Another 24 local parks will open to the public free of charge this year, bringing the number of free parks in the city to 120, said the Shanghai Greenery Bureau.

The bureau also announced that construction will begin on a botanic garden covering 210 hectares, equalling to 7 Yanzhong Greenlands, in Songjiang District this year.

Meanwhile, the city will build 2,100 hectares of greenlands this year, and the per capita greenland will amount to 11 square meters, the bureau said.

(Shanghai Daily January 10, 2005)