Lishui in East China's Zhejiang province held an offline launch ceremony for an urban design competition – Future Shanshui City • Dwellings in Lishui Mountains – on June 30, local media reported.

The competition is inviting designers from all over the world to create an urban development blueprint for the city. It is being organized by Lishui Municipal People's Government, Lishui Municipal Development and Reform Commission and the Dwellings in Lishui Mountains Project Planning and Construction Leading Group Office.

Wu Xiaodong, mayor of Lishui, delivers a speech at the launching ceremony of the urban design competition, on June 30. [Photo/Lishui Daily]

Wu Xiaodong, mayor of Lishui, said at the ceremony that the competition is an innovative practice of the "Two Mountains" theory, which states lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets.

"I hope this competition will bring together the wisdom of excellent global design teams to draw up a high-level and international design blueprint for Lishui," Wu said.

The competition has set the goal of methodically constructing a Shanshui (literally mountains and waters) city spatial framework as a model for city typology, to create a new Shanshui city lifestyle and explore contemporary, sustainable urban planning strategies.

Since the announcement of the competition on May 20, more than 650 units and individuals in 25 countries including the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, France and Japan have registered.

The competition is currently in the first phase, the concept proposal phase, which runs from May 20 to July 20, and the second phase, the design phase, will be held from August to October.