Saving urban water

It is a relatively new city on the Chinese landscape, and it had its share of teething problems in its rapid evolution from farmland community to industrial hub. Cang Lide looks at the eco-salvage solutions in Shenzhen.

The Futian River runs through the heart of bustling Shenzhen, a Guangdong city that shares a boundary with Hong Kong and is the province's shining example of urban planning.

A walk along its banks is a refreshing experience. The air is pure and fresh, ionized by rippling brooks and gently splashing waterfall walls. Trees of varied heights break up the skyscraper-defined skyline, and the banks and slopes are landscaped with bushes, flowers and grass, with sections of wetland vegetation nestled in the curves of the river.