Picturesque scenery and coastal sights along Lovers Avenue comprise one of six examples of Guangdong Province "Beautiful Bays in 2021."

The Guangdong Department of Ecology & Environment announced that it based the recent selections on municipal recommendations and expert review. In Zhuhai, Gree Coast Binhai Park, Sea & Sky (Haitian) Rest Station Park, Zhuhai Opera House, Zhuhai Museum & Planning Exhibition Hall, and the Yeli Island landscape project add to the allure of sceneries and cultural flavor of this bay-lined area.

Lovers Avenue runs 44.5 km (27.7 mile) along the west bank of the Lingding Sea and has inter-distributary bays and bays between headlands, as well as others formed by runoff, tidal currents, waves, wind, and five estuaries.

Xianglu Bay & Beach off Central Lovers Avenue with Haibin Park in foreground and Zhuhai Opera House on Yeli Island in background [Photo by Zeng Yao / WeChat account: zhuhaifabu]

Under an overall plan, the city is improving the coastal landscape along the Lovers Avenue through a combination of mountain, sea, bay, and island resources. For instance, 5.1 km (3.17 miles) of beaches along Xianglu, Meili, Lyuyang, and Tangjia bays have been restored. The area of mangrove forest was expanded from 32 hectares (79 acres) to 500 hectares (1,236 acres), while seagrass bed wetlands were protected and ecologically restored.

As another case in point: to reduce pollution, 2,300 m (1.43 miles) of sewage pipelines were built along 23 outlets of the flood discharge channel on the east bank, and another 1,200 m (.75 mile) were built at 26 outlets of the Jishan Flood Discharge Channel. Management of 49 sewage outflows into the sea was strengthened with pipeline installations, pollution source blockage, and maintenance improvements. Lifeguards have been arranged for safety patrols and waste cleaning on beaches and in surrounding sea areas.

The other five chosen Guangdong examples are Shenzhen Bay, Shenzhen Dapeng Bay, Shantou City Qingao Bay, Zhanjiang City Zhanjiang Bay (Chikan to Xiashan section), and Dongguan City Jiaoyi Bay (Dongbao Park).