Built without cement or granite, Shenzhen’s first handmade hiking trail officially opened to the public Saturday, the Shenzhen Special Zone Daily reported.

The hiking trail, located on Meilin Mountain, runs 3.8 kilometers and is surfaced with wood of different shapes and lengths. A total of 26 manual construction methods were used over 75 days.

Zigzag ramps were built in places with relatively steep slopes, and the two sides of the slopes were reinforced with stones of different sizes. In some low-lying places, large stones were laid. There are wooden swings and stakes for children to play with along the way.

Additionally, ditches were dug on the roadside, and many culverts were built out of wood and stone. U-shaped ditches have been dug in some low-lying places, with both sides being fixed with wood and stones being laid at the bottom of the ditches.

“The wood and stones used are all materials that were gathered on the spot. For example, the trees blown down by Typhoon Mangkhut last year. We didn’t use cement or granite,” Chen Weifeng, head of Shenzhen Mofang Outdoor Sports Association, told the Daily. Chen participated in the construction of the hiking trail.

According to Chen, adjustments were made on the gradient and the method for building the hiking trail in accordance with the topography, so as to reduce the knee pain of hikers. Meanwhile, it will have the least impact on the road’s surface to prevent soil erosion.

Shao Zhifang, deputy director of the garden department of the city’s urban administration and law enforcement bureau, said a handmade hiking trail is both built and maintained by hand.

Also, the construction should be carried out according to local conditions and materials, and avoid using machines in order to reduce the impact on the natural environment.

Next, the bureau will map out an overall plan for handmade hiking trails in the city and promote such hiking trails in all districts and Dapeng New Area.