Xiangmei Road international friendship park belt

Stretching 2.4 km with green buffers 10–20 meters wide and a total area of 6.3 hectares, the “Xiangmei Road international friendship park belt threads together six themed gardens.

Anchored by a continuous barrier-free walking path, the belt integrates bilingual signage, shaded urban furniture, children's play facilities, all-age fitness zones, and reserved operational spaces — turning a former marginal planting strip into a destination where residents of every generation can walk, rest, play, and gather.

Yuefu Garden reinterprets Lingnan traditions — screen walls, gable-end brickwork, Guangcai ceramic lattices — with a light, contemporary touch. A crocodile-fish slide, lion-dance drum stations and Lingnan lanterns bring playful energy. Strelitzia, traveler's palms and Pearl Camellias frame the courtyard, layered with perennials for year-round interest.

Flowing Water Garden evokes Russia's Volga River region. White-flowering and silver-foliage species link into a pure, airy expanse. Mosaic art tree pools and 3D-printed Russian-language sculptures dot the grounds.

Fantasy Fairy Tale Forest adopts North America's "New Perennial" planting style. Once-clipped hedges now surrender to free-flowing grassy waves. A starlight promenade threads through dappled woodland canopy.

Mandala Garden pairs a Thai-style pointed pavilion with tropical planting. Elephant-themed play equipment, a Thai boat photo spot and lush palms create a shaded leisure structure.

Chavin Enclosure celebrates Andean art. Inspired by Lima's Parque del Amor and Barcelona's Park Güell, it weaves trencadís mosaic into fluid curves, layered with large-leaved tropicals.

Red Earth Garden anchors in Australian red earth, with Uluru boulders as focal points. Drought-tolerant plants, sandstone terraces, kangaroo slides and an open picnic lawn simulate the humid forests of Australia's east coast.

Xiangmei Road is in a densely populated Futian District — residential land exceeds 80%, serving roughly 191,000 residents — where public space had long been scarce. From morning exercisers to evening runners, from after-school playgroups to weekend family outings — the Xiangmei Road International Friendship Park Belt gives a dense residential community the public space it had long been missing. (Zhang Chanwen)