BEIJING, Sept. 24 (Xinhua) -- When travellers walk on the streets in downtown Suzhou, a city nicknamed "paradise on earth" in east China, they can spot no chaotic overhead transmission lines now.
Since 2018 when a 3-year long overhead power line renovation program started, 77 percent of the city's overhead power lines alongside its downtown arterial roads had been moved underground to create neat and tidy street scenery there.
With improved urban power line layout, the city better galvanizes its cultural relics preservation together with ancient buildings renovation programs and "clean streets and alleys" actions.
For years, State Grid Suzhou Power Supply Company (State Grid Suzhou), a citywide grid operator, has been aiding Suzhou in strengthening its cultural relics protection through power line renovation schemes.
From 2021, the city launched a new 5-year program to remove the remaining overhead power lines alongside its downtown trunk roads to underground pipe galleries by the year of 2025.
Currently, State Grid Suzhou is cooperating with local authorities in advancing the new power line renovation program and by 2025, 94-plus percent of Suzhou's overhead power lines alongside its downtown arterial roads are expected to be buried underground.
On September 23, Lang Yurui, a project manager with State Grid Suzhou and his colleague walked into the Xiaojia Alley, an ancient alley in Pingjiang Road, a well-preserved historic and cultural block in downtown Suzhou, to prepare a 10-kV transmission line renovation project.
It was extremely hard to renovate the existing power lines, said Pu Junyan, a community official in Pingjiang Road historical block, highlighting that the narrow lanes and busy traffic there meant rather limited space for power line renovation.
With one plan for one street and off-peak and segmented construction, State Grid Suzhou managed to avoid repeated damages to local road surfaces and excessive interruption of resident trips.
Apart from the cleaner vision thanks to renovated power line layout, State Grid Suzhou also made lots of efforts to integrate the idyllic Suzhou scenery style with exterior design of local power facilities to better protect the city scenery.
Near the Daru Alley where overhead power lines have been removed, there are now no transmission lines and power poles but three low voltage cable boxes which are painted with Suzhou-style architecture drawings.
Through tailored plans for power facilities in popular scenic spots and key national and provincial cultural relics, State Grid Suzhou changed these power facilities into small scenic facilities, introduced Zhu Xiaoming, a staff with State Grid Suzhou.
Since the start of this year, the company has completed beautification of all the power facilities surrounding key scenic areas such as Ouyuan Garden, Lion Grove Garden and Suzhou Museum in the city.
Nowadays, power is not only enabling the economic and daily life of local people in Suzhou, but also renewing the visual experience of the city located in eastern China's Jiangsu Province.
(Edited by Duan Jing with Xinhua Silk Road, duanjing@xinhua.org)
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