Standing on the hill climbing hill in Beilun District, Ningbo City, Zhejiang Province, the scene in front of you is shocking: the 4.01-kilometer international track is built on the mountain flat, the grandstand that can accommodate tens of thousands of spectators is built on the mountain, and 22 curves rise and fall with the mountain, with a height difference of 24 meters.
Formerly known locally as the Bull's Neck mine, the mine was originally a quarry and ceased mining in 2012. "Before the mountain slopes were exposed, the rocks were loose, the ecological environment was poor, and there were still a certain degree of safety hazards." Huang Junfeng, a member of the party group of the Beilun Branch of the Ningbo Municipal Bureau of Natural Resources and Planning, said.
In May 2011, an engineering vehicle at the Bullneck Mine was loading ore. (Courtesy of the interviewee)
In line with the principle of first repair, then transformation, the local area of 46,000 square meters of slope cutting, anchoring rock mass, hanging protective nets, spraying and re-greening and other ecological treatment.
In 2015, the follow-up utilization of the mine was put on the agenda. At that time, Beilun District had initially formed an automobile manufacturing industry chain, began to plan to build a new brand of industrial tourism, and formed a full ecological chain system that could not only build cars, but also play cars. Therefore, the relevant companies proposed to invest in the construction of a racing track.
"For a car with a very low chassis, even the slightest road surface settlement is fatal." Huang Junfeng said that in some places in Ningbo, the land is soft, but the foundations of abandoned mines are relatively hard, which gives the transformation an inherent advantage.
Photographed at the Ningbo International Circuit on February 14, 2018. (Courtesy of the interviewee)
In 2017, The Ningbo International Circuit was completed and opened, and has held 3 international-level events and 19 national-level events so far, with a total audience of more than 300,000 people.
"At present, the circuit has attracted nearly 30 teams." Xie Xiong, executive deputy general manager of Ningbo International Circuit, said.
Han Lichao is a resident team driver. He said that the racing atmosphere in the circuit is strong, the venue is both topographical and very professional, and the difficulty level is enough, which is beneficial to the development and growth of the team and the drivers.
On September 14, 2019, the 2019 Touring Car World Cup (WTCR) China race kicked off at the Ningbo International Circuit. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Huang Zongzhi
Today, in addition to Formula events, the circuit has also expanded cultural tourism projects such as karting, track simulators, racing training, track photography, and car performance shows.
Huang Junfeng said that every step from governance to transformation and operation has brought reference to the transformation and renewal of similar abandoned mines.
Text: Gu Xiaoli
Editor: Qu Ting
Xinhua News Agency