AS the city sweltered in hot summer, people in Changning found a way to cool off in Zhongshan Park, which is open 24 hours a day after June.

The century-old park, a green oasis in Changning, decided to keep its gates open at night for people to do exercise or have a walk after sundown. It received 192,200 night visits in July, its first month of 24-hour operation.

Ubiquitous lighting and video surveillance systems and regular patrols with sniffer dogs make it safe to visit the park at night. Some people walk through the park at night for a shortcut home.

With more than 30,000 trees in 260 species and a 37,000-square-meter meadow, Zhongshan Park is a pleasant place for a stroll or a workout in the evening. The park management said they counted hundreds of visitors per night from 9pm to 6am in July. The number of joggers peaks around 9pm and 9:30pm. Some enter the park for a shortcut.

The park used to close after 9pm. Now, young people who work overtime can take a shortcut home late at night. “Previously they had to walk around the park by Huayang Road,” said a 76-year-old woman surnamed Guo.

To ensure the safety of night visitors, the park management installed 106 new surveillance cameras to cover every corner. “The 312 cameras transmit real-time images to the security room near Gate 1, which is linked with police,” said Chen Shenhui, deputy general manager of the park.

“If something happens, police from a nearby station will arrive immediately,” he said.

Gate 1 is half-closed at night so that people have to enter the park on the side of the security room, allowing security guards to watch for troublemakers.

Toilets and convenient stores in the park are closed after 9pm and 9:30pm respectively. “We haven’t decided whether to keep them open longer,” said Chen. “Our main concern is to ensure safety in the park.”

There are 18 SOS devices in the park, visible with a flashing red light at night. People can press a button on the yellow devices to call for help. “We haven’t received any distress call yet,” Chen said.

Security guards patrol the park with a sniffer dog regularly until daybreak.

Near midnight, dozens of people are still in the park. “Some of them tried to find a place to sleep, but our guards would persuade them to leave as sleep is prohibited in the park,” Chen said, adding that street vendors and people distributing small ads are also forbidden.

To stay open 24 hours a day means extra work for park workers, the greenery and sanitation department, the police and the authorities of Huayang Sub-district where the park is located.

The Changning Greenery and Sanitation Bureau plans to open more gates to make the park more accessible to people living and working nearby. Eventually, park walls will be demolished to let the park blend with its surroundings.

“We need experts to evaluate the plan before we put it to action,” said Tian Huakun, deputy director of the Changning Greenery and Sanitation Bureau, owner of the park.