A walk along Shanghai’s Suzhou Creek was, for much of the 20th century, best undertaken with a handkerchief covered firmly over the nose. Liquid waste from factories poured directly into its waters. For the multi-generational families who lived in the small boats that crowded its waters from bank to bank, it had long doubled as a source of public drinking water and a sewer. Infectious diseases       1     (spread) throughout the area as a result of water pollution.

Suzhou Creek has taken on an entirely new look in recent years. The once-smelly and disease-ridden riverside       2     (make) into a new destination for shopping, strolling and living. It is well-equipped       3     (join) the likes of Paris’s Canal Saint-Martin as an agreeable urban waterfront.

The restoration of Suzhou Creek dates back to 1993,       4     a sewage treatment plant became operational. The plant was able to collect around 1.4 million cubic meters of wastewater within urban areas every day. Since 2002, with the capabilities of the sewage treatment system constantly       5     (upgrade), the main stream of the creek has been cleansed of its black and smelly pollutants. During the past six years, water quality throughout the system has also been greatly improved by the cleanup of over 2,000 river ways       6     the city. Residents were delighted to see duckweed and freshwater fish return to its waters.

Research from the U.N. Environment Program reveals that half of the world’s 500 largest rivers have been seriously depleted or polluted. The comprehensive cleanup project for the 125-kilometer-long Suzhou Creek is an example the world       7     follow, said a report released during the fourth session of the U.N. Environment Assembly in March.

Stage Four of the Suzhou Creek restoration project is in full swing. Its aim is to make the creek’s waterfront       8     (inviting) to the public.       9     this is certainly a noble aim, heritage advocates are worried that traces of Shanghai’s days as a treaty port are getting erased in the process. However, according to the chief designer Michael Grove, “All the historic structures will be preserved and reused, mainly for cultural purposes.” As a model, he points to the successful transition of a disused textile mill into the popular M50 arts district, a warren (道路错综复杂的区域) of contemporary art galleries that lies further up the creek.

That means visitors will still be able to stroll Suzhou Creek from the 1911 Garden Bridge to the 1924 Post Office,     10     (enjoy) a cheerfully dilapidated (年久失修的) part of the metropolis that has, against all odds, retained the essence of old Shanghai. Minus, of course, the stink (恶臭).