This is the vast western region.
From the Kunlun Mountains, the Qinling Mountains to the Himalayas, from the Qinghai Tibet Plateau, the Loess Plateau to the the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, from the Yellow River, the Yangtze River to the the Yarlung Zangbo River... covers 12 provinces, autonomous regions and cities, accounting for more than 70% of the country's land area. The western region is distributed with grassland, wetlands, lakes, forests and other important ecological resources, but also faces an extremely fragile ecological environment, which is of great significance to ensure national ecological security and achieve sustainable development.
Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the western region has deeply implemented Xi Jinping's ecological civilization ideology, firmly established and practiced the concept of "green mountains and clear waters are as valuable as mountains of gold and silver", coordinated the promotion of high-quality development and high-level protection, continuously accelerated governance and increased protection, continuously accelerated green development, continuously expanded the green map, and vigorously promoted green industries, gathering a magnificent force to build a strong national ecological security barrier.
From ecological pain to ecological treatment
The Qinling Mountains, which merge the north and south and cover the world, are the central water tower of China, the ancestral lineage of the Chinese nation, and an important symbol of Chinese culture. Protecting the ecological environment of Qinling Mountains is of great and far-reaching significance for ensuring the long-term prosperity of the Chinese nation, achieving the "Two Centenary Goals", and realizing sustainable development. However, there have been attempts to turn this place into a 'private garden', with various illegal villas like scars, eroding the greenery at the foot of the Qinling Mountains.
Under the direct leadership of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, a battle for ecological protection in the Qinling Mountains has begun. Over a thousand illegally built villas have been demolished and transformed into citizen parks and high standard farmland; The measures of systematic mountain management, regulatory protection, planning and management, and intelligent mountain control are continuously implemented and refined; Rare wild animals such as antelopes and giant pandas are frequently captured by infrared cameras
It has been six years since the demolition of illegal villas on the northern foothills of the Qinling Mountains. Visiting the area along the northern foothills of the Qinling Mountains again, one can feel the "green" movement and vitality everywhere. Along the circular mountain road at the foot of Qinling Mountains, there are rest stations for citizens and a variety of picking parks dotted among them. When we arrived at Caijiapo Village, Xuanyi District, Xi'an City, a country music festival was being held at the foot of the mountain. The heroic Qin Opera Opera collided with the vigorous symphony, which was unique.
With a hundred kilometer long ecological, cultural, and economic belt stretching along the northern foothills of the Qinling Mountains in Xi'an, "going to the Qinling Mountains" has become a "must-have" for many Xi'an citizens to relax on weekends.
Not just the Qinling Mountains. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the ecologically fragile western region has launched one battle after another for ecological governance——
The Qilian Mountains in Gansu Province have undergone the "strictest" rectification in history, and a series of ecological restoration projects have helped the local area usher in a change of black, light green, and dark green background colors. The assessment results of Qilian Mountain's ecological environment protection in 2023 were all "excellent";
Yunnan Dianchi Lake, known as the "Pearl of the Plateau," has regained its luster through the implementation of source control and pollution interception, restoration of ecological wetlands, and rectification of illegal constructions along the coast. Now, with clear waves and seagulls soaring high, the pearl is shining again;
The Helan Mountain in Ningxia has completely shut down all coal mines and non coal mines within the protected area. The blue sky and running rock sheep now demonstrate the outstanding achievements of the ecological defense battle in Helan Mountain.
All things have their own harmony to live and their own nourishment to achieve.
My gaze shifted to the northeast of the Qinghai Tibet Plateau, where the winding Yellow River quietly flows through the Ruoergai grassland. Due to the diversion of the Yellow River and the degradation of permafrost, the grasslands along the Yellow River in the area once faced an ecological crisis.
In 2014, the area of desertified land in Ruoergai County, Sichuan Province reached 1.2046 million mu, accounting for 9.9% of the county's grassland area. Local villagers would wrap their faces tightly with headscarves when grazing and passing by.
With the continuous implementation of the restoration and control model of "high mountain willow sand barrier+planting irrigation+grass planting+fertilization+fence closure and management", the trend of local soil erosion has been curbed to a certain extent, and the grassland's ability to supply water sources to the Yellow River continues to improve, continuously building a solid ecological security barrier in the upper reaches of the Yellow River.
The towering plateau red willows tightly grip the sandy soil with their well-developed roots; Groups of tenacious sand control guards, with the perseverance of "scratching iron marks", continue to restore green to the grassland.
Amidst the green mountains and clear waters, a beautiful moment of harmonious integration between individuals and nature is a testament to the relentless exploration of the western region from ecological pain to ecological governance.
We will coordinate the management of mountains, waters, forests, fields, lakes, grasses, and sands, and continue to deepen the battle against pollution prevention and control. The measures for ecological restoration and management in the western region are becoming increasingly scientific. The various paths of governance and restoration that have emerged in the vast western region also inspire the development path of the new era.
Building a solid ecological barrier and constructing an ecological highland
Respect nature, adapt to nature, and protect nature. In recent years, the western region has strengthened ecological environment protection in all aspects, regions, and processes, creating one ecological protection miracle after another.
The Qinghai Tibet Plateau, one of the regions with the richest biodiversity in the world, is home to wild animals such as Tibetan antelopes and black necked cranes. Over 10 major rivers in Asia run from here to the sea. This is the 'Chinese Water Tower', which is also an ecologically fragile area and a sensitive area to global climate change.
The Qiangtang National Nature Reserve in Xizang has an average altitude of more than 5000 meters. In the early morning, Gesanglun Zhu, the head of the Luobu Yujie Management and Maintenance Station in Nima County, set off on his motorcycle with dry food and stepped on the accelerator.
The patrol area covers more than 200 kilometers in a day, and we will record the number and species of wild animals along the way, "Gesanglunzhu said." The ecological environment of Qiangtang is getting better and the variety of wild animals is also increasing. I am genuinely happy
At present, Xizang has 47 nature reserves of all levels and types, with a total area of 412200 square kilometers. The area of land with strong ecological functions such as forests, grasslands, wetlands, and water bodies has increased to 1.0811 million square kilometers.
Building an ecological civilization is not only a matter of public opinion, but also a matter of people's livelihood.
The evening breeze brushes over the source area of the Yellow River, and looking at the scattered starlight rising in front of Zhaling Lake, 37 year old ecological maintenance worker Deqiuojia is lost in memories
Dequejia's home is located in Maduo County, Golog Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai Province. Mado, meaning the source of the Yellow River in Tibetan, is located at the northern foot of Bayan Har Mountain.
Abundant aquatic plants nourish the children of the grassland, but overgrazing has also brought about ecological crises. Once upon a time, 'mice digging sand and entering', their homes were no longer there, and they guarded the source without water to drink... The herders of Sanjiangyuan, who had lived for generations after water and grass, had to relocate to Maqin County, Guoluo Prefecture, hundreds of kilometers away.
De Quejia recalled that although he lived in the city, his fellow villagers still cared about the grassland, 'that is our hometown, the roots of the herdsmen'.
In 2016, the pilot work of Sanjiangyuan National Park was launched, which allowed herders including Dequejia to return to Sanjiangyuan as "guardians of their hometown". At the source of the Yellow River, when are the most black necked cranes? Where are the most fragile grasslands? No one knows better than us herdsmen
Nowadays, there are over 17000 ecological managers like Dequejia, distributed in every corner of the Three Rivers source. In October 2021, the first five national parks in China, including Sanjiangyuan, were officially established.
The latest statistics show that the average proportion of days with good environmental air quality in the Three Rivers Source area is over 99%, and the net increase in water and wetland ecosystem area is 309 square kilometers.
The concept of ecological protection is deeply rooted in people's hearts, the protection measures are more comprehensive, and the effectiveness of protection continues to emerge.
The "Golden City" of Lanzhou is crossed by the Yellow River. By vigorously implementing land greening and strengthening the investigation, monitoring, and tracing of the discharge outlets of the Yellow River's main and tributary rivers, a new picture of the integration of mountains, dew, and green city rivers has attracted a continuous stream of tourists.
Colorful Guizhou, with the "Four Mountains and Eight Waters" outlining the ecological outline of its beautiful mountains and waters, has more than 22000 river and lake chiefs set up locally. It is the first in the country to establish a "five level river and lake chief system", and the gurgling blue water is becoming the "water of happiness" that nourishes Guizhou and benefits the people.
Keerqin Left Wing Back Banner in Tongliao City, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, relying on national key ecological projects such as the construction of the Three-North Shelterbelt Program system, returning farmland to forests, and returning grazing land to grass, has accelerated the greening of Horqin Sandy Land.
Develop in protection, protect in development.
On the Loess Plateau in northern Shaanxi, the construction of the West Extension High speed Railway is underway, with giant bridge piers erected one by one extending into the distance.
I really didn't expect it, it's really rare! "Exclaimed Xu Xuexian, a Hubei native who was the secretary of the Party branch of the West Extension High speed Railway Liangchang of China Railway 11th Bureau Group." It's completely different from what I imagined. The people of northern Shaanxi can turn the Loess Plateau into lush greenery, which reminds us construction workers to cherish this hard won green
Building roads is building happiness for the people, and protecting greenery is also protecting happiness for the people, "said Xu Xuexian.
Accelerate green transformation and build a more beautiful home
The farther we go along the western region, the more we can deeply feel that the green oriented ecological development concept is being accepted by more and more people, and "green" is becoming the key word for industrial development in the western region.
At the foot of Qilian Mountain, entering Julong Ferroalloy Co., Ltd. in Zhangye City, Gansu Province, a row of red slogans came into view: Green environmental protection is an untouchable bottom line.
Deep understanding comes from profound lessons. At the beginning of 2017, the company's ferroalloy production flue gas was exposed for direct discharge without environmental protection facilities, and the company's responsible person was criminally detained. Afterwards, the company invested over ten million yuan to carry out environmental protection renovations. After the renovation, the pollutant emissions are below the standard limit, and the environmental protection technology and processes have reached the industry-leading level.
In order to better respond to environmental policies, this company also completed a flue gas waste heat energy-saving power generation project in August last year, achieving grid connected power generation. Company manager Liu Jianping said that under the background of the "dual carbon" strategy, enterprises in the industry that do not meet environmental protection standards have been forced to shut down, and the market price of high-purity ferrosilicon has risen. The company has seized this opportunity, and in the past two years, the total industrial output value of the enterprise has far exceeded that before the transformation.
From the black smoke of the past to the current green "win-win" situation, Liu Jianping sighed, "Only green can develop
The 'green transformation' of a company also confirms the simple philosophy: people do not disappoint the green mountains, and the green mountains will not disappoint people.
Building a green, low-carbon and circular economy system, improving the mechanism for realizing the value of ecological products... With the deepening of the development concept of innovation, coordination, green, openness and sharing, the driving force for green development in the western region is becoming increasingly powerful.
Chongqing Jinyunshan National Nature Reserve actively promotes the reduction of ecological resources on the mountain and the addition of industries below. Nowadays, a number of ecological industry projects such as the Huanshan cultural tourism and health industry, and characteristic homestay clusters are accelerating their implementation, and the people around Jinyun Mountain are enjoying delicious "ecological rice".
Yibin, Sichuan Province, on the banks of the Jialing River, has abandoned high energy consuming and high polluting enterprises, closed paper mills, and shut down sand dredging sites along the river... bidding farewell to the dilemma of "chemical industry surrounding the river and pollution surrounding the city", Yibin continues to improve the ecological environment along the coastline, restoring the beautiful scenery of clear waters and green mountains on both sides of the river. Multiple economic indicators have increased instead of decreased.
Altay, Xinjiang, with the popularity of "My Altay", the beautiful scenery of Altay is being seen by more and more people, and the relaxed and healing feeling hidden in the mountains and rivers has attracted a surge in tourists.
At the first World Forestry Conference held in Guangxi in 2023, the green and environmental protection industry chain investment projects received 112.9 billion yuan in funding, 347 new projects were signed, and the total investment was nearly 300 billion yuan. The ecological "green content" is helping to enhance the "gold content" of local development.
Transforming rich ecological resources into prosperous green industries, and transforming ecological environmental advantages into ecological agriculture, ecological industry, ecological tourism and other ecological economic advantages, a good ecological environment is increasingly becoming the most universal welfare for people's livelihoods in the western region.
The green road is getting wider and wider, and a large number of strategic emerging industries are flourishing in the western region. New energy vehicles, photovoltaic cells, and other industries have become the new business cards of the western region.
In Shaanxi, the annual output of new energy vehicles has maintained an explosive growth trend of 160% in the past three years, ranking among the top in the country; In Sichuan, a world-class lithium battery industry base is taking shape, and the future outline of the "Lithium Battery Capital" is becoming increasingly clear; In Ningxia, by the end of 2023, the installed capacity of new energy will exceed 36 million kilowatts, and the per capita installed capacity of new energy will reach 5 kilowatts... The western region has built 9 national strategic emerging industry clusters, including new materials, and 5 national advanced manufacturing industry clusters, such as electronic information and aviation.
Follow the path and achieve success.
With high-level protection supporting high-quality development, the road to continuously promote ecological civilization construction in the western region is becoming wider and wider. A beautiful western region with blue sky, green land and clear water is making new contributions to the realization of Chinese path to modernization in which man and nature coexist in harmony.