Jingchu. com reporter Wang Shuzhen
There are many cities with rivers in China, and Wuhan alone is called "Jiangcheng".
The confluence of the two rivers and the thoroughfare of nine provinces, from ancient shipping to modern port opening, the development along the river is the main theme of Wuhan’s urban development. It can be said that the Yangtze River shaped Wuhan, and Wuhan was integrated into the Yangtze River. The Yangtze River is the inexhaustible kinetic energy for the surging development of Wuhan, which thrives on the river and is born on the water.
Two rivers and four banks are undoubtedly the city cover of Wuhan.
If you want to understand Wuhan, you should first understand the main axis of the Yangtze River.
The main axis of the Yangtze River is to Wuhan, just as Lujiazui of Huangpu River is to Shanghai, and Manhattan of Hudson River is to new york, which gathers the city’s extremely high value resources and becomes the "first sight" for the world to see Wuhan.
In Wuhan, the city cover belt around the main axis of the Yangtze River is being updated with butterfly changes.
On the main axis of the Yangtze River, the Wuchang ecological and cultural corridor, which is in full swing along the northern ring road of the former Wujiu Railway, is like a bright necklace on the most beautiful skyline of the main axis of the Yangtze River, connecting the history, present and future of Jiangcheng in series.
The part of the long corridor that is expected to open in June this year is accelerating the blueprint of "looking back for a hundred years and looking forward to a hundred years" into reality.
Night view of Wuchang Riverside, the main axis of the Yangtze River.
The century-old Fenghua Railway established Wuhan’s status as a city. Wujiu witnessed the iterative development of Jiangcheng
Spread out the map, Wuhan, known as the thoroughfare of nine provinces, is located at the intersection of the golden waterway of the Yangtze River and the artery of the Beijing-Guangzhou railway. It is the largest land, sea and air transportation hub in the inland of China, with the functions of connecting the east with the west, connecting the north with the south and maintaining all directions.
Railway, mother of transportation, mother of transportation and economy.
Great Wuhan, with great rivers and great lakes, prospers because of the Yangtze River and also because of the railway.
Wang Ruining, the author of "One Hundred Years of Wuhan Railway", once compared this: "Wuhan is a city that has traveled through history by train. Every track and every station is a history of revolution, struggle and urban development."
From a dock city to a modern city with common molten iron and prosperous industry, the rise of Wuhan is closely linked with the railway. The railway has also created the urban pattern of Wuhan today.
In 1906, the Jinghan Railway was opened to traffic, and Wuhan, the thoroughfare of nine provinces, entered the railway era. After the opening of the Guangdong-Han Railway in 1918, Wuhan was even more powerful.
"The northern ring line of Wujiu Railway, which evolved from Wuchang Ecological and Cultural Corridor Project, can be traced back to the northern end project of Yuehan Railway. Xujiapeng Railway Station, which is Wuchang North Station, was established by Zhan Tianyou, and was once famous throughout the country with a glorious history." Wang Yijun, general manager of Wuhan Urban Railway Construction Investment and Development Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of Wuhan Chengtou Group, told reporters that the Beijing-Han Railway and the Guangdong-Han Railway, which run through the north and south, stand in the middle and lead the two ends. However, one of these two railways is in Jiangbei and the other is in Jiangnan, and the Yangtze River is like a "natural barrier".
85 years ago, the Wuhan train ferry was put into operation, and the trains from Beijing were carried by ferry in Wuhan, passing through the Wujiu North Ring Road, which could go directly to Guangzhou, Jinghan Railway and Yuehan Railway. For the first time, they were connected by train ferry, realizing the seamless connection between the north and south traffic arteries of China.
Trains cross the river by ferry, connecting the Beijing-Han Railway and the Guangdong-Han Railway.
Sixty-five years ago, the Wuhan Yangtze River Bridge was opened to traffic, forming a new Beijing-Guangzhou railway. "Trains have to be carried by ferry" has become history.
"Later, with the needs of economic and social development, the Wujiu Railway once undertook the functions of coal, steel, cement and other freight and passenger transportation, commuting along the line, and vegetable farmers going to and from the suburbs, which witnessed the iteration and development of Wuhan in the past 100 years."
The times expect that the century-old railway will complete its historical mission and "give way" to the new force of urban development.
The prosperity brought by each railway and the changes it has experienced are all guided by social development and will also lead to the road of the times.
"The Wujiu Railway has carved a glorious mark in history, but with the development of the times, its functions of crossing the river, passenger transport, freight transport and marshalling station have long been replaced by more advanced equipment, and modern high-speed railways have been built and operated like mushrooms after rain, which has also injected fresh vitality and kinetic energy into urban development. The Wujiu Railway has obviously completed its specific historical mission. " Wang Yijun introduced.
At the same time, with the development of the city, the fragmentation of the railway to the city has become increasingly apparent.
Due to the existence of the Northern Link of Wu-Jiu Railway, the riverside on the right bank of the Yangtze River is divided into fragmented spaces and broken roads, and the interface with inland development faults and cities is also dilapidated.
The inner ring riverside area, which should be the "cover" of the city, is incompatible with the thriving Wuhan.
The opening section of the promenade six years ago.
It has become the expectation of the times and the historical necessity to change "back-river development" into "face-river development", scientifically lay out planning, break the traffic bottleneck, expand the development space, promote industrial agglomeration, dismantle the railway, remove the "shackles" and let the inner ring riverside return and integrate into the city.
And with the same expectations, there are residents along the line.
Today’s promenade is the first section.
"Although we live by the river, it’s really close to the river, and we want to take our children to play by the river, which is close at hand. We can describe it as’ wading through mountains and rivers’. The’ dead end road’ is impassable, and we need to detour far away, and we need to climb over the railroad tracks. Apart from the danger, it’s really dusty on sunny days and muddy on rainy days. The old people at home never dare to go for a walk by the river because it is really inconvenient. " Mr. Yang, who lives in Oujingyuan Community in Wuchang District, told the reporter.
"Have you ever seen a bungalow? In the inner ring of Wuhan, you can still see such a house! It seems that it is not a world with modern cities! " Mr. Wu, who lives near Xinsheng Road, Friendship Avenue, Wuchang, told reporters that there are dozens of "dead ends" along the northern ring road of Wujiu Railway, which seems to be twenty or thirty meters away, and may need to bypass one or two kilometers. The urban interface also seems to stay in the last century. "We are very much looking forward to the renovation here."
Retire after success, transform into a hundred miles ecological corridor and reshape the main axis of "supporting the development of the river"
The Wujiu Railway seems to have come through history, and the roaring whistle once resounded along the banks of the river, connecting the rivers and mountains of Wan Li and leading the times. After nearly a century, the city has undergone tremendous changes, and it has already changed the world. This small green train runs until May 2018.
On May 10 of that year, Wuchang North Station sent off the last train, and the northern ring road of Wujiu Railway, which carries a hundred years of feelings, stopped. On May 13th, the 109-year-old Wuchang North Station was closed.
"There is no regret, no dignity. The history of this development is inevitable. The speed of its aging is exactly the speed of the city’s development. The suspension of service is considered a retreat." The relevant staff of the railway department said.
In 1918-2018, the Wujiu Northern Link, which rose and fell for a hundred years, withdrew from the historical stage and laid out a blueprint for a prosperous future.
Today’s Simeitang Railway is a cultural creation.
"After learning that the Wujiu Railway was going to be demolished, many photographers came to grab the site, and we often received messages from the public. It used to be a part of their lives, hoping to have a place to carry memories." Zhong Fuxing, deputy director of the comprehensive management department of Wuhan Urban Railway Construction Investment and Development Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of Wuhan Chengtou Group, said.
Along the Northern Ring Road of Wuhan-Kowloon Railway, a "new life" is about to come. How to organically combine the preservation of urban memory, cultural roots and the release of urban renewal to promote value? Test the wisdom of planning decision makers.
According to reports, according to the plan, after the demolition of the Wujiu Railway, the horizontal roads will be pulled through, which will open up a huge available space for urban development and repair the Binjiang plate with the inland.
At the same time, the section along Wujiu Railway is a long urban curve, which runs along the Yangtze River, occupies a small area and has a long and narrow shape. It will be refined into an ecological and cultural corridor in Wuchang, and an important landscape belt will be built on the main axis of the Yangtze River. The overground part of the promenade will be built into a world-class urban public space with a total length of about 17.1 kilometers. The first phase of the project is 13.46 kilometers long, starting from Friendship Avenue in Wuchang in the south and reaching Jianshe No.10 Road in Qingshan in the north. Utility tunnel will be built in the underground part, and pipelines such as electric power, heat, water supply, communication and reclaimed water will be concentrated in it.
The project is based on "looking back, inheriting a century-old culture and pursuing a century-old memory; Looking to the future, planning a century-old goal and building a century-old project ",fully consider how to tap the cultural heritage and retain a century-old history.
The planning concept does not treat abandoned sites simply and rudely, but changes the railway into an ecological corridor, supplemented by elevated covered bridges and trails, becoming a beautiful landscape of the city, sparing no effort to optimize and integrate, and constantly promoting the quality of life of residents.
In the planning of urban renewal, the residual value of the site will be released again, the continuous layer of urban cultural roots will be protected, and the harmonious unity of urban functions, people’s travel, human landscape, living space, urban memory and other functions will be realized.
Looking back at a century and looking forward to a century, opening the "window of the Yangtze River" facing the world.
Just draw the blueprint and do it.
"What started earlier than the ecological corridor project was the repair of traffic, which opened the horizontal roads, just like opening the capillaries of this plot, connecting the Binjiang plate with the inland and having a broad development hinterland. At the same time, along the original railway, part of it was transformed into a park, and the other part became a greenway. With the opening of vertical and horizontal roads, this’ fault zone’ of more than ten kilometers can be regarded as a return and integration into the city. This project opens the door to urban renewal and butterfly change like a key. " Zhan Guangjian, the relevant person in charge of the construction department of Wuchang Ecological and Cultural Corridor Project of Wuhan Urban Railway Construction Investment and Development Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of Wuhan Chengtou Group, introduced.
More than 20 "broken roads" along the Yangtze River have been opened, and a number of "bottleneck roads" have been widened and upgraded. More than 40 roads are directly connected to the smooth road network along the river, which is convenient for citizens to enjoy the scenery by the river.
With the demolition of railways, the connection of roads and the appearance of parks and green spaces, the city will be stitched, updated and rebuilt, and the right bank of the Yangtze River will officially enter the fast track of the development and value of the Yangtze River.
In less than four years, the urban interface has undergone earth-shaking changes, and the inner ring riverside has returned to the heart of the city.
The starting point of Wuchang ecological and cultural corridor project today.
A few days ago, the reporter went to the starting point of the Simietang Railway Wenchuang Tiandi and Wuchang Ecological and Cultural Corridor Project, which is expected to be opened in June this year. In the green forest and sea of flowers, he climbed the steam locomotive and boarded the green leather train. The surrounding flowers and plants danced with the wind and swayed.
The railway tracks and the sea of flowers complement each other. The small green train will be transformed into a restaurant and a coffee shop. The railway marshalling yard and industrial workshop will be transformed into a commercial and creative world. The time-honored steam locomotive, internal combustion locomotive and electric locomotive seem to turn the park into a large outdoor museum …
Compared with the past urban interface, the brand-new greenways and ecological parks are brand-new. Strolling through it, you can feel the ingenuity hidden everywhere. Rails have become kerbs, sleepers have turned into public seats … These "old objects" that have retired from the historical stage can be seen in ecological parks and unexpected places. Bumping into history, being present, looking up, the modern commercial construction and the "super tower" rising up along the river clearly show the future of this city.
Scene of Wuchang Riverside, the main axis of the Yangtze River.
Here, the coastline of Wuchang ecological and cultural corridor connects the history, present and future of the city. Here, you can see the butterfly change and peerless elegance of Wuhan in a hundred years.
"Stimulating the function of the old ruins, excavating and continuing the urban context, reviving Wuchang City, and letting tourists touch the history and see the future, this is our concept in the face of the restoration, transformation and renewal of urban cultural tourism. This concept requires patience and determination. All for one goal-to build Wuhan’s unique urban cultural business card and spiritual highland. In short, the infinite scenery is inexhaustible, and go to Wuchang to find it slowly! " Ge Wenkai, director of Wuchang District Cultural Tourism Bureau, introduced it with a smile.
It is a never-ending journey to renew the city and improve the quality of life. On this ecological corridor, the century-old frontier is continued, and the century-old blueprint is described, which provides a vivid sample for urban renewal and butterfly change, provides an exciting direction for pursuing a better future, and the development of "the waves behind the Yangtze River push the waves before" injects kinetic energy into the city’s surging forward.
If you want to understand Wuhan, look here at first sight.
(All the pictures are provided by Wuhan Urban Railway Construction Investment and Development Co., Ltd.)
