The Jida sea-view section of Jingshan Trail will be opened to visitors by July, six months after a Gongbei segment and three months ahead of the entire mountainside walkway.

Steel structures for the 1,860-m (2,034-yd) sea-view section from Jida Reservoir to City Balcony off Lovers Avenue is 40 percent completed, while that of the 1,640-m (1,794-yd) Banzhang Mt-hugging section from Bailiandong (White Lotus Cave) Park to the reservoir is nearly 1/3rd finished.

Work has commenced on bridge pavement and a lakeside book bar on the sea-view section, while landscaping progresses, according to an executive at Jiuzhou Urban Park, the contractor.

Jingshan Trial snakes along the mountain [Photo by Zhu Xi / Guanhai App]

Different species of ground cover, shrubs, and trees are being planted depending on the geological environment along the sea-view section. For instance, bougainvillea glabra (paperflower), senna bicapsularis, and oleanders will form a tricolor flower belt along a lakeside slope with suitable conditions that follow the main trail.

The construction does not involve large equipment so as to minimize damage on the ecological environment. The passage for small equipment will be later landscaped into a colorful flower belt.

The park-necklace section of Jingshan Trail opened in late January. It spans 1.6 km (1 mile) from New Yuanming Palace to Bailiandong (White Lotus Cave) Park with commanding views of park scenery, Zhuhai and Macao cityscapes, the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, and Gongbei Bay.

When the entire 10.1-km (6-mile) walkway opens in October, visitors will have a "smart" hiking experience for up to four hours. Elevators and cable cars will provide access to the unobstructed trail that rises to 180 m (590 ft).