‘Green’ construction for Beijing Winter Olympics

BEIJING’S Yanqing District, one of the three host sites for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, has implemented 54 environmental protection measures during venue construction in a bid to deliver a “Green Winter Olympics.”

Located in the northern suburb of Beijing, more than 70 percent of Yanqing District is mountainous. Alpine skiing, bobsleigh and luge will be held in the district during the Winter Games.

Fifty-four percent of the Olympic infrastructure construction will take place in Yanqing, most of which will need to be finished before the end of 2019.

The venue construction includes the transplanting of trees 800 meters above sea level.

To better protect the trees, experts from Beijing’s Forestry University conducted an ecological survey and worked out a protective transplanting plan, according to Xie Wenzheng, deputy head of Yanqing District.

Finally, 54 environmental protection measures have been carried out before and during the construction.

Xie noted they have built a base for flora off-site conservation and set up management and monitoring system for every transplanted tree. The monitoring data shows the survival rate of transplanted trees in the venue is over 90 percent.

Yanqing plans to build the Winter Olympic Forest Park to better protect and display those transplanted trees, especially rare species, according to Xie.

Construction workers have stripped and preserved more than 70,000 cubic meters of topsoil, which will be used for ecological restoration.

To curb the construction dust and ensure air quality, Yanqing also has implemented 66 “clear sky” measures covering all districts and also set up the first automatic detection station in Beijing for vehicle exhaust.

“The ‘Green Winter Olympics’ means that sticking to the principle of ecological protection is our first priority in the planning and construction process,” Xie added.

“We paid a lot of attention to the survey of natural water systems and ecological diversity, pursuing targeted protection of unique landscapes and the integrity of the surrounding ecology.”