A medicinal garden, the biggest one in Beijing, is under
construction in the Beijing Biotechnology and Medical Industrial
Base in the south of the city. Many medicinal plants are to be
planted in the garden. The base is endeavoring to attract
investment from pharmaceutical enterprises at home and aboard.
The garden under construction is estimated to cost a total of 80
million yuan (US$9.7 million).
The garden located in Daxing County, south Beijing, has over 2,000
workers currently working hard in spite of the SARS epidemic. About
30 species of medicinal plants such as Chinese parasol, ginkgo,
eucommia, arborvitae, Chinese wolfberry, Chinese herbaceous peony,
Chinese rose, rose, honeysuckle, and capsule of weeping forsythia
have been planted and constitute the majority of the landscaped
vegetation areas. Plants waving in the breeze send a sweet
fragrance through the air.
The Beijing Biotechnology and Medical Industrial Base is one of
four major industrial bases in the city which were given top
priority by government to promote Beijing's manufacturing industry.
Specialists were invited to design for the industrial base. The
design follows a central theme of blending traditional Chinese
medicinal science with modern garden construction rules while
selecting representative medicinal arbors, shrubs and flowering
trees for overall greenery effect reflecting biotechnology and
medical industry in a street landscape.
Medical trees will be planted along roads with each road having its
own characteristics. They include Gutta-percha trees which can
strengthen bones and nourish the liver and kidneys, Chinese parasol
trees which can reduce high blood pressure and remove rheumatism,
ginkgo trees which can reduce phlegm and stop coughing, haw trees
which can help digestion and reduce high blood pressure, and
Chinese flowering quinces which can take rheumatism out of the
bones. Lilac and other medical trees will also be planted along the
streets. For example, there will be ginkgo trees street stretching
7.4 kilometers from east to west and a plane tree avenue stretching
4.3 kilometers from north to south, according to the designing
scheme.
The landscape construction also blends medicinal shrubs, vegetation
and flowers on the base. For instance, honeysuckle, which can
relieve fever, capsules of weeping forsythia which are honored as
"superb medicine for skin ulcers," Chinese herbaceous peonies which
have the effectiveness of nourishing the blood, regulating
menstrual function, and restraining irascibility, and
chrysanthemums which can calm the liver to improve eyesight
constitute varieties for the gardening landscape.
The Beijing Biotechnology and Medical Industrial Base which is to
be the biggest medicinal garden in Beijing upon its completion, is
now applying for the title of the industrial park with gardening
characteristics. A fund of 30 million yuan (US$3.6 million) has
been invested in its construction this year, and the total
investment will reach 80 million yuan (US$9.7 million).
While building the medicinal garden, the base has attracted
investment from home and aboard via such methods as on-line
business. Leading officials from some domestic renowned
pharmaceutical enterprises such as China National Pharmaceutical
Industry Corp., Anhui Jimin Medicine Tech. Co., Ltd and 999
Enterprise Group have shown their interest in building workshops
there after visiting the base. The Beijing Saisheng Medicine Corp.
has signed an agreement for workshop building.
(China.org.cn by Zhang Tingting, June 2, 2003)