2 | Wednesday, November 4, 2020 HONG KONG EDITION | CHINA DAILY PAGE TWO Sanming: Tourism industry thriving

A bird’s­eye view of Sanming, Fujian province, including the Fujian Sangang Group steel plant (center). ZHENG YULIN / XINHUA

From page 1 During his later tenure in Zhejiang province, Xi continued to With tourists crowding the local stress that “green mountains and roads when the lotus plants bloom, lucid waters are invaluable assets”, Zhu and his fellow villagers have with the concept becoming well­ been able to sell their produce at known and summarized as the “Two much higher prices than in previous Mountains Theory”. years. The concept was set out in Xi’s “The government has repaved the report to the 19th National Congress roads and built new public facilities of the Communist Party of China in to accommodate the influx of tour­ 2017 to guide nationwide environ­ ists. We have deeply appreciate the mental and ecological protection words ‘green mountains and lucid campaigns. waters are invaluable assets’.” Liu Xiaoyan, head of the Sanming Zhu’s family is just one of many in forestry bureau, said Xi’s vision Sanming to benefit directly in played a significant role in pushing recent years from the campaign to forward reform of the city’s forestry Tourists learn to process lotus seeds while visiting Xiuzhu bolster local ecology and the envi­ sector, a key element of protecting village. SONG WEIWEI / XINHUA ronment. the local environment and ecology. The protection efforts, including To carry out Xi’s instructions, the measures to safeguard forests and authorities explored a number of from Fujian Sangang Group, said quit his career as the owner of an reduce pollution from industries, reform measures, including taking pollution from the company’s steel advertising business in Xiamen, have paid off, with tourism now an steps to encourage farmers to trans­ plants used to be so severe that Fujian, to open a hotel in Jixi village. important pillar of the city’s econo­ fer their timberland to forest coop­ employees joked they could inhale “Everything here is fresh and free my. During the National Day holi­ eratives and other operators, and particulate matter the size of a brick from contamination, including day at the start of this month, issuing more loans to forestry busi­ for a year. what we eat, drink and breathe. This Sanming received 4.22 million nesses to solve their financial prob­ Since the launch of the country’s kind of experience is exactly what tourist visits, and during this peri­ lems, Liu said. 12th Five­Year Plan (2011­15), the city­dwellers long for,” he said. od, the sector generated 2.47 bil­ In recent years, the city has added company has invested about 2 bil­ More than 800 guests have stayed lion yuan in revenue. an average of 13,300 hectares of for­ lion yuan to cut its emissions from at Qiu’s hotel since it opened in City officials said they have been est annually, and last year its forest pollutants, he said, adding that it August last year, with most choos­ inspired by President Xi Jinping’s coverage rose to just over 78 per­ has recycled all its discharged gas, ing it as a base for their vacations. long­standing emphasis on ecologi­ cent. including carbon monoxide, for In 2015, Chang Sin Yee, a rural cal and environmental protection, Liu said State­owned forest farms power generation. development planner from Malaysia, including comments he made during in Sanming are offering tree­plant­ “For our employees, their biggest was invited to plan an upgrade for the his 11 visits to Sanming while serving ing, forest­tending and manage­ sense of achievement over the years village, with the aim of providing a as a leading provincial official. ment jobs to more than 4,000 has been the optimized work envi­ tourism program offering “rural life During a visit to the city in April farmers, including those from poor ronment. Some have even said the and health maintenance experiences”. 1997, Xi, then deputy secretary of the families, to ensure rural families company’s plant is cleaner than She said the local ecology and rich Communist Party of China Fujian have a good standard of living. their homes,” Chen said. natural resources are key reasons Provincial Committee, told local Lin Damao, head of the Sanming He added that the company she enjoys working in the area. “The officials that “green mountains and bureau of ecology and environment, premises have even been certified as variety of natural produce also lucid waters are invaluable assets”. also underscored Xi’s vision in guid­ a scenic spot by tourism authorities excites me. I can often see glow­ He said it was important for areas ing the city’s protection campaigns. — a strong endorsement of its com­ worms at night,” she added. such as Sanming to devise viable Xi’s emphasis of a holistic mitment to environmental protec­ Zhu, the villager, said that only a plans to explore mountain, river and approach to protecting mountains, tion. few decades ago, so many trees were farmland resources. rivers, forests, farmland, lakes and Lin Xinglu, secretary of the CPC felled by villagers that parts of the During another trip to the city in grassland has been an important Sanming municipal committee, said mountains became barren and rain­ June 2002, when he was Fujian gov­ source of inspiration, he said. that while protecting the city’s envi­ storms triggered mudflows. ernor, Xi emphasized that environ­ Despite its high proportion of for­ ronment and ecology has always Efforts to afforest the mountains mental development was of est coverage, Sanming has faced chal­ been a policy priority, the authori­ proved immensely difficult, as the paramount importance. lenges from industrial pollution. ties are also looking to make better soil lost its fertility due to erosion, a He said at the time that it might The city used to rely a great deal use of local resources. lesson villagers learned the hard seem that green mountains and on heavy industries, such as those The enhanced attractions of the way, he said. lucid waters are of little value, but in producing steel and cement, and city — including its top­quality air and “That is why we welcome the log­ the long term, they are priceless industry still accounts for more water — have resulted in more busi­ ging ban from the government. assets. He also urged local officials than 50 percent of the area’s GDP, nesses and individuals looking to Everyone likes a good environment.” to strive to transform economic which reached just over 260 billion explore opportunities brought by the Top and above: Visitors admire the lotus fields in Xiuzhu village, growth and to avoid wasting resour­ yuan last year. rising number of tourists. Contact the writers at Jianning county, Sanming. PHOTOS BY SONG WEIWEI / XINHUA ces and damaging the environment. Chen Rongnian, an executive Last year, Qiu Liang decided to [email protected]

Concerted treatment drive produces cleaner liquid assets for Fuzhou

By XU WEI ping when he served as Fujian industry, he said. and HU MEIDONG in Fuzhou governor from 2000 to 2002. Zhu Chenyi, deputy head of the Responding to increased calls Fuzhou bureau of housing and Two decades ago, Li Linzhou had from the public to treat water pollu­ urban­rural development, said to cover his nose when he took an tion in the lake, in February 2001, Xi that in addition to the lake, the occasional stroll around Xihu Lake presided over a work conference at local authorities have treated all in Fuzhou, capital of Fujian the park with government officials 44 other bodies of water in the province. and reporters. urban area to intercept pollu­ With sewage from nearby com­ China News Service reported that tants. munities flowing into its waters, he called for immediate action to be The authorities are attempting to the lake smelled like a cesspool. taken to treat the polluted water. restore the quality of local waters to Now, Li, who is in his 70s, spends At the meeting, it was decided enable more aquatic life to thrive, a lot of time in the city’s Xihu Park, that government departments Zhu said. where he does morning exercises should draw up plans for pollution “If we clean up the rivers and before playing chess with his in the lake to be treated within prevent any undue external influ­ friends. three months. Left and right: Xihu Lake in Fuzhou, capital of Fujian, is one of the best­known local attractions. ences on bodies of water, ecology “I spend so much time in the park To improve water quality, the lake WEI PEIQUAN / XINHUA will slowly recover and fish stocks that I met, purely by chance, a class­ was dredged, and Xi also urged the will arrive naturally,” he added. mate from high school days, whom I authorities to learn a lesson from the Fuzhou, from real estate develop­ the municipal center for water ment, while the two water chan­ However, Zhu said sustained had not seen for several decades,” he pollution and improve planning in ment, Wang said. drainage and diversion, said all nels built to intercept such efforts by future generations said. the city. Visited by 40,000 to 50,000 peo­ sewage discharged into rivers discharges flowing into the lake could still be required to fully He added that the park has Wang Jing, head of the govern­ ple every day, the park has become flowing into the upper areas of have been repaired. tackle pollution in the city’s become “the backyard garden” for ment office administering the park, invaluable for them, as it provides Xihu Lake has been intercepted. Chen said the lake has been waterways. Fuzhou residents. said the measures put forward by Xi a respite from busy city life, Wang More than 10 villas directly dis­ dredged for the third time, with 2.95 “The key is to keep emphasizing The venue found favor among paved the way for future efforts to added. charging sewage into the lake have million cubic meters of mud the concept that green mountains locals due to a water pollution treat pollution in the lake. In 2017, the Fuzhou government been demolished, Chen added. removed. and lucid waters are invaluable treatment campaign spanning Xi was also instrumental in pro­ launched another campaign to treat Meanwhile, sewage from the After being treated, the water assets, along with the need to ensure several decades, part of which was tecting Xihu Park, which now cov­ pollution in the lake. 697 restaurants near the lake has quality in the lake reached Class IV harmony between humans and spearheaded by President Xi Jin­ ers 77 hectares in downtown Chen Yongfeng, deputy head of been sent for standardized treat­ level, meaning that it can be used by nature,” he added.