Strolling through Liwan District, an old quarter of Guangzhou, one inadvertently wanders into streets and alleys wrapped in clear water. With lush trees and the songs of birds amid fragrant flowers, the city's green beauty adorns the old streets and lanes of Liwan District. The Lizhiwan Creek fully reveals the waterside scenery of Xiguan; the Sima Creek waterfront environment is comfortable and pleasant; and parks at residents' doorsteps—such as the Shamian Ancient Tree Park, the pocket park beneath the Pearl River Bridge, and Huadiwan Park—are successively opening... The urban ecological picture of Green and Beautiful Liwan unfolds slowly.
　　In 2023, starting from improving the urban living environment and enhancing residents' happiness index, Liwan District launched the Lizhiwan Creek Waterfront Environment Improvement Project and the Sima Creek Waterfront Environment Improvement Project, creating "green and beautiful parks" at residents' doorsteps. Applying "embroidery" craftsmanship, it improved the waterfront banks and green space environments of old urban communities, injecting green momentum into Liwan District's advancement of the "Hundreds, Thousands, and Tens of Thousands Project" and the promotion of coordinated regional development, so that the beautiful scene of "a bay of green stream water, lychees red on both banks" is reproduced.

　　Pleasant Waterfront, Ancient Waterway's Banks Take on a New Look
　　The Sima Creek, located in the northern part of Liwan District, flows through several old communities. How can the living environment at residents' doorsteps be improved in an old urban area with limited geographical space? Strolling along the banks of the Sima Creek, where every tree, every shrub, and every lawn, and the many beautiful views on both sides of the river, interpret Liwan District's wise approach to waterfront environment improvement.
　　The Sima Creek is an ancient waterway located in the northern part of Liwan District. It originates from Jingtai Pit on Baiyun Mountain, flows through Liuhua Lake, Caihong Bridge, and other places, and empties into the Pearl River's West Channel at Aokou. It has a total length of 6.75 kilometers and a basin area of about 10 square kilometers. Entering Phase I of the Sima Creek Waterfront Environment Improvement Project (from Caihong Cultural Square to Zhoumen Railway Bridge), along the 950-meter-long bank scenery one can see nearby residents exercising at the community sports and fitness square, children frolicking freely on the lawns, elderly friends gathering in groups to walk their birds, and residents jogging on the running track...
　　Du Fan, dean of the Third Design Institute of Guangzhou Landscape Architecture Planning and Design Research Institute Co., Ltd., is responsible for the design work of the Sima Creek Waterfront Environment Improvement Project. He said: "The difficulty of the Sima Creek waterfront environment renovation lies in the fact that the Sima Creek is mostly divided into sections by bridges, and each section's waterfront environment, width, and vegetation are different. We follow the actual spatial environment, apply measures suited to local conditions, design each section's waterfront landscape with its own characteristics, and create pedestrian-vehicle separated waterfront paths."
　　On the banks of the Sima Creek, a Chinese banyan tree about 154 years old has taken root here, and several lychee trees continue their vitality... Du Fan introduced that when building the running track and pedestrian path along the Sima Creek waterfront, the principle of "protecting every large tree" was followed; for example, the laying of the running track was combined with the growth of tree clusters, achieving a combination of curves and straight lines. In addition, to reduce the height difference between the waterfront pedestrian path and the walls and to reduce the sense of spatial oppression, the design unit specially created "rainbow terraces," planting vegetation in stepped forms to absorb the slope difference.
　　Resident Aunt Huang has lived in Zhoumen for nearly 40 years, and she has deep personal experience of the changes in the Sima Creek waterfront environment: "In the past, the Sima Creek stank to high heaven, and the pedestrian path on the bank was narrow, so no one was willing to pass by. After the waterfront environment improvement, the road is broad, the air is fresh, and the plants are more abundant. Usually my neighbors and I are all willing to go to the banks of the Sima Creek to exercise."
　　From a place where residents hurried past while covering their noses and mouths to a pleasant waterfront place, the Sima Creek has benefited from the 2017 "deodorization" improvement and the 2023 waterfront environment improvement project, and the water quality and bank scenery of the creek have undergone a magnificent transformation. Ju Hui, director of the Liwan District Water Affairs Engineering Construction Management Center, said: "The Sima Creek Waterfront Environment Improvement Project complies with the living needs of old urban residents, opens up the city's existing waterfront space, carries out renovation on the basis of the original waterfront environment, creates green squares, widens the bank paths, and achieves returning the banks to the people, so that residents are willing to step out of their homes and experience the green and beautiful achievements on both banks of the creek."
　　"Phase II of the project starts at Zhoumen Railway Bridge and ends at Nan'an Road, with a length of 820 meters. Construction is being stepped up and is expected to be completed before this year's Spring Festival." Ju Hui said that when Phase II is completed, Phase I and Phase II will be connected to form a 3.54-kilometer strolling loop, meeting residents' exercise needs.

　　Adorned with Green Beauty, Scenery Seen Within Small Spaces
　　Liwan has grown up along the Pearl River, which links its northern and southern parts; water and flowers give vitality to Green and Beautiful Liwan. In 2023, Liwan District vigorously advanced the planning and construction of parks and green spaces, increasing the greening coverage rate of the old urban area.
　　Entering Shamian Island, the "Three Treasures of Shamian" come into view—the Shamian historic building complex, Shamian sculptures, and Shamian ancient trees. Among them, ancient trees are densely distributed across the island, bearing witness to Shamian's century of vicissitudes. On January 4 this year, Shamian Ancient Tree Park was officially unveiled, and it is also Liwan District's ** ancient tree park.
　　It is understood that Shamian Ancient Tree Park covers an area of 30 hectares and is located in the Liwan cultural, commercial, and tourism vitality zone. It is also a famous foreign affairs tourist area and historical relic protection area in Guangzhou. On this small man-made island accounting for only 0.5% of Liwan District's area, more than 52% of Liwan District's ancient tree resources are preserved. There are currently 137 ancient trees, the oldest being more than 300 years old and the youngest more than 100 years old, making it the area in Guangzhou's central urban districts that showcases ancient trees in a concentrated manner.
　　"All six veins lead to the sea; green mountains half enter the city." Guangzhou, the Flower City, has more than two thousand years of water town culture, and Liwan is rich in water cultural heritage resources; flowers and water have always been connected to this land. Crossing the Pearl River to Huanhua Road in the southern part of Liwan, Huadiwan Park is located here.
　　"Flower culture" and "water culture" jointly nurtured the geographical context of Huadiwan. With this as its concept and starting from citizens' needs, Huadiwan Park cleverly designed more than ten pocket parks extending toward the Pearl River to form an approximately 700-meter ecological corridor, creating an open urban waterfront park with regional characteristics.
　　In addition to Shamian Ancient Tree Park and Huadiwan Park, Liwan District has improved the living environment by "planting greenery in every gap," and a number of parks at residents' doorsteps are successively opening.
　　The collision of traditional industrial culture and modern green life at Guangzhou Steel Central Park; the splendid return of the Southwest Square of Cultural Park after ten years; the transformation of the pocket park beneath the Pearl River Bridge into a modern small garden; the official opening of the Chongwen Third Road Intersection Pocket Park, Liqin North Road Intersection Pocket Park, Chongwen Fifth Road Intersection Pocket Park, Liqin South Road Intersection Pocket Park, and Xiwan Road Intersection Pocket Park... These parks have now changed from barren land into leisure spaces full of greenery.

　　Connecting Bridge Scenery, Clear Water on Both Banks Reveals Heritage
　　The Lizhiwan Creek nurtured generations of Xiguan people. Since the creek's restoration and improvement, Lizhiwan Creek has injected water vitality into the old Xiguan area and attracted tourists from all over to visit. The creek section from Shimin Square to Duobao Square is one of the Phase III projects of Lizhiwan Creek. In 2023, Liwan District launched the Lizhiwan Creek Waterfront Environment Improvement, turning the creek's waterfront into a two-level waterfront boardwalk with pedestrian-vehicle separation, while integrating bridge culture into both banks to empower the Liwan cultural, commercial, and tourism vitality zone.
　　Walking from Shimin Square into Fengqing Community and Changhua Yuan Community of Changhua Subdistrict, century-old lychee trees have settled here; tour boats pass along the creek, the water flows slowly, and residents stroll and walk their dogs on the banks, enjoying the results of the waterfront environment improvement. Resident Uncle Li said: "Shimin Square was originally a garbage station. After renovation, the waterfront has become open, there are lawns, and Shimin Bridge has also been revitalized. At residents' suggestion, the relevant departments laid granite paving along the waterfront, which feels more in line with the overall environment of Lizhiwan and restores the characteristics of the old Xiguan streets and alleys."
　　Lizhiwan Creek is also called the "Xiguan Water Living Room." From Fengyuan Road to Yongqingfang, there are altogether twelve bridges built in different periods and in different styles. Chen Zhibin, deputy dean of the Human Settlements Landscape Institute and director of the Landscape Design Institute of Guangzhou Urban Planning and Design Survey Research Institute, said: "In the creek section from Shimin Square to Duobao Square, Shimin Bridge, Yingou Bridge, Yushan Bridge, and Duobao Bridge cross over. The project takes 'moon phases · bridges' as its theme, optimizes lighting, and adds brass floor-relief bridge introduction signs along the bank paths. In addition, using bridges as carriers, it has newly created two bridgehead squares—Shimin Square and Duobao Square—as well as the Twelve Bridges Culture Pocket Park that tells the cultural stories of the twelve bridges, opening up nearly 1,200 square meters of public space along the banks and providing residents with places for rest."
　　Ju Hui said: "The Lizhiwan Creek Waterfront Environment Improvement Project has optimized 1,300 meters of green waterfront, integrated water culture into it, and connected important scenic spots such as Liwan Lake, Xiguan Grand Houses, and Yongqingfang, achieving district integration and bringing a water economy full of cultural and tourism vitality." It is reported that during the 2023 Mid-Autumn and National Day holidays, the popularity of the Xiguan cultural district reached a new high, receiving a total of 1.196 million visitors over eight days, among which the Yongqingfang area connected by Lizhiwan Creek received 1.063 million visitors, a year-on-year increase of 106.4%.