"北京大七环"来了 Beijing's 'Seventh Ring Road' opens to traffic

The long-waited expressway(高速公路) to connect(连接) Beijing with 13 nearby cities(城市) officially opened to traffic on August 20, China National Radio reported. As a major project(项目) designed to further integrating the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei area(京津冀地区), the necklace-shaped expressway is expected to play a crucial(关键的) role in easing(缓解) traffic congestion(交通拥堵) and boosting(促进) economic connections(联系) in the region. For example, the expressway will give convenient(便利的) alternatives during the commute(通勤) between Beijing and Zhangjiakou(张家口), the two host cities of the 2022 Winter Olympics. 

Photo via the Economist.

Between 25,000 and 50,000 cars are expected to use(使用) the road per day(每天), significantly lowering the burden(压力) on the fifth and sixth ring roads, largely improving(改善) the quality of the capital's overall transportation network.

The newly completed G95 expressway is 940km long, but only 38km is in Beijing. Another 38km section is in Tianjin and the remaining 890km in Hebei Province. But it is still considered to be a successor to Beijing's already established six ring(六环) roads, and is referred to as the seventh ring road of Beijing.

The "Ode to the Beijing fifth ring road" singers. /Photo via Baidu Baike.

Beijing spent the past few years constructing its symbolic ring-based transport system. There is even a popular song called “Ode to the Beijing fifth ring road(《五环之歌》)” by a pair of Chinese comedians(相声), which jokes about the love-hate relationship Beijingers have with the roads.

As the song goes “aaaa~~~The fifth ring road~~~I wish some day in the future; you will expand to the seventh ring; followed by the eighth ring; and next the ninth ring…”

词汇 Words:

[gāosù gōnglù] 高速公路 expressway
[tōng qín] 通勤 commute
[yōng dǔ] 拥堵 congestion
[yā lì] 压力 burden
[huán] 环 ring
[huǎn jiě] 缓解 ease
[cù jìn] 促进 boost
[gǎi shàn] 改善 improve
[shǐ yòng] 使用 use

重点词汇 Key word:

环 <名词 n.> 

• Ring; loop
  E.g. Yī duì bǎoshí ěrhuán huì ràng zhè jiàn lǐfú gèng chūcǎi。
  一对宝石耳环会让这件礼服更出彩。
  A pair of jewelled earrings will liven up this dress. 

• Soundings
  E.g. Wǒmen xūyào yīgè hépíng de guójì huánjìng。
  我们需要一个和平的国际环境。
  We want a peaceful international environment. 

• Something like a ring
  E.g.Guòqù de jǐ nián lǐ, Běijīng yīzhí zài jiànshè biāozhì xìng de huánxiàn jiāotōng xìtǒng。
  过去的几年里,北京一直在建设标志性的环线交通系统。
  Beijing spent the past few years constructing its symbolic ring-based transport system.

• Link; one part of the whole
  E.g. Zhè shì bùkě quēshǎo de yī huán。
  这是不可缺少的一环。
  This is an indispensable link.