns and villages, providing scientific answers to questions such as where to plant, what to plant, how much to plant and how to plant. Green and Beautiful Ecology instructors are active in all 285 administrative villages, offering full-process and all-round technical services.
This systematic safeguard ensures that greening construction is not a one-off effort. Whether it is the Bougainvillea spectabilis, Ficus microcarpa var. hillii and Plumbago auriculata in Zhengguo Town, or the Duranta repens, Excoecaria cochinchinensis and Catharanthus roseus in Paitan Town, all continue to thrive under professional maintenance.
The “Five Integrations” Unleash Comprehensive Benefits
The greening practice of the District Bureau of Forestry and Landscape Architecture is never an isolated act of planting trees. Instead, it maximizes green benefits through the “Five Integrations”.
First, integration with the construction of model towns and villages: a special fund of about 13 million yuan has been invested to build 69 greening projects in model villages and 13 demonstration sites.
Second, integration with the construction of the Leading Area around the Two Mountains: three forest villages and red tourism villages have been built, along with 28 kilometers of the Most Beautiful Tourism Highway. The highway connects distinctive resources such as Zhengguo Old Street, Zhengguo Post Station, Baishuizhai Scenic Area and the Red and Green Trail of South Guangdong, creating an ecological tourism demonstration benchmark.
Third, integration with voluntary tree-planting for all: the Zengtang Provincial “Internet + Voluntary Tree-planting for All” Base has been established, attracting more than 100 organizations to plant trees and hosting over 300 tree-planting activities in a year.
Fourth, integration with the preparation for the 15th National Games: greening quality around competition venues has been upgraded, driving an increase of 2,162 mu of urban and rural green space across the district.
In addition, integrated with the construction of garden towns and cities, a number of pocket parks and wetland parks have been completed one after another. For residents of Zengcheng, the happiness of “seeing greenery through the window and parks at the doorstep” is now within easy reach.
Today, this Most Beautiful Tourism Highway, connecting core resources such as Zhengguo Old Street, Baishuizhai Scenic Area and the Red and Green Trail of South Guangdong, is more than just an ecological corridor. It has become an economic corridor driving the integration of culture and tourism and showcasing the image of Zengcheng. Here, greening transcends the single ecological category, emerging as a green engine for promoting high-quality development, creating a high-quality life and achieving efficient governance—a vivid interpretation of the philosophy that Lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets.
