Vision turns county into green model

陈小将

An African media delegation poses for a group photo in front of the stone monument that mentions the philosophy that "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets" in Anji county, Zhejiang province, on May 15. XINHUA

On a wooden shelf in his three-story home in Anji county of Zhejiang province, Ge Yuande keeps a stone — smooth, pale and vaguely shaped like a miner wearing a helmet — as the most treasured piece in his collection.

The 63-year-old picked it up more than 20 years ago from a quarry in Yucun, his native village in Anji, where he once made a living extracting and selling stone. Back then, the hills were stripped bare, the air was thick with dust, and streams ran gray with industrial runoff.

"I used to sell stone to make a living," Ge said in his living room, now lined with shelves full of stone sculptures. "But back then, it polluted everything. Now I still sell stone — but as art and as culture."

Yucun's transformation — from a dusty quarry village to a model of rural vitalization and green development — epitomizes China's heightened emphasis on sustainable growth over the past two decades.

In 2005, the village was standing at a crossroads. Its last quarry had just been closed, a decision that left villagers anxious about their livelihoods. The village's collective income plummeted from 3 million yuan ($417,600) to just 300,000 yuan that year.

At this pivotal moment, Xi Jinping, then secretary of the Communist Party of China Zhejiang Provincial Committee, visited the village on Aug 15, 2005, and offered residents a powerful message of reassurance.

During a meeting with villagers, Xi said the closure was a "wise step" and introduced what would become a guiding principle of China's environmental policy: "Lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets."

In a column published in Zhejiang Daily a week after the visit, Xi expanded on the idea: "By transforming ecological and environmental strengths into advantages in eco-agriculture, eco-industry and eco-tourism, lucid waters and lush mountains can truly become invaluable assets."

In 2020, Xi — now Chinese president and general secretary of the CPC Central Committee — returned to the county. The phrase "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets" had by then become a national consensus and a core tenet of China's new development philosophy.

"Experience has shown that economic growth cannot come at the expense of the environment," Xi told the villagers.

Yu Xiaoping, deputy Party secretary of Yucun village, said the closure of quarries and continuous environmental improvements had opened up space for eco-tourism. Visitors now come for river rafting, fruit picking and rural guesthouse stays.

Zhang Jianguo, executive vice-dean of the Institute for Sustainable Development at Huzhou University, noted that by prioritizing green, low-carbon development and preserving its environment, Anji has translated ecological assets into real economic and social gains.

By giving top priority to environmental protection, the county has ensured that its air quality remains excellent on more than 90 percent of days. Surface water, drinking water and cross-boundary water all consistently meet national standards.

Over the past 20 years, the average annual per capita disposable income of Anji's rural residents rose from 7,034 yuan to 48,879 yuan — a nearly sevenfold increase.

"Anji's long-term, consistent approach to preserving its environment has produced a compelling case study in sustainable development — one with growing relevance not only in China but globally," Zhang said.