The city's first "sponge park" opened to the public at Aviation New Town in Jinwan District on Dec 1, 2016, following the Sponge City concept introduced by the Central government as a way of tackling water wastage and flooding.

Developed by Huafa Group, the 100,000 sq m park features a central lawn, forestland, fields, flowers, activity area for the elderly, children's playground, and sports grounds. The park is connected by sidewalks, jogging tracks, bicycle lanes, and parking lots. Basketball and tennis courts, as well as a football field are under construction.

Jinshan Park sponges up water. [Photo by Zhang Zhou / Zhuhai Daily]

Jinshan Park takes its cues from New York City's Central Park. Its greening rate, meaning areas covered with grass and trees, stands at 87.25 percent -- reaching the design objective to become "the green lung of the new town."

The 30,000 sq m central lawn will be used for concerts and such other leisure activities as picnics. The lawn also is a huge sponge that absorbs rainwater that will be held for later use. The park contains well-arranged rainwater gardens and cultivated wetland plants. Huafa even installed permeable pavements with pervious concrete and water-permeable bricks to further carry the Sponge City theme.

Address: Jinshan Avenue, Aviation New Town Core Area, Jinwan District

Buses: 605, 608