{"page":"\u003clink rel=\"stylesheet\" href=\"https://lessonplanet.com/assets/packs/css/resources-c03aa079.css\" /\u003e\n\u003clink rel=\"stylesheet\" href=\"https://lessonplanet.com/assets/packs/css/lp_boclips_stylesheets-517835be.css\" media=\"all\" /\u003e\n\u003cdiv data-title='Rooftop gardening revolution in Beijing' data-url='/boclips/videos/5c54c2a0d8eafeecae15b1a9' data-video-url='/boclips/videos/5c54c2a0d8eafeecae15b1a9' id='bo_player_modal'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='boclips-resource-page modal-dialog panel-container'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='react-notifications-root'\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-header'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-type'\u003e\n\u003ci aria-hidden='true' class='fai fa-regular fa-circle-play'\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\nVideo\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003ch1 class='rp-title' id='video-title'\u003e\nRooftop gardening revolution in Beijing\n\u003c/h1\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-actions'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='mr-1'\u003e\n\u003ca class=\"btn btn-success\" data-posthog-event=\"Signup: LP Signup Activity\" data-posthog-location=\"body_link_boclips\" data-remote=\"true\" href=\"/subscription/new\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan\u003eGet Free Access\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003e for 10 Days\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e!\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-body'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-info'\u003e\n\u003cdiv aria-label='Hide resource details' class='rp-hide-info' role='button' tabindex='0'\u003e\u0026times;\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003ci aria-label='Expand resource details' class='rp-expand-info fai fa-solid fa-up-right-and-down-left-from-center' role='button' tabindex='0'\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\n\u003ci aria-label='Compress resource details' class='rp-compress-info fai fa-solid fa-down-left-and-up-right-to-center' role='button' tabindex='0'\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-rating'\u003e\n\u003cspan class='resource-pool'\u003e\n\u003cspan class='pool-label'\u003ePublisher:\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003cspan class='pool-name'\u003e\n\u003cspan class='text'\u003e\u003ca data-publisher-id=\"30356011\" href=\"/search?publisher_ids%5B%5D=30356011\"\u003eCurated Video\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-description'\u003e\n\u003cspan class='short-description'\u003eThe hanging gardens, not of Babylon but Beijing.Every morning, Zhang Guichun starts his day taking care of his vegetables and plants in his rooftop garden.The 56-year-old has astonished the local community with his organic \"hanging...\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003cspan class='full-description hide'\u003eThe hanging gardens, not of Babylon but Beijing.\u003cbr/\u003eEvery morning, Zhang Guichun starts his day taking care of his vegetables and plants in his rooftop garden.\u003cbr/\u003eThe 56-year-old has astonished the local community with his organic \"hanging garden\" on the roof his traditional courtyard home in southern Beijing.\u003cbr/\u003eHis 80-square-meters of rooftop is home to some 30 varieties of vegetable and fruit, including pumpkins, tomatoes, cucumbers, sweet bell peppers and melons.\u003cbr/\u003e\"This is my hanging garden. Look, this is my small world. I want to have all kinds of vegetables around my garden, and that would be really attractive,\" says Zhang.\u003cbr/\u003eZhang started planting vegetables in 2007 on the roof of his two-floor courtyard home, which is two miles away from the Temple of Heaven in southern Beijing.\u003cbr/\u003eHe says he didn't want to plant vegetables to eat, instead, he wanted to make the garden a place for neighbours to have fun together.\u003cbr/\u003eZhang is a traditional Chinese medicine practitioner and after about three years of testing he developed his own fertilizer recipe based on his knowledge of traditional Chinese medicine.\u003cbr/\u003eHis \"organic fertilizer \" helps his vegetables grow and Zhang is very proud of his chemical-free garden.\u003cbr/\u003e\"My garden is totally free of chemicals and fertilizers. It is organic, and I use Chinese traditional medicine to help vegetables grow, this is genuinely healthy and organic,\" Zhang says.\u003cbr/\u003eZhang has applied for a patent for his \"organic fertilizer\" with traditional Chinese medicine as an ingredient, and he is hoping to get a certificate \"very soon\".\u003cbr/\u003eZhang quickly became a \"celebrity\" in his neighborhood after his rooftop garden had a bumper harvest and several of his neighbours were even inspired to start their own rooftop vegetable gardens.\u003cbr/\u003eBut there aren't many residents creating gardens up to Zhang's high-standards.\u003cbr/\u003eStill, as rooftop gardening gets more popular in the city, some commercial buildings are also joining the green-fingered revolution.\u003cbr/\u003eHongqiao Pearl Market is one of the most famous tourist markets in southern Beijing, and the building managers are turning their rooftop into a garden.\u003cbr/\u003ePlants and flowers are grown on the rooftop garden, which is open to tourists and customers of the market.\u003cbr/\u003eTan Tianying is the head of Beijing's Rooftop Landscaping Association.\u003cbr/\u003eEstablished in 2006, the semi-governmental organisation provides technical training for people who are interested in rooftop gardening and drafts regulations that can promote the hobby.\u003cbr/\u003eTan believes rooftop gardening is an effective weapon to protect Beijing's worsening environment:\u003cbr/\u003e\"As the urbanisation and industrialisation goes faster, cities get more polluted and warmer, and rooftop landscaping is part of charity efforts to protect the environment in cities, and it is an efficient measure to curb the worsening environment,\" .\u003cbr/\u003eBeijing has seen new waves of heavy pollution and unprecedented heat waves in recent years.\u003cbr/\u003eThe choking exhaust gasses from 2.5 millions cars are a major contributor to the worsening environment.\u003cbr/\u003eTian says going green on the rooftops is the most effective tool to protect the environment in Bejing and the government has been very supportive in promoting rooftop landsclaping in recent years, however, his association faces big difficulties in promoting rooftop gardening in Beijing.\u003cbr/\u003eMajor doubts about rooftop gardens range from a lack of horticultural knowledge to safety fears.\u003cbr/\u003e\"Rooftop landscaping is limited on rooftops, and not many people know this. People who do rooftop gardening know the beauty of it, but those who don't know rooftop gardening have a lot of doubts. We often have people come to us and ask what if there is water leakage, what if these vegetables can't survive on rooftops, what about the safety problem and so onďż˝ We faced all kind of doubts since the very beginning, and the skepticism remains there until now,\" Tan says.\u003cbr/\u003eStatistics from the association says Beijing has 1.3 million square metres of \"green roofs\" with some of the area employed for growing produce and other areas for purely ornamental purposes.\u003cbr/\u003eHowever the percentage is still too low.  \u003cbr/\u003eCity planners in Beijing hope to increase the green rooftop area by 10 percent every year, Tan says \u003cbr/\u003eThe city government has come up with policies to encourage residents including providing subsidies and free technical support.\u003cbr/\u003eAP Television\u003cbr/\u003eBeijing, China - July 22, 2013\u003cbr/\u003e1. Wide of Beijing resident Zhang Guichun walking into his rooftop garden\u003cbr/\u003e2. Medium of Zhang taking care of plants in rooftop garden\u003cbr/\u003e3. Close of Zhang\u003cbr/\u003e4. Close of soil and plant\u003cbr/\u003e5. Close of fish swimming in pool at corner of rooftop garden\u003cbr/\u003e6. Wide, tilt up to Zhang walking by pool\u003cbr/\u003e7. Close of Zhang cutting plants\u003cbr/\u003e8. Wide of Zhang taking care of vegetables he planted in rooftop garden\u003cbr/\u003e9. Close of Zhang checking pumpkins in his garden\u003cbr/\u003e10. Close, pan of pumpkins \u003cbr/\u003e11.  SOUNDBITE(Mandarin), Zhang Guichun, Rooftop Garden Owner in Beijing:\u003cbr/\u003e\"This is my hanging garden. Look, this is my small world. I want to have all kinds of vegetables around my garden, and that would be really attractive. Actually, I didn't start planting all these vegetables in my rooftop garden in order to eat them. It was just part of my leisure activities, and I wanted to make it a nice place for neighbours to gather around for fun, which is good for a friendly relationship among neighbours.\"\u003cbr/\u003e12. Wide of neighbourhood, pan to Zhang's rooftop garden \u003cbr/\u003e13. Wide of shelf and vegetables in rooftop garden\u003cbr/\u003e14. Close of pumpkins in rooftop garden\u003cbr/\u003e15. Wide, pan of plants and vegetables in garden\u003cbr/\u003e16. Close of tomato \u003cbr/\u003e17. Close of flowers of plants \u003cbr/\u003e18. SOUNDBITE: (Mandarin) Zhang Guichun, Rooftop Gardener\u003cbr/\u003e\"My garden is totally free of chemicals and fertilizers. It is organic, and I use Chinese traditional medicine to help vegetables grow, this is genuinely healthy and organic. Food safety is a big concern of ordinary people nowadays and after my neighbours knew my garden, they all came by to visit and then started planting vegetables in their own rooftops.\"\u003cbr/\u003e19. Wide of ally in southern Beijing, tilt up to wide of house with plants and vegetables on rooftop\u003cbr/\u003e20. Medium of rooftop garden\u003cbr/\u003e21. Wide of neighborhood with rooftop gardens\u003cbr/\u003eBeijing, China - July 24, 2013\u003cbr/\u003e22. Wide of Hongqiao Pearl Market building with traffic nearby\u003cbr/\u003e23. Medium of rooftop garden with plants\u003cbr/\u003e24. Wide, pan of rooftop garden in building\u003cbr/\u003e25. Medium of workers taking care of plants\u003cbr/\u003e26. Close of flower in garden\u003cbr/\u003e27. Close of head of Beijing Rooftop Landscaping Association Tan Tianying walking in garden\u003cbr/\u003e28. Wide of Tan walking in rooftop garden\u003cbr/\u003e29. SOUNDIBTE: (Mandarin) Tan Tianying, head of Beijing Rooftop Landscaping Association\u003cbr/\u003e\"Many countries are paying a lot of importance to rooftop landscaping. As the urbanization and industrialization goes faster, cities get more polluted and warmer, and rooftop landscaping is part of charity efforts to protect the environment in cities, and it is an efficient measure to curb the worsening environment.\"\u003cbr/\u003eBeijing, China - July 28, 2013\u003cbr/\u003e30.  Wide of traffic and buildings in central Beijing\u003cbr/\u003e31.  Medium of buildings with wall of glass\u003cbr/\u003e32.  Close of wall of glass reflecting sunlight\u003cbr/\u003e33.  Medium of cars on street\u003cbr/\u003e34.  Wide of heavy traffic on street\u003cbr/\u003eBeijing, China - July 24, 2013\u003cbr/\u003e35. SOUNDIBTE: (Mandarin) Tan Tianying, Head of Beijing Rooftop Landscaping Association:\u003cbr/\u003e\"We encourage everyone to get involved to promote rooftop landscaping, and we've made some progress so far. But rooftop landscaping is limited on rooftops, and not many people know this. People who do rooftop gardening know the beauty of it, but those who don't know rooftop gardening have a lot of doubts. We often have people come to us and ask what if there is water leakage, what if these vegetables can't survive on rooftops, what about the safety problem and so onďż˝ We faced all kind of doubts since the very beginning, and the skepticism remains there until now. \"\u003cbr/\u003eBeijing, China - July 22, 2013\u003cbr/\u003e36. Wide of rooftop garden owner Zhang Guichun watering his vegetables \u003cbr/\u003e37. Wide of Zhang watering\u003cbr/\u003e38. Close of Zhang\u003cbr/\u003e39. Medium of pumpkins hanging in rooftop garden\u003cbr/\u003eThere's a rooftop revolution in Beijing, with ambitious gardeners using every inch of high-rise space to create tranquil hanging gardens.\u003cbr/\u003eThe city planners are encouraging residents to go green in an effort to help allieviated Beijing's ever-present pollution\u003cbr/\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='action-container flex justify-between'\u003e\n\u003cbutton aria-expanded='false' aria-label='Read more description' class='rp-full-description' type='button'\u003e\n\u003ci class='fai fa-solid fa-align-left'\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\n\u003cspan id='read_more'\u003eRead More\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003c/button\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-report'\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv aria-labelledby='resource-details-heading' class='rp-info-section'\u003e\n\u003ch2 class='title' id='resource-details-heading'\u003eResource Details\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-resource-details clearfix'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='detail'\u003e\n\u003cdl\u003e\n\u003cdt\u003eCurator Rating\u003c/dt\u003e\n\u003cdd\u003e\u003cspan class=\"star-rating\" aria-label=\"3.5 out of 5 stars\" role=\"img\"\u003e\u003ci class=\"fa-solid fa-star text-action\" aria-hidden=\"true\"\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\u003ci class=\"fa-solid fa-star text-action\" aria-hidden=\"true\"\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\u003ci class=\"fa-solid fa-star text-action\" aria-hidden=\"true\"\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\u003ci class=\"fa-solid fa-star-half-stroke text-action\" aria-hidden=\"true\"\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\u003ci class=\"fa-regular fa-star text-action\" aria-hidden=\"true\"\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/dd\u003e\n\u003c/dl\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='detail'\u003e\n\u003cdl\u003e\n\u003cdt class=\"educator-rating-title\"\u003eEducator Rating\u003c/dt\u003e\u003cdd\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"educator-rating-details\" data-path=\"/educator_ratings/rrp_data?resourceable_id=873531\u0026amp;resourceable_type=Boclips%3A%3AVideoMetadata\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"not-yet-rated\"\u003eNot yet Rated\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/dd\u003e\n\u003c/dl\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='detail'\u003e\n\u003cdl\u003e\n\u003cdt\u003eGrade\u003c/dt\u003e\u003cdd title=\"Grade\"\u003eHigher Ed\u003c/dd\u003e\n\u003c/dl\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='detail'\u003e\n\u003cdl\u003e\n\u003cdt\u003eSubjects\u003c/dt\u003e\u003cdd\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003ca href=\"/search?grade_ids%5B%5D=259\u0026amp;search_tab_id=1\u0026amp;subject_ids%5B%5D=1216220\"\u003eAll Subjects\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/dd\u003e\n\u003c/dl\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='detail'\u003e\n\u003cdl\u003e\n\u003cdt\u003eMedia Type\u003c/dt\u003e\u003cdd\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003ca href=\"/search?grade_ids%5B%5D=259\u0026amp;search_tab_id=2\u0026amp;type_ids%5B%5D=4543650\"\u003eNews Clips\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/dd\u003e\n\u003c/dl\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='detail'\u003e\n\u003cdl\u003e\n\u003cdt\u003eSource:\u003c/dt\u003e\n\u003cdd\u003e\u003c/dd\u003e\n\u003c/dl\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='detail'\u003e\n\u003cdl\u003e\n\u003cdt\u003eDate\u003c/dt\u003e\n\u003cdd\u003e2013\u003c/dd\u003e\n\u003c/dl\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='detail'\u003e\n\u003cdl\u003e\n\u003ci aria-hidden='true' class='fai fa-solid fa-language'\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\n\n\u003c/dl\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='detail'\u003e\n\u003cdl\u003e\n\u003cdt\u003eAudiences\u003c/dt\u003e\u003cdd\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003ca href=\"/search?audience_ids%5B%5D=371079\u0026amp;grade_ids%5B%5D=259\u0026amp;search_tab_id=1\"\u003eFor Teacher Use\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/dd\u003e\u003cdd class=\"text-muted\"\u003e\u003ci class=\"fa-solid fa-lock mr5\"\u003e\u003c/i\u003e2 more...\u003c/dd\u003e\n\u003c/dl\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='detail'\u003e\n\u003cdl\u003e\n\n\u003c/dl\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv aria-labelledby='concepts-heading' class='rp-info-section'\u003e\n\u003ch2 class='title' id='concepts-heading'\u003eConcepts\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='clearfix'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='details-list concepts' data-identifier='Boclips::VideoDecorator' data-type='concepts'\u003easia, business, pollution, east asia, beijing, urban planning, gardening, community gardens, china, hobbies\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='concepts-toggle-buttons' data-identifier='Boclips::VideoDecorator'\u003e\n\u003cbutton aria-expanded='false' class='more btn-link' type='button'\u003e\n\u003cspan\u003eShow More\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003ci aria-hidden='true' class='fa-solid fa-caret-down ml5'\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\n\u003c/button\u003e\n\u003cbutton aria-expanded='true' class='less btn-link' style='display: none;' type='button'\u003e\n\u003cspan\u003eShow Less\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003ci aria-hidden='true' class='fa-solid fa-caret-up ml5'\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\n\u003c/button\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv aria-labelledby='additional-tags-heading' class='rp-info-section'\u003e\n\u003ch2 class='title' id='additional-tags-heading'\u003eAdditional Tags\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='clearfix'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='details-list keyterms' data-identifier='Boclips::VideoDecorator' data-type='keyterms'\u003eflower gardening, green building, home and garden, products and services, health, product safety, greater china, diagnosis and treatment, corporate news, environmental conservation and preservation, environment, green roofs, recreation and leisure, eco-friendly practices, rooftop gardening, traditional chinese medicine, alternative medicine, environmental concerns, environment and nature, lifestyle, vegetable gardening, government and politics\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='keyterms-toggle-buttons' data-identifier='Boclips::VideoDecorator'\u003e\n\u003cbutton aria-expanded='false' class='more btn-link' type='button'\u003e\n\u003cspan\u003eShow More\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003ci aria-hidden='true' class='fa-solid fa-caret-down ml5'\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\n\u003c/button\u003e\n\u003cbutton aria-expanded='true' class='less btn-link' style='display: none;' type='button'\u003e\n\u003cspan\u003eShow Less\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003ci aria-hidden='true' class='fa-solid fa-caret-up ml5'\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\n\u003c/button\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv aria-labelledby='educator-ratings-heading' class='rp-info-section'\u003e\n\u003ch2 class='title sr-only' id='educator-ratings-heading'\u003eEducator Ratings\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"educator-ratings-root\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv id=\"all-educator-ratings-root\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv id=\"educator-rating-form-root\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-resource'\u003e\n\u003cdiv aria-label='Show resource details' class='rp-show-info' role='button' tabindex='0'\u003e\n\u003ci class='fai fa-solid fa-align-left'\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\nShow resource details\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv aria-label='Video player' class='player' id='player-wrapper' role='region'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='relative container mx-auto' id='lp-boclips-visitor-thumbnail'\u003e\n\u003ca class=\"block\" data-html=\"true\" data-placement=\"bottom\" data-trigger=\"click\" data-content=\"\u003cdiv class=\u0026quot;text-center py-2\u0026quot;\u003e\u003ca class=\u0026quot;bold\u0026quot; href=\u0026quot;/auth/users/sign_in\u0026quot;\u003eSign in\u003c/a\u003e or \u003ca class=\u0026quot;bold text-danger\u0026quot; data-posthog-event=\u0026quot;Signup: LP Signup Activity\u0026quot; data-posthog-location=\u0026quot;body_link_boclips\u0026quot; data-remote=\u0026quot;true\u0026quot; href=\u0026quot;/subscription/new\u0026quot;\u003eJoin Now\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\" data-title=\"Get Full Access\" data-container=\"body\" rel=\"popover\" tabindex=\"0\" aria-label=\"Play video: Rooftop gardening revolution in Beijing\" href=\"/subscription/new\"\u003e\u003cimg class=\"resource-img img-thumbnail img-responsive z-10 lp-boclips-thumbnail w-full h-full lozad\" alt=\"Rooftop gardening revolution in Beijing\" title=\"Rooftop gardening revolution in Beijing\" onError=\"handleImageNotLoadedError(this)\" data-default-image=\"https://static.lp.lexp.cloud/images/attachment_defaults/resource/large/missing.png\" data-src=\"https://static.lp.lexp.cloud/images/attachment_defaults/resource/large/missing.png\" width=\"315\" height=\"220\" src=\"data:image/png;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAD/ACwAAAAAAQABAAACADs\" /\u003e\n\u003cspan aria-hidden='true' class='flex justify-center items-center bg-white rounded-full w-16 h-16 absolute top-1/2 left-1/2 -mt-8 -ml-8 cursor-pointer z-0 border-2 border-primary drop-shadow-md lp-boclips-thumbnail-playBtn'\u003e\n\u003ci class='fa-solid fa-play text-primary text-3xl ml-1 drop-shadow-xl'\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\n\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n"}