Life's a picnic in Guangzhou

New regulations permit visitors to set up tents in local parks to enjoy gatherings

"Hey, come rest and have a drink of water," Cheng Jingqiu shouted to her husband and daughter, who were riding a two-seat bicycle nearby as she placed cakes, dim-sum, fruit and water on a plastic tablecloth on the grass.

Next to the tablecloth was a blue tent they had put up earlier.

"For many people who work hard during the week, it is nice to put up a tent and enjoy beautiful natural scenery and relax in a park on weekends," said the 38-year-old office worker from Guangzhou's downtown Yuexiu district.

Together with her husband and 9-year-old daughter, Cheng went on an outing to the Dafu Mountain Forest Park in the city's Panyu district recently.

"My husband and daughter wanted to go out cycling, and I wanted some fresh air and to relax on the outskirts of the city," Cheng said.

The southern metropolis' forestry and gardening department gave residents permission to set up tents in the first group of 24 designated parks at the beginning of this year, and Cheng's was not the only tent in the park that day.

According to the Guangzhou Bureau of Forestry and Gardening, the number of residents who are coming to parks and setting up tents to enjoy family time, parties and gatherings with friends and colleagues has been on the rise lately, especially on weekends.

Wang Jiayi, who also lives in Yuexiu, said that it was relaxing and pleasant to come to the park and set up a tent to enjoy the greenery on weekends.

She and her husband chatted with her sister and brother-in-law as they sat on small plastic chairs around a simple plastic table beside the tent, enjoying snacks while their children played on the grass in Guangzhou's Luhu Park on one Sunday recently. "We made a reservation for the park two days ago," Wang said. "Permitting residents to set up tents is good news for residents and regular parkgoers."

Zhong Zhe, an executive with the Yuntai Garden administrative center, which is administered by the Baiyun Mountain Scenic Spot, said Yuntai has opened two grassy areas－one covering an area of 4,100 square meters and the other 800 square meters－to residents.

"They can take walks, set up tents and have picnics on the grass," Zhong said.

Meanwhile, the park provides sunshades and other equipment and has designated garbage dumping areas, but flying kites and lighting fires are prohibited.

"We have also increased cleaning and security patrols to ensure all activities are safe," Zhong added.

Feng Li, director of administration for the Guangzhou Pearl River Park, said that it, too, opened grassy areas for tents in January.

Covering an area of about 30,000 square meters in the western part of the park, it is the largest of all such areas in Guangzhou's parks, she said.

In addition to tents, light shows and cultural and entertainment events are also occasionally organized and have been warmly received by residents, Feng said.

The grassy area, which is green all year round, includes pavilions, jogging paths and other facilities.

An official from the Guangzhou Bureau of Forestry and Landscaping said that the move aims to meet the growing public desire to get closer to nature.

As park landscapes have improved, demand from residents and tourists for tours has increased, said the official, who did not want to be named.

"But tents are not allowed to cover an area of more than 5 square meters or stand higher than 150 centimeters," he said.

Smoking, cooking, littering and making loud noises are also prohibited inside tents.

The anonymous official urged local residents to abide by the rules while visiting the parks.

Another unnamed environmental sanitation worker at the Pearl River Park in Guangzhou's Tianhe district said that a growing number of people have been seen setting up tents in the park, particularly on weekends, since the beginning of the year.

"Most are civilized and throw their garbage into the designated trash cans when they leave," she said.

Zhao Yujing contributed to this story.