The park-necklace section of the Banzhang Mt-hugging trail in Gongbei and Jida, also known as China's first "smart" hiking trail, will open to registered visitors for free by month's end.

Spanning 1.6 km (1 mile) from New Yuanming Palace in the Gongbei Lanpu Community to Bailiandong (White Lotus Cave) Park in Jida, the east-west Jingshan Trial section has commanding views of park scenery, Zhuhai and Macao cityscapes, the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, and Gongbei Bay.

Entrances to the park-necklace section are at New Yuanming Palace, Bailiandong (White Lotus Cave) Park, and Banzhang Mt Forest Park. Public transport is the best choice until a parking lot for 4,000 vehicles is completed.

Jingshan Trial [Photo by Chen Jiazhe / WeChat account: zhuhaifabu]

Visitors must register in advance at the trail's "intelligent machines" via cellphone or facial recognition to get customized information about walking duration, distance, speed, calories burned, facial temperature, posture suggestions, and rankings. There will be comparisons with others, but also with oneself at each machine consultation.

In addition, environmentally friendly benches will use solar panels for lighting and charging services, and trash cans will detect cigarette butts and warn of full loads. Visitors can access Wi-Fi and connect with built-in Bluetooth speakers to play music. "Smart" audio navigation and toilets will be available later.

Dazzling lights along a Xinzhao Corridor will vary in color as they are passed by at night. Both the lights and shadows of the landscape corridor will interact with people in time to the music.

Open hours are 6 am to 10 pm and number of daily visitors will be capped at 1,000 during the initial stage. Make a reservation at WeChat account gh_4e2dd2df8447 and agree to body temperature measurement.

Mountain-hugging and sea-view sections of the Jingshan Trial will be ready by the end of this year. By then, the entire 10.1-km (6-mile) walkway will be a four-hour walk. En route are New Yuanming Palace, Macao Return Memorial and Bailiandong (White Lotus Cave) parks, Jida Reservoir, Jingshan Park, and City Balcony. Elevators and cable cars will provide access to the unobstructed trail that rises up to 180 m (590 ft).