“If you want to be rich, build roads first.” This old saying became famous throughout the country due to a report in 1984. Over the past 40 years, China has built the world’s largest high-speed rail network, high-speed network and postal express network, and asphalt roads have reached almost every village. The debt of “building roads first” back then has been settled long ago. But people are still building roads, but the purpose of building roads has changed, and the things that roads can connect have also changed.
In Fuzhou, there are three newly built trails, one in the mountains of Lianjiang, one on the ancient city wall of Luoyuan, and one by the lake in Binhai New City. They “connect” the two ends of the road and gather the hope of people’s livelihood.
Connecting urban and rural areas——
The forest trails in the Huli-Guantou area of Dongdai Town, Lianjiang County wind around the mountains. Photo by Ouyang Yiyi, People’s Daily Online
In Dongdai Town outside Lianjiang County, there is a flag mountain with five peaks connected together.
“You said that after the wild geese fly south, come with me…” Walking to the second peak, I didn’t see the “singer”, but I heard his voice first.
The singer was Mr. Chen, who came from Lianjiang County. He was 72 years old. He carried a 40-50 kilogram stereo up the mountain and sang with his friends at the octagonal pavilion on Erfeng.
The mountains in the distance are high and the sea is vast, which is refreshing and refreshing. During the break between switching songs, Mr. Chen tapped the stereo, pointed to the trail outside the pavilion and said, “The trails elsewhere are narrow and steep, and it’s inconvenient to carry equipment up there, but the trails here are the widest.”
Citizens sang at the octagonal pavilion on the second peak of Qishan Mountain. Photo by Ouyang Yiyi, People’s Daily Online
Looking from the direction of the sea from the Octagonal Pavilion, the trail from the second peak to the fifth peak winds up, like a blue and white “ribbon” between the green mountains and the sea. Looking east, there are several small islands dotted in the sea, and the boundary between sea and sky “dissolves” in the mist; looking west, there are villages scattered among the fields, the sun shines through the big clouds, and the cloud shadows fall on the villages, alternating between light and dark.
“The ecological improvement project of the forest trails in the Huli-Guantou area of Dongdai Town, Lianjiang County is sponsored by the Sports Lottery Charity Fund. It will upgrade and renovate two forest trails based on the existing forest landscape belt, with a total length of about 1,500 meters.” Qiu Shanwei, chairman of the People’s Congress of Dongdai Town, stood on the trail and raised his finger to introduce it. “The project is also equipped with facilities such as rest spots and smart street lights, which make up for the shortcomings of the slow-moving passage between the two villages.”
Standing on the trail and looking to the west, you can see fields and villages. Photo by Ouyang Yiyi, People’s Daily Online
The fire in the public welfare earth stove halfway up the mountain is burning brightly, and the water in the pot is boiling and steaming. Tourists gather around to cook noodles and chat, and the smoke of fireworks is “smoked” in the mountains.
With more people on the mountain, the orchards at the foot of the mountain have also benefited. Zhan Lijuan, secretary of the Party branch of Huli Village in Dongdai Town, said that Dongdai Town is a purely agricultural town, mainly growing grapes and dragon fruit. During this season, tourists from the city go to the villages down the mountain to buy some fruits and bring agricultural products back to the city after completing a round trip in the mountains.
A road connects the city and the countryside.
Connecting the past and present——
Sightseeing trail on the wall of Luoyuan Ancient City. Photo by Ouyang Yiyi, People’s Daily Online
On the northeast side of Fuzhou, there is also a trail in Fengshan, Luoyuan County, which is “long” on an ancient city wall with a history of more than 500 years.
The afternoon sun shines through the tall trees on both sides of the city wall, casting patches of green shade on the brick surface. Standing on the trail and looking down, the houses in the county town are “squeezed” between the mountains. Suddenly, the school bell rang, followed by the noise of children pouring out of the classroom, breaking the tranquility in the mountains.
Taking advantage of the good weather, 63-year-old Yan Sanqiang went for a walk on the city wall – where his memories of growing up are “hidden”. “My home is at the foot of the mountain, and there has been this city wall for as long as I can remember. But later, due to wind and rain erosion and changes in urban construction, most of the main body of the city wall was demolished, leaving only a few wall stacks.” The city wall disappeared, and Yan Sanqiang also left his hometown to work in Beijing. Thousands of miles away, this regret is still unforgettable.
“In the past few years, I have returned to my hometown after retirement and found that the city wall has been rebuilt and the floor tiles have been laid. Every time I walk up there, I feel like my childhood memories are coming back.” He said, placing his hand on the city wall and patting it gently. “In the future, if I have the opportunity, I will bring my grandchildren up here and tell them the history of this city wall.”
The Sports Lottery Charity Fund provided financial guarantee for the implementation of the Fengshan Ancient City Wall Ruins Restoration Project. Photo by Ouyang Yiyi, People’s Daily Online
“The city wall was first built in the Hongzhi period of the Ming Dynasty, and the existing Fengshan section was built in the 37th year of Jiajing. It is not only an important barrier to defend against foreign enemies and Japanese pirates in ancient times, but also a carrier to carry the Luochuan cultural heritage and retain the memory of the city.” Lei Quanfu, deputy secretary of the Party Committee and mayor of Fengshan Town, said that the Sports Lottery Charity Fund provided a large part of the funds to repair the city wall, which not only ensured the protection and repair of the city wall itself, but also promoted the construction of surrounding trails and environmental improvement.
Standing on the city wall trail, through the rough wall bricks, you can seem to see the soldiers who were training and patrolling the city five hundred years ago, looking at the same mountains and rivers in the distance, with their homeland in their eyes and their homeland in their hearts.
A road connects the past and the present.
Connect “you” and “me”——
The clean and tidy coastal road trail around Songshan Lake in Luoyuan County. Photo by Ouyang Yiyi, People’s Daily Online
Coming down from Fengshan and heading towards the seaside is Luoyuanwan Coastal New Town, where nearly one-third of the county’s permanent population is concentrated. New cities “grow” so fast that public leisure spaces cannot keep up, causing “growing pains”.
In order to respond to people’s livelihood needs, the Luoyuan County Huan Songshan Lake National Fitness Facility Project (Binhai Road Trail Improvement Project) will start construction in 2024.
“The project has upgraded two 5-kilometer-long trails along the route, focusing on the construction of a children’s amusement park, 9 squares, and 17 sports venues to form a dynamic and static space to meet the needs of people of all ages.” Wu Xian, deputy director of the Luoyuan County Housing and Urban-Rural Development Bureau, said that the support of the Sports Lottery Charity Fund has made up for the shortcomings of grassroots fitness facilities in urban and rural areas and solved the problem of “where to go for fitness” for the masses.
In the afternoon, the sun slanted down from the west, and the water of the tributaries of Songshan Lake was “wrinkled” by the breeze. A new blue trail has been laid out along the river, and residents can walk and run on the trail. On one side of the trail, the iron frames of the amusement facilities were reflecting in the sun. Some children were jumping on the trampoline, and some were getting out of the slide hole. Parents were sitting on one side talking.
Children play on the playground equipment. Photo by Ouyang Yiyi, People’s Daily Online
“Children like the outdoors very much. The facilities here are new and plentiful, which is really convenient.” Ms. Huang settled in Luoyuan four or five years ago. Her child has just turned one year old and is toddling on the trails.
“After the upgrade and renovation here, it has brought us a lot of happiness. Everyone comes out to play and walk around every night.” Ms. Huang, who plays table tennis, has lived in Luoyuan for more than ten years and comes here almost every day, playing for more than an hour.
“As an outsider, I feel that Luoyuan County has done a good job in terms of convenience and sports. The environment and facilities of this trail are very good.” Mr. Dong from Hubei Province just arrived in Luoyuan for work not long ago. He goes for a run on the trail every two or three days and has made many local friends through running.
……
Coastal promenade at sunset. Photo by Ouyang Yiyi, People’s Daily Online
It was already evening when we left Songshan Lake, and the trail shone with “golden light” in the setting sun. A trail connects “you” and “me” into “us”.
The love gathered by the Sports Lottery Charity Chest has paved the way for ordinary people to walk.
The roads in the countryside connect urban and rural areas; the roads in historic sites connect the past and present; the roads in the new city gather “you” and “me”… In Fuzhou City, one road “involves” people’s livelihood and well-being, and more “roads” are still “growing”.
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