Chengdu, capital of Southwest China's Sichuan Province, has long been known for its leisurely and relaxed pace of life.

Proud of its reputation as China's happiest city for many years, Chengdu aims to develop itself into a beautiful, livable and ecologically-friendly city in the near future and a world-famous city with sustainable development by 2050.

Besides pandas and its signature spicy Sichuan cuisine, Chengdu wants to create a new brand for itself - the Tianfu Greenway.

The greenway will feature lush trees, flowers and rivers and will contribute greatly to boosting the city's ecological civilization and green development.

The project is scheduled to complete by 2035. By then, a greenway stretching 16,900 kilometers will cross the whole city covering 14,000 square kilometers, transforming the metropolis into a huge garden.

"Residents will benefit most from the project," said Gao Jing, president of the architectural landscape section of the Sichuan Provincial Architectural Design and Research Institute. "It will leave a permanent green space that can be passed down from generation to generation."

The wetlands, lakes and forests dotted around the city will be connected via the greenway. It will also link urban and rural areas, Gao said.

The Tianfu Greenway will serve multiple functions, including ecological protection, encouraging more people to walk or ride a bike, casual sightseeing, rural revitalization, cultural creativity, sports, agricultural landscaping and emergency shelter.

Zhang Qiao, director of Chengdu Urban and Rural Construction Commission, said the greenway will change the way people travel around the city.

"The greenway is designed to link buses and subways so people can use it to walk to find a station easily before making their longer journeys," Zhang said.

Public service facilities and communities will also be linked by the greenway, he added.

Chengdu's unique culture, such as its close association with pandas and strong links with the ancient kingdom of Shu during the Three Kingdoms period (220-280) will be integrated into the greenway.