As it is known to all that the heart symbolizes love. Similarly, the living room symbolizes love as well. Being the first room a guest sees when he enters a department, the living room basically sets the mood of the home and reflects the personality of its owners. It is also a region where family members can spend time together to share opinions, feelings, and jointly create memories. 

The geographic intersection of the administrative boundary of the three provinces - Shanghai, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang, is such a "living room" through which you can get some general ideas about the vibes of this geographic location and the economic vitality of the three adjacent provinces. 

Why and how to build such a "living room"? What functions will it perform and what changes will it bring? Here comes an in-depth report for you to better approach the Yangtze River Delta. 

Get out of the "room" to get together and negotiate with each other

"It is the most crucial part of the Yangtze River Delta Ecology and Greenery Integration Demonstration Zone." On speaking of the "living room", Gao Guanqi, deputy director of the Yangtze River Delta Integration Office of Jiashan County Party Committee, said firmly during the interview.

The demonstration zone includes the Qingpu District in Shanghai, Wujiang District in Jiangsu Province, and Jiashan in Zhejiang Province, covering an area of about 2,300 square kilometers. The "living room" is the core of the demonstration area. And it is centered at the origin of the Yangtze River Delta, which is the geographical intersection of the administrative boundaries of Shanghai, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang, with a total area of about 35 square kilometers.

Duan Jin, a professor at Southeast University and the academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, has proposed the concept of "living room". He has once explained why the primary function of the "living room" is to let the "family members of the Yangtze River Delta" come out from their "private spaces" to discuss cooperations, solve disputes, and to prosper together.

What will the "living room" look like after completion?

Ma Chunlei, deputy Secretary-General of Shanghai Municipal Government, secretary-general of the Yangtze River Delta Integration Demonstration Zone Council and director of the Executive Committee, once said that the "living room" will become a referential model for ecological green development within the demonstration zone, realizing the trans-regional integration of industrial production and humanistic harmony, and striving to be a world-class model for living and civilization in water towns.

In June this year, a master plan of developing the Yangtze River Delta Ecology and Greenery Integration Demonstration Zone from 2019 to 2035 somehow unveils the sketch of this important "living room”.

According to the master plan, the living room will be built into a complex of a cultural center with global influence, and an important showcase to show the culture and art, the development of integration, and the ecological civilization of the Yangtze River Delta. It will also highlight world-class lakes, structure an ecological network of forests and fields, provide more ecological leisure space and higher-quality ecological public goods, and strive to develop a green economy.

The oriental aesthetics of developing urban agglomerations

Nowadays in many cosmopolitan cities, the closer to the city center, the more high-rises. However, in the case of the "living room" of the Yangtze River Delta, the scenario is totally different. 

The general structure of the "living room" is similar to a structure of "outside the city, inside the suburbs". From the center of the "living room", which is also the origin of the Yangtze River Delta, there will be water and land communications linking the villages and towns nearby, and it is quite different from the traditional CBDs in those city centers. In other words, the "living room" somehow resembles a complex cultural center that includes museums, art centers, and ecological parts, and so forth. 

Moreover, the "living room" will also be equipped with a strong industrial chain that includes innovative services, conferences and exhibitions, and so on. 

The idea of constructing such a "living room" fully reflects the oriental aesthetics that emphasizes harmony and mutual prosperity. 

(Compiled by Ye Ke)