Fenhe River transforms into a flourishing habitat for birds. [Photo/Taiyuan news network]

The Fenhe River Main Stream (Qingxu section) Levee-Top Road and Comprehensive Out-of-Levee Management Project in Taiyuan, capital of North China's Shanxi province, was selected as an exhibit for the China Pavilion at the UIA World Congress of Architects 2026 Barcelona. It is the only representative project from Shanxi to receive this honor.

The project is located in Qingxu county, covering a total length of 19.6 kilometers and an area of 189.82 hectares. Addressing issues such as sparse vegetation and damaged levee-top roads, the project proposed three major innovative management strategies.

First, construct a continuous 19.6-kilometer ecological corridor, improving saline-alkali soil, and re-establishing migratory bird paths. Second, restore agricultural ecological functions and introduce native tree species to build carbon-sequestering vegetation communities. Finally, adhere to a sustainable operation and maintenance model characterized by low human intervention and low maintenance costs.

After five years of continuous management, the project has yielded significant results. The soil pH value saw a maximum decrease of 0.5 units, salinity dropped by 30 percent, plant diversity increased by 115 percent, migratory bird species grew from a dozen to nearly 40, the annual oxygen release reached 15,000 metric tons, and carbon sequestration capacity improved by 200 percent.

The project transformed the river corridor into a complex ecological space that combines rural characteristics with urban recreational functions. The levee-top road was upgraded into an ecological landscape pathway, allowing the riverbanks to once again display a scene of wildflowers swaying and birds singing along the shore.