"It's strange! Only this part of road is of no water on the ground and it is not slippery at all, in such a rainy day!" On August 28, Mr Huang who lived in the city found that part of Songyuan Road’s pavement was unusual. The reporter found out it was the first pilot pavement with water-absorbing capacity designed in an effort to build "a sponge city".

This 100-meter pavement, seemingly no different than other roads, was located near the junction of Songyuan Road and Xingzhong Avenue. Mr Ye, who was in charge of the road construction, said: "Traditional pavements are paved with ordinary floor tiles. So it's easy for them to gather water, get slippery and become the hotbed for mosses. But the surface of this sponge-like pavement is covered by ceramic tiles and the seams are left unfilled so that the pavement can better absorb water.” 

According to Mr Ye, the sponge-like pavement can store 20% - 30% more water, but costs twice more than the ordinary ones.