MORE than half the Huangpu riverfront in downtown Shanghai is now open to the public with continuous walking, running and cycling paths and preserved historic buildings, the city government announced yesterday.

The paths have been created along a 25.29-kilometer riverside section between the Yangpu and Xupu bridges and run through Yangpu, Hongkou, Huangpu and Xuhui districts as well as the Pudong New Area.

The city government plans to open up 45 kilometers of waterfront along the river by the end of the year. Its aim is the creation of a riverside attraction on a par with the Left Bank in Paris and London’s Thames walkways.