After years of planning, three new jogging routes — around the Pearl River, Luhu Lake and Liuxihe National Forest Park — will be ready for runners by the end of the year, according to the Administration of Forestry and Gardening of Guangzhou.
Since an overflow of runners has made it harder to participate in the Guangzhou Marathon, why not instead take a run along some of the city’s fascinating scenic spots?
Route 1: Banks along the Pearl River
Sceneries along the 30-kilometer Pearl River “golden route”, which is a witness to the past, present and future of Guangzhou, can be appreciated while you are jogging. If you want to finely savor the route, you can divide the course into six sections, five kilometers each.
(1) Shamian
In the shadow of more than 150 buildings of European style, the jogging route along Shamian is the most exotic in Guangzhou. If you are tired, you can pause with your jogging pals to enjoy the delicacies in Xiguan or Huangsha aquatic product market.
(2) Binjiang Lu
The sedate Binjiang Lu, enhanced by the gentle sound of the passing river, will render you a fabulous jogging experience. You can also take a turn and enter the north gate of Sun Yat-sen University, jogging around the campus for a few laps. Lucky enough, you may be able to lie on the playground and watch stars.
Yanjiang Lu
White Swan Hotel, Aiqun Dasha, Haizhu Bridge, Haiyin Bridge...Your eyes will be fully occupied with these historic sites when jogging on Yanjiang Lu. However, you’d better take a run on this road in the morning since the traffic is crowded here in the evening.
(4) Ersha Island
The greenways on Ersha Island are fabulous places for bicycling and jogging. After recent reconstruction, the temporary parking lot at the east side of the island was reformed into the largest artistic lawn in the center of Guangzhou. Huacheng Square and Linjiang Dadao are also connected to the island, so the jogging route here will be more smooth.
(5) Linjiang Dadao
Joggers can breathe in the fragrance of flame trees, azalea and crape myrtle jogging along the path on Linjiang Dadao. The jogging path will be established soon, with special guide posts for jogging installed. Then you can jog from Haixinsha Island to the Pazhou Bridge section of Linjiang Dadao, about four kilometers long.
(6) Yuejiang Lu
With the upgrade project of Yuejiang Lu finished by the end of this year, you may be able to “have a race” with the trams by the Pati Cultural Creative Arts Zone. With fewer people here, you can run on Yuejiang Lu at whatever speed you like.
Route 2: Luhu Lake
“The construction of a one-kilometer leisure walking track surrounding the west section of Luhu Lake has been completed and I highly recommend it to the public,” said an official of the Administration of Forestry and Gardening of Guangzhou.
The official pointed out that this walking track connects seven scenic spots, including the west side of Baiyu Bridge, Qing Liang Jie, the fishing area of Luhu Lake, Huxin Island and Zheng Da Fang Yuan. In addition, green belts and service facilities along the track have been improved. From now on, you don’t need to worry that vehicles may cut in the lane when jogging around Luhu Lake.
Route 3: Liuxihe National Forest Park
This May, the Wuzhi Mountain scenic spot in Liuxihe National Forest Park reopened to the public after three years of renovation. A climbing route traversing 20 kilometers with an altitude of one kilometer has been planned, equal to the distance of a half-marathon.
On September 23, in celebration of the reopening of the mountain, 1,000 joggers will be invited to conquer this climbing route. It’s said that the route is composed of an eight-kilometer plank road, a ten-kilometer highway and a two-kilometer section of the No. 1 peak of the Wuzhi Mountain. Are you ready to challenge this spectacular climbing route?
