Ecology above, engineering below
Over 50 foreign online influencers, exchange students and photographers visited Beijing Municipal Administrative Centre and explored its work in green buildings, ecological protection, energy innovations and green culture in Tongzhou District of Beijing.
Organized by Beijing Tongzhou District Publicity Department and Cyberspace Affairs Office and supported by Global Times Online, the daylong event was titled "A Green Trip Beyond What You See: 2025 4th Chinese and Foreign Online Influencers Visit Beijing Municipal Administrative Center."
They visited the Beijing Investment Group Plaza, Heritage Site Park at the Ancient Government Seat of Luxian County, Beijing Bishui Reclaimed Water Plant and Canal West. They explored the centre's work and will share their images with global audiences to show how Chinese cities are turning green ideas into living reality.
During the visit to Beijing Investment Group Plaza, they found answers to questions as to how can a building stay functional and beautiful while cutting emissions.
Shaped like the traditional bronze ritual vessel called "ding", symbolizes "firmly standing in all directions." The building's roof integrates drainage channels with photovoltaic tubes to gather both rain and sunlight.
Its surrounding glass curtain wall automatically adjusts reflectivity based on solar angle, reducing air-conditioning demand. Three floors underground integrate three major systems: renewable energy station, rooftop photovoltaic system, solar water-heating system.
The same formula – engineering below, ecology above – powers the Beijing Bishui Reclaimed Water Plant, the first in the Centre to hide all of its hardware underground. All treatment facilities are located underground. Within 23 hours, the wastewater is fully transformed and becomes a replenishing source for the clear waters of the canal, cutting yearly carbon emissions. The centre has already nudged 700,000 residents from passive observers into active green-living participants.
The influencers and students visited the Grand Canal, a Unesco world-heritage waterway. A 1.3-kilometre stretch of waterfront on the Canalwest has been transformed into a green living experience zone. An open riverside promenade with viewing decks and water-level plazas offers space for walking and sightseeing. A cluster of "waterfront play zones" hosts cafés, boutiques, sports outlets and night markets, creating round-the-clock leisure.
The annual "Better Life Festival" stitches green shopping stalls to intangible-heritage crafts and sports zones, reviving the canal's historic "prosperity through water" spirit via 8 eco-stations that turn sustainability from a slogan into a daily choice.
With 36 % green cover and sponge-cushioned walkways, the shopping district doubles as a rain sponge, while 3-D night projections powered by solar lights keep the night-time economy buzzing without extra carbon.
Heritage Site Park at the Ancient Government Seat of Luxian County, spanning the Warring States to the Qing dynasties, has become Beijing's first "museum-park". The main exhibition area is designed as a subterranean structure, its roof planted with native grasses that blend seamlessly into the surrounding parkland, creating a "hidden museum" effect that allows the building to vanish into the landscape.
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Express Tribune
6 days ago
- Express Tribune
Ecology above, engineering below
The influencers explored the centre's work and will share their images with global audiences to show how Chinese cities are turning green ideas into living reality. Photo: file Over 50 foreign online influencers, exchange students and photographers visited Beijing Municipal Administrative Centre and explored its work in green buildings, ecological protection, energy innovations and green culture in Tongzhou District of Beijing. Organized by Beijing Tongzhou District Publicity Department and Cyberspace Affairs Office and supported by Global Times Online, the daylong event was titled "A Green Trip Beyond What You See: 2025 4th Chinese and Foreign Online Influencers Visit Beijing Municipal Administrative Center." They visited the Beijing Investment Group Plaza, Heritage Site Park at the Ancient Government Seat of Luxian County, Beijing Bishui Reclaimed Water Plant and Canal West. They explored the centre's work and will share their images with global audiences to show how Chinese cities are turning green ideas into living reality. During the visit to Beijing Investment Group Plaza, they found answers to questions as to how can a building stay functional and beautiful while cutting emissions. Shaped like the traditional bronze ritual vessel called "ding", symbolizes "firmly standing in all directions." The building's roof integrates drainage channels with photovoltaic tubes to gather both rain and sunlight. Its surrounding glass curtain wall automatically adjusts reflectivity based on solar angle, reducing air-conditioning demand. Three floors underground integrate three major systems: renewable energy station, rooftop photovoltaic system, solar water-heating system. The same formula – engineering below, ecology above – powers the Beijing Bishui Reclaimed Water Plant, the first in the Centre to hide all of its hardware underground. All treatment facilities are located underground. Within 23 hours, the wastewater is fully transformed and becomes a replenishing source for the clear waters of the canal, cutting yearly carbon emissions. The centre has already nudged 700,000 residents from passive observers into active green-living participants. The influencers and students visited the Grand Canal, a Unesco world-heritage waterway. A 1.3-kilometre stretch of waterfront on the Canalwest has been transformed into a green living experience zone. An open riverside promenade with viewing decks and water-level plazas offers space for walking and sightseeing. A cluster of "waterfront play zones" hosts cafés, boutiques, sports outlets and night markets, creating round-the-clock leisure. The annual "Better Life Festival" stitches green shopping stalls to intangible-heritage crafts and sports zones, reviving the canal's historic "prosperity through water" spirit via 8 eco-stations that turn sustainability from a slogan into a daily choice. With 36 % green cover and sponge-cushioned walkways, the shopping district doubles as a rain sponge, while 3-D night projections powered by solar lights keep the night-time economy buzzing without extra carbon. Heritage Site Park at the Ancient Government Seat of Luxian County, spanning the Warring States to the Qing dynasties, has become Beijing's first "museum-park". The main exhibition area is designed as a subterranean structure, its roof planted with native grasses that blend seamlessly into the surrounding parkland, creating a "hidden museum" effect that allows the building to vanish into the landscape.
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The language dilemma!
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The key to this approach is ensuring that students become proficient in both languages. English, as a subject, should be integrated early on so that by the time students reach high school, they are not only familiar with the language but comfortable using it to learn complex subjects. In the end, it's not about choosing one language over the other. It's about finding a balance, giving children a strong foundation in their mother tongue while also preparing them for a future where English is a critical skill. The solution lies in a gradual transition, starting with vernacular languages at the elementary level, then slowly incorporating English as a subject. By the time students reach higher education, they'll be ready to thrive in an English-medium environment, equipped with skills. Let's start this journey now.
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48 killed in Russia plane crash
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