After four years of implementing a control plan for the construction of Beijing's Municipal Administrative Center in the eastern suburb of Tongzhou district, the development of a greener, more livable, and environmentally friendly sub-center of the city is well underway, brimming with energy and life.

A shining example of these green advancements is the New Everbright Center, a complex real estate project situated in the Canal Business District of the sub-center. This is also a landmark project, emblematic of sustainable development.

From its structure to its materials, the center has been built as a model of green architecture. Wang Qing, director of the Marketing and Operation Department at the New Everbright Center, highlighted that the center employs high light transmittance glass, allowing for more effective utilization of natural light and consequently reducing carbon emissions from indoor lighting.

Wang Qing, director of the Marketing and Operation Department of the New Everbright Center, explains the rainwater collection and infiltration technology adopted for the center on May 30, 2023. [Photo courtesy of VCG]

The center also incorporates rainwater collection and infiltration technology, which aids in recovering over 90% of rainwater and mitigates the risk of urban waterlogging, Wang added.

The China Beijing Green Exchange also resides within the sub-center. Founded in 2008, the exchange was designated by the Beijing municipal government as the city's experimental platform for trading carbon emissions.

The exchange has four main functions: it provides green public services, conducts environment-related rights trading, offers low-carbon development services and green finance services.

For example, it aids in the promotion of new energy vehicles and energy-saving renovations of public buildings, facilitates the trading of carbon emissions and pollution discharge rights, and provides green investment and financing services, thereby contributing significantly to Beijing's low-carbon development and ecological progress.

In the context of new energy vehicles, Beijing Comprehensive Energy Company of State Power Investment Corporation Limited launched hydrogen bus demonstration lines this year in Zhangjiawan design town, a hub for creative design and urban technology in Beijing's sub-center. 

The hydrogen buses all served during the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, according to Yang Jinglun, an employee of the Beijing Comprehensive Energy Company.

Yang noted that refueling these buses merely takes 10 minutes, and they boast a total range of up to 630 kilometers. In contrast to traditional fossil fuel-burning vehicles, hydrogen buses can reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 70 kilograms per 100 kilometers, which is equivalent to the amount of carbon dioxide absorbed by 14 average trees in a year, Yang clarified.

A photo shows a renewable energy power plant in Beijing's Tongzhou district, May 30, 2023. [Photo courtesy of VCG]

In addition to hydrogen, the sub-center is expanding its focus on other renewable energies. The renewable energy power plant project in Tongzhou district, managed by Beijing Green Power Environmental Protection Co., Ltd., a waste treatment company, can handle 2,250 tons of waste daily and 800,000 tons annually, and generate 200 million kilowatt-hours of electricity that are fed into the grid, according to a project team member.

The project saves nearly 100,000 tons of standard coal and reduces carbon dioxide emissions by more than 200,000 tons annually, the team member said. Furthermore, the waste disposal process achieves zero sewage discharge, and its smoke and gas emissions standards surpass those of the European Union.

A man runs in Central Green Forest Park on May 30, 2023. [Photo courtesy of VCG]

Central Green Forest Park, which opened in 2020, is like a green gem embedded within the sub-center. Covering approximately 1,120 hectares, the park boasts a forest coverage exceeding 85% and is home to an assortment of around 166 different plant species. With an ecological buffer zone and an animal migration corridor, the park aims to restore ecological functions and protect biodiversity.

Furthermore, all the park's supporting architecture utilizes ground-source heat pumps for heating and cooling. The rooftop photovoltaic power equipment contributes green power to the buildings, further endorsing the park's commitment to sustainability.