Universiade boosts quality of life in Shenzhen

Updated: 2011-08-10 16:03

(chinadaily.com.cn)

The upcoming Universiade is having positive benefits for people’s lives and the city of Shenzhen as a whole, Shenzhen Special Economic Zone Daily said Wednesday.

The Games have helped speed up the city's subway construction, with five metro lines stretching 155 kilometers opening after four years of construction, which started with the successful bid for the Games in 2007.

Shenzhen has come into a "Metro Era" ahead of the Games. The city has seen a 20 percent decrease in traffic flow on some main roads, with subways carrying an average passenger flow of 1.75 million people a day.

Aiming to host a green Universiade, the city government has gone all out in their efforts to improve the environment. With a total length of 492 kilometers of waterways, 21 new sewage treatment plants built, and other measures taken to improve the environment, citizens in Shenzhen have seen their rivers cleaner, their sky bluer and their air fresher.

With 824 parks, including Shenzhen Bay Park and 360 other newly built or renovated parks that opened simultaneously on Aug 6, Shenzhen has become the city with the most parks in China.

Also, numerous modern stadiums throughout the city give citizens easy access to sports exercise and fitness.

The 26th Summer Universiade will kick off on Aug 12 and continue until Aug 23.

About Shenzhen

Shenzhen is located at the southern tip of the Chinese mainland on the eastern bank of the mouth of the Pearl River and neighbors Hong Kong.

The brainchild of Deng Xiaoping, the country's first special economic zone was established here by the Chinese Government in 1980. It has been a touchstone for China's reform and opening-up policy since then.