Dawukou New District People's Park

　　The construction of Dawukou New District is the “flagship project” of Shizuishan’s urbanization and has been established as a “New District Landscape Ecological Park.” Alongside the development of the China Strange Stones Mountain Ecological Park, the once-polluted Dawukou Gangue Hill has transformed from black to green and from waste to treasure. It has been renamed the Emerald Ecological Park and now stands in contrast to China Strange Stones Mountain, forming an ecological creative park themed around “stone” culture.

　　The original site of People’s Park was the second ash disposal area of the Dawukou Power Plant, covering 0.54 square kilometers. After more than ten years of accumulation, the highest point of the ash dump reached 6 meters, with a total ash storage volume of 1.37 million cubic meters, making it one of the main pollution sources in Dawukou District. To fundamentally solve this issue, the district adhered to the principle of “people-oriented, natural harmony.” The design integrates the delicate beauty of the south with the rugged charm of the northwest. Officials from the district committee and government visited Nantong in Jiangsu and Harbin in Heilongjiang to gather inspiration, while staying grounded in Shizuishan’s regional characteristics. Their aim was to highlight the features of landscape gardening, drawing on the construction experience of parks across the country, further accelerating the development of the new district. Successive projects were completed, including the excavation of the scenic lake surface in People’s Park, earthwork backfilling, water supply pipeline installation, road paving, construction of scenic bridges and lake revetments, the Shuo Stone artificial mountain waterfall, cascading waters, and the replication of Helan Mountain petroglyphs, as well as the planting of trees, lawns, and flowers, and the transportation and arrangement of unusual rocks. A People’s Park spanning over 370,000 square meters was built, consisting of 70% green space, 20% lake surface, and 10% paved roads and squares.

　　In the development of People’s Park in the new district, Dawukou emphasized the characteristics of being “new,” “unique,” “daring,” “elegant,” and “distinctive,” focusing on constructing landscapes such as forests, bridges, lakes, mountains, roads, pavilions, waterside gazebos, petroglyphs, unusual rocks, and waterfalls. The layout of “one lake, nine bridges, one garden, ten scenic spots” has been formed, largely realizing the design concept and construction goals of a “green new district, ecological new district, cultural new district, and livable new district.”

　　Weeping willows dance in the wind like young maidens, while replicas of Helan Mountain petroglyphs await visitors. Upon entering People’s Park, you can feel both the ruggedness of the north and the elegance of the south. Since construction began in March 2007, following the planning goal of rational layout and natural configuration, over 10,000 trees have been planted in the park, including desert poplar, French plane trees, Mongolian pine, spruce, scholar trees, and weeping willows. Over 150,000 flowers such as canna lilies, amaranths, salvia splendens, and Dutch chrysanthemums have been cultivated, along with 250,000 square meters of lawns. Ten landscape features have been built around the lake, including replicas of Helan Mountain petroglyphs, Shuo Stone artificial mountain waterfalls, colorful stone gardens, and unusual rock forests. Nine landscape grass pavilions have been installed, along with nine bridges: the Three-Turn Bridge, Magpie Bridge, Scenic Corridor Bridge, Jade Belt Bridge, Rainbow Bridge, Cloud Step Bridge, and Moonlit Water Bridge. These elements have significantly enhanced the park’s landscape artistry. Among them, the Shuo Stone artificial mountain waterfall is the central attraction of the theme park. Through the design of artificial mountain formations, the waterfall, cascading waters, and management facilities are integrated, creating a main mountain 15 meters high and a primary waterfall 30 meters wide. The overall form is natural and harmonious, resembling a work of nature. To further enhance the scenic effect, a water system will be designed at a height of 10 meters on the artificial mountain, forming a scenic platform with flowing water encircling the terrace. Inside a cave in the artificial mountain, a small stream will be created so that the water flows through the cave, bringing it even closer to nature. The replicas of Helan Mountain petroglyphs combine original stones from Helan Mountain with man-made artificial mountain stones. A total of 30 sets have been built, with each set featuring 4 to 6 stones and 5 to 6 carved petroglyphs. Within this replica area, you can see scenes of herding, hunting, and worshiping, as well as patterns of various animals such as sheep, cows, horses, camels, tigers, and leopards, plus abstract symbols—all carved into Helan Mountain-style petroglyphs. This attraction fully highlights the unique garden features of the new district’s People’s Park.

　　On September 30, 2007, People’s Park in Dawukou New District officially opened to the public. (During last year’s National Day holiday alone, shortly after opening, the park received widespread praise from citizens, attracting over 50,000 visitors during the seven-day break.) Currently, People’s Park has been developed into a 35-square-kilometer themed park in the new district, themed around “a green new district, ecological new district, cultural new district, and livable new district,” becoming a popular leisure destination for residents of Shizuishan.