Green space alone does not make a green city. That's the message from city officials, whose ambitious plans to make Shanghai a natural wonder continue apace.

"At present, the city's parks are no more than oases amid the concrete," says Xiao Qianghua, an official with the Shanghai Gardening Administration. "We'd much prefer people to feel the whole city was like a garden. And to that end, we intend to cover walls with creeping plants, line streets with trees, and swathe derelict or unused land with vegetation."

This is all part of a plan to ensure that within five years all Shanghainese will have access to 3,000 square meters of parkland within just 500 meters of wherever they live.

The ideas Xiao mentions have been put into practice at various locations. The walls around the southern section of Fudan University, in Yangpu District, have been replaced by fences, and Qingpu District has been brightened up with extensive landscaping around a major factory there.

Initial plans to remove walls around the city's private gardens were less successful when owners - perhaps not surprisingly - were reluctant to give up their privacy. Furthermore, some walls which are architecturally notable in their own right - such as that around the 1936 Moller Mansion at the junction of Yan'an Road and Shanxi Road - will be preserved.

Also, parks that have fallen into disrepair will be tidied up, says Li Li, a director with the administration.

The administration officials even eye the unused space of rooftops as possible plots for gardening.

"But most of the city's buildings were not designed for rooftop gardens," says Zhu Xiangming, president of Shanghai Landscape & Architecture Design Institute. "They wouldn't be able to bear the weight."

However, low-rise buildings can be covered with vines, Zhu says. It takes only a few years for creepers to spread over the whole roof. "But since the vines that thrive in such locations are all of the same shade, people may find them a little boring," he adds.

The administration has also turned its attention to the city's elevated roads. "We have lined them with potted shrubs and flowers, and choose hardy plants that can cope with exhaust fumes," says Zhu.

"There are more than 700 plant species used in the city," says Li. "Each area calls for its own set."

For instance, the "Outer Ring Road Green Belt" - city's largest afforestation project - is 97 kilometers long and 500 meters wide and circles Shanghai, using trees that have vigorous roots. The belt is intended to ward off dusty winds, explains Yin Ou, an official at the Shanghai Agriculture and Forestry Bureau.

"Green belt plants must have strong roots to stand up to the wind; and their interlocking roots can consolidate the soil." says Yin.

"We also choose a variety of flowering trees, such as redbud and paulownia. These blossom in turn with the seasons, presenting a succession of scenes all the year round. We also plant Siberian elm, Schneider zelkova and fruit trees. Their roots would cause havoc with underground pipes and wires if we planted them downtown."

The trees the bureau uses are divided into slow-growing and quick-growing categories.

New green areas are generally bordered by quick-growing trees.

"That way, the areas are soon brought to maturity," says Zhu Xiangming. "It also helps them blend in well."

Kaiqiao Green Land serves as a good example of this policy. The 45,000-square-meter parkland, still under construction, lies close to a crowded residential area built in the 1950s and 1960s.

"We felt the housing clashed rather badly with the new green area, but by planting its border with monkey cinnamon and Chinese elm trees, we're confident that in a year or two people of the residential quarters will appreciate the idyllic scenes."

The quick-growing trees are also used to beautify new housing estates.

"Homebuyers are looking for a house with a good view, even if the greenery is not yet mature or only shown on blueprints," says Fu Deliang, an expert in landscape design at Jiaotong University. "They won't wait for a decade or more for the garden to be fully grown."

That's why for Zhu it's more than a matter of just planting trees. "The way we plant them should tell people something... like a theme melody or a background music."

The Longhua Martyr's Cemetery is a case in point. Its long bank of pine trees provides a solemn backdrop for a five-meter-tall sculpture dedicated to the fallen heroes of Chinese revolutions.

"We chose pine trees because the white marble statue looks noble and pure against their somber shade."

People's Square, however, is planted with trees for a different effect. The roses, chrysanthemums, ever-green holly and other ornamental plants add festive colors to the city center.

"Until recently space was so limited that many Shanghai families lived three generations under one roof," said Xiao Qianghua. "Finding space for greenery was just unlikely. But that's changed. Today Shanghaiese are looking for greener environment."

(Eastday.com 03/02/2001)