Chongming Island, situated at the mouth of the Yangtze River, has a population of around 650,000 and an area of nearly 1,200 square kilometres. It is China's third-largest island after Taiwan and Hainan and is also considered to be Shanghai's "last piece of pristine land". 

There is a general development plan to build Chongming Island into an ecology island and "Sea Garden" before 2020. It is reported that the canal surround the Island is expected to complete before the Lunar New Year.

Under the general plan, Chongming will become a "Sea Garden" by increasing its current forest coverage from 16 per cent to 55 per cent by 2020. Its long-term goal is to build Chongming into an environmentally-friendly island and irrigation work is of key importance in this regard.

Chongming's ecology will mainly consist of forests, lakes, wetlands and farmland. Under the plan, the island's gross domestic product (GDP) per capita is expected to reach around US$20,000 by 2020, equalling or slightly surpassing Shanghai's expected average.

To meet the development of the island, the Shanghai government is planning to build the cross-river Shanghai-Chongming expressway, which will involve construction of one of the country's longest and largest tunnels, according to the city's urban planning authority.

Under the government plan, the expressway, running for 25.5 kilometres, will include an 8.95-kilometre tunnel connecting Shanghai's Pudong District with Changxing Island and a 10.29-kilometre cable-stayed bridge between Changxing and Chongming islands. The expressway will have six lanes, designed for speeds of 100 kilometre per hour.

A highlight in the island's general development plan is that its northern part, close to Jiangsu Province, will be the site of large-scale theme parks and stadiums.

The northern part of the island would be divided into another four areas, with a special function for each, under the government plan.

The eastern part of the island, which boasts the Dongtan wetland, a resting place for birds migrating between Russia's Siberia and Australia, will be reserved as whole as a showcase of the island's ecologically sensitive development.

The central area of the island, currently the location of Chongming Dongping Forest Park, will further expand its forest area and the park will be turned into Shanghai's largest public recreational area.

The southern area of the island, where the Chongming County Government is now based, will be an area for residence, administration and pollution-free industries.

The western part, which includes the 200-hectare Mingzhu Lake (or Bright Pearl Lake), will be built into an international exhibition and convention area.