The Pearl River Embankment Project in Pazhou has transformed the Xinzhou area and is being progressively expanded westward to Huangpu Village.
What was formerly a shack-lined stretch of water without direct public access is now an attractive public space. The ramshackle buildings which used to discharge waste directly into the water and protruded from the coastline over the water were demolished in 2019, with the embankment built during 2020 and 2021. Into 2022 it is still under construction.
The embankment has remade the waterfront, with buildings formerly hidden behind others suddenly presented with waterfront views and direct access to a high quality public space.