A 'sponge city' refers to a city where its urban underground water system operates like a sponge to absorb, store, leak and purify rainwater, releasing it for reuse when necessary.

The city of Kunshan, shared its experience of managing water resources at the City Leaders Forum of the 2016 World Water Congress and Exhibition in Brisbane, Australia, on Oct 11.

The biennial international conference, aimed at encouraging a major transformation in water management, invited four cities including Kunshan, Melbourne, and Copenhagen, to share their experiences of water management with experts from over 90 cities around the world.

The story of Kunshan is about how to develop into a 'sponge city', a program proposed by China's central authorities on maximizing the potential of rainwater, as rainfall in Kunshan usually makes its way to the nearest rivers and lakes through the under-developed drainage system, which often leads to flooding during heavy rainfall.

Through international cooperation, 35 green-infrastructure projects have been set up in Kunshan since 2014, covering various different areas like urban public space, water source protection and community landscape.

Yuefeng Island Organic Farm, listed in the first batch of these projects, is an environmentally friendly farm that embodies the idea of organic farming and living a green lifestyle.

Yuefeng Island Organic Farm is an environmentally friendly farm that embodies the idea of organic farming and living a green lifestyle.