Safe havens in Beijing

Should a major natural disaster like an earthquake or massive fire hit Beijing, its residents could go to one of the capital's many emergency shelters, with most located in parks.

The capital so far has 32 official outdoor places of refuge, capable of accommodating some 2 million displaced people, according to the latest statistics released by the Beijing Municipal Commission of Urban Planning.

Five of them are located in Chaoyang District, which is home to nearly half of the Beijing Games venues. Chinadaily.com.cn recently visited one of them at Yuandadu Park, one of the shelters closest to the National Stadium, or the Bird's Nest.

At first glance, the park looks like any other one – but hidden in the grass and trees are many contingency facilities.

"The park can swiftly turn into a safe haven for some 253,000 residents in vicinity," explains Xu as she points to a loudspeaker that is disguised as a rock.

Xu adds the refuge has a relief command center equipped with broadcast capability, surveillance networks and communications system.

"With the help of these facilities, people affected could be efficiently accommodated," says Xu as she points to an outdoor lamp installed with a security camera. "The lamp also functions as a monitor, giving information for evacuation routes, relief goods dispatch and personnel management."

Some 10 meters away is a clearing, where a toddler is learning to walk under the guidance of her grandfather. Beside them is a sign, reading "Tent Areas" in both English and Chinese. According to Xu, the park has 39 such flat areas, which could be used for people to put up tents if an earthquake, fire or other catastrophes devastated their homes.

As a pilot project for China's emergency shelters, Yuandadu Park was completed in 2003 and then became a model for the capital's other shelters.

Other Emergency Shelters

The other parks mentioned below have similar facilities to Yuandadu Park, like backup wells, toilets, power generators, and areas for tents. They are located near Olympics venues or where many foreigners live and work.

Taiyanggong Park, Chaoyang District:

Some 5 km southeast of the Bird's Nest, it is about 15 minutes' drive from the Nest to the shelter. With facilities similar to Yuandadu Park, Taiyanggong Park can hold about 110,000 people.

Chaoyang Park, Chaoyang District:

In the north side of Chaoyang Park, where the Olympic Beach Volleyball stadium is located, the area can accommodate up to 153,000 residents. The park is also an ideal safe haven for surrounding office workers in the Central Business District.

Ritan Park, Chaoyang District:

Located in the middle of the capital's embassy district, Ritan Park is the first place for diplomatic staff of nearby embassies to seek shelter in case of disasters.

It can accommodate about 70,000 people.

"Go in and follow the signs, and you'll find all the emergency conveniences," explains Xu Lingling, an official with the capital's first emergency shelter, as she pointing to a dark blue sign at one of the 49 entrances to the park.

About 1.5 km south of the Bird's Nest and Water Cube, Yuandadu Park boasts a comprehensive emergency response system with 11 kinds of facilities, including 12 contingency wells, 13 backup power generators, 39 areas for tents and two helipads.

The shelter, evolving from the city wall ruins of the ancient capital from the Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368), looks like a long gray belt when viewed above. It stretches across six streets, accessible to 28 neighboring communities within 10 to 60 minutes on foot.

Most of the park's emergency facilities are hidden to avoid public apprehension. Makeshift toilets are covered with concrete lids. Contingency wells are hidden under grass or rocks. The pedestals of some statues are hollow, used as storehouses for basic necessities like bottled water, food and blankets.

Mingchengqiang Relics Park:

About 670 meters southeast of the Beijing Railway Station, the City Wall Ruins from the Ming Dynasty are close to the prosperous Wangfujing-Dongdan commercial streets. Visitors during the Beijing Olympic Games are more likely to shop around here.

The shelters in this park have a capacity of 60,000 people.

Haidian Park, Haidian District:

With Zhongguancun Science and Technology Park, or China's Silicon Valley, nearby, Haidian Park is one of the best emergency shelters in Beijing.

It can hold 20,0000 people in case of unexpected disaster.

Planning for the Future

Although Beijing has 32 emergency shelters so far, the city will continue to build more safe havens in the next few years, according to Beijing Municipal Commission of Urban Planning and the Beijing Municipal Seismological Bureau.

"The capital is planning to increase the number of emergency shelters downtown to 100," Yang Guobin, an official with the Beijing Municipal Seismological Bureau told chinadaily.com.cn during an exclusive interview.

"We will add 20 or 30 more shelters each year," Yang added. "Residents will then spend no more than 20 minutes getting to the nearest shelter on foot."

Besides these outdoor shelters, most sports stadiums and Olympic venues are also potential places of refuge for disasters like an earthquake.

"If an earthquake hit Beijing, these venues will be open to the public," said Yang.

Xinhua reported that all Olympic venues in Beijing were not affected by the Sichuan earthquake in May. "The designs of the 31 Olympic venues in Beijing underwent strict seismic appraisals before construction started," said a designer, who declined to be identified.

Beijing has so far more than 30 seismological monitoring stations working around the clock, said Gu Yongxin, spokesman of the Beijing Municipal Seismological Bureau in an interview with Beijing newspaper The First last month.

According to data, Beijing is unlikely to have a major earthquake in the near future, Gu told the First.