Rooftop gardens add pastoral touch to Beijing

November 27, 2013 -- About three km from the Forbidden City, the heart of China's capital, a small vegetable garden has just entered growing season.

Vegetable seedlings are starting to sprout on the roof of an old building in one of the city's ancient courtyard neighborhoods.

"I grow more than 20 kinds of fruits and vegetables in my rooftop garden," said Zhang Guichun, a 56-year-old Beijing native.

His garden's prime growing season will begin in June, when cucumber vines will creep over the frames he's built on the rooftop, giving him shade to rest in during the summer and ripe fruit in early fall.

Zhang's garden also features a small fish pond and several birdcages.

"When the weather becomes warmer, I'll put a couple of red carp in the pond and move my birds into the cages," Zhang said.

The idea of building the rooftop garden occurred to Zhang in 2007, when he heard that a real estate developer was planning to demolish the two-story building he was living in.

Although the developer's plans failed to fully materialize, part of the building's second floor did end up getting removed, leaving an empty and flat area full of rubble.

"I thought it was a waste of space and looked very ugly," Zhang said.

Zhang was a fan of playing online games at the time, particularly one game that allowed him to build his own "virtual garden." The game inspired him to create a garden to beautify the demolished rooftop.

"I thought, 'why not?' I could have a real vegetable garden on that deserted roof," he said.

It took Zhang a while to bring his garden to fruition, as he was not particularly experienced with real-life gardening. For the first two years, his plants bore little fruit.

"One year, I harvested watermelons the size of a ping-pong ball," Zhang said mockingly. "My neighbors laughed at me and tried to persuade me to give up my plan."

But Zhang made a breakthrough by developing his own fertilizer recipe. He also consulted vegetable farmers from Beijing's suburbs in order to figure out how to make his garden grow.

Zhang's hard work paid off in his third year of gardening, when he produced a good harvest that surprised both him and his neighbors. Several of his neighbors were even inspired to start their own rooftop vegetable gardens.

Zhang's gardening prowess was subsequently highlighted in the China Central Television documentary "A Bite of China," with film crews visiting his garden to document his efforts.

After an episode featuring Zhang's garden was aired, he began to receive large numbers of visitors clamoring to learn about his techniques.

"People from across the country visited me to learn the 'secret' of growing plants on the roof," Zhang said.

"I had always longed to have a vegetable garden of my own," Zhang said, "I'm very glad that my dream come true and that I was able to inspire others to fulfill theirs."

The Beijing Rooftop Landscaping Association, established in 2006, said the city has 1.3 million square meters of "green roofing," with some of the area employed for growing produce and other areas that serve purely ornamental purposes.

"The majority of people still have doubts about the feasibility of rooftop landscaping," said Tan Tianying, head of the association.

Although rooftop landscaping could serve to reduce some of the city's oppressive smog, the government has yet to recognize it as a pollution countermeasure, Tan said.

There are also safety worries, as some are concerned about potential water leaks.

"Examples such as Zhang's garden are very good for opening people's minds and improving awareness," Tan said.

The association is working to provide technical training for people who are interested in rooftop gardening and drafting regulations that can promote the hobby, Tan said, adding that he hopes the government will offer more financial support.