(A closer look at China) Xi Jinping's "Two Mountains Theory" has changed China after 15 years
China News Service, Beijing, August 15th. Title: Xi Jinping's "Two Mountains Theory" has changed China after 15 years
China News Agency reporter Ma Xueling
"Before, due to serious ecological damage, continuous droughts and little rain, cattle and sheep have even eaten the roots of the grass, and the mountains are bare. But these years have been much better, and the ecology has gradually improved. The mountains and plains are lush and the sky loves to rain... Standing under the sign of "returning farmland to forest", Bai Qizhi, director of the village committee of Dapinggao Village, Gongjing Town, Yuzhong County, Gansu Province sighed.
Bai Qizhi's Yuzhong Beishan has nine droughts in ten years, and the bare mountain has become the memory of his ancestors for generations. No one thought that one day, there will be verdant vegetation here.
Along the 309 National Road, there are thousands of "fish scale pits" on the large mountains on both sides, such as Caragana korshinskii, Platycladus orientalis, mountain apricot, mountain peach, elm trees... the past is hard to grow vegetation, and the yellow sand is everywhere. "Source" is now an "oasis" with grass over the knee and trees lined up.
On these large mountains in northwestern China, people will often see the big characters "green water and green mountains are golden mountains and silver mountains".
Nearly two thousand kilometers away, in Anji Yu Village, Zhejiang Province, stands a huge stone monument engraved with "Green water and green mountains are golden and silver mountains".
Fifteen years ago, on August 15, 2005, it was here that the then Secretary of the Zhejiang Provincial Party Committee Xi Jinping first proposed that "green water and green mountains are golden and silver mountains".
"We pursue the harmony between man and nature, economy and society. In layman's terms, we want to have'two mountains': not only golden mountains and silver mountains, but also green waters and green mountains. Green waters and green mountains are golden mountains and silver mountains." 8 years later As the top leader of China, Xi Jinping interpreted the "two mountains theory" in this way when answering students’ questions after giving a speech at Nazarbayev University in Kazakhstan.
On March 30, 2020, 15 years after the "Two Mountains Theory" was proposed, Xi Jinping once again entered Yucun. Through the closure of mines and cement plants, as well as measures to protect the environment, this small village has become a national 4A tourist attraction and a beautiful and livable demonstration village in the country. The average annual income of farmers is nearly RMB 50,000. Seeing the tremendous changes in Yucun, Xi Jinping said that time flies and the situation of the year is vivid. Yucun’s current achievements prove that the path of green development is correct. "The mountains and rivers here are well protected, and continued development will have unique advantages. The ecology itself is the economy. If you protect the ecology, the ecology will give you back."
As the saying goes, "People live up to the green hills, and green hills will live up to people"-Yucun, the birthplace of the "Two Mountains Theory", is a lively practice.
Data map: Erhai Lake under Cangshan Mountain, Dali City, Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan. Photo by Li Zhixiong Image source: CTPphoto
The "Two Mountains Theory" not only changed the fate of a mountain village, but also profoundly changed the face of China.
"I will save the photos here and come back in a few years. I hope the water will be cleaner and clearer." In January 2015, Xi Jinping took a photo with local officials at the Erhai Lake. He urged that the Erhai Lake must be well protected, so that the natural beauty of "Cangshan does not have a long history of paintings, and Erhai has no strings and ten thousand guqin" will remain in the world forever.
In recent years, the quality of Erhai Lake has been much better, and you can see the bottom of the lake from the shore, and there are more sea cauliflowers that are regarded as "water quality weather vanes".
The mountains are green, the water is beautiful, and China's ecological environment continues to improve, becoming a green miracle in the world.
Achim Steiner, Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme, once pointed out, “In the field of ecological civilization, China not only gives itself but also the world an opportunity to better understand the transition to a green economy. "
Data map: Summer view of Qilian Mountain. Photo by Wu Xuezhen
As it is said, the development path of "green water and green mountains are golden mountains and silver mountains" has reshaped China's development logic.
At the Ma'anshan Forest Farm in the central-southern part of Kalaqin Banner, Chifeng City, Inner Mongolia, locals said, “The ecology is now good. When patrolling the mountains, they often encounter wild animals such as roe deer, hare, pheasant, and wild boar. There are also more wild vegetables. There are also a lot of wild vegetables. The people have really benefited, and they have a deeper understanding that green water and green mountains are golden mountains and silver mountains."
"To firmly establish the concept that protecting the ecological environment is to protect productivity, and to improve the ecological environment is to develop productivity." In recent years, the "baton" assessed by officials across China has increasingly emphasized "green orientation" and implemented the responsibility of ecological civilization construction during the tenure of leading cadres. Through positive incentives and reverse force, the "two mountains theory" has also brought new baptisms to the development, performance, and values of officials at all levels.
Qilian Mountain is an important ecological security barrier in western China. Mining, construction of hydropower stations, and tourism have made the area lively, but excessive and disorderly development has also overloaded the fragile and sensitive ecosystems, and local ecological damage is very prominent. In this regard, Xi Jinping has made important instructions many times, demanding resolute rectification. Since then, hundreds of people have been held accountable, and China has launched the largest ecological defense battle in the history of Qilian Mountains. In 2019, when Xi Jinping visited Gansu, he inspected the ecological restoration and protection situation of Qilian Mountain and emphasized again, “At this stage, we must not step on the watermelon skin to slide down, but continue to climb the hurdles to achieve high-quality development. Water and green mountains can become golden mountains and silver mountains."
Bai Qizhi was deeply impressed by the change in development concepts and methods. He said, “Before the emphasis was on production. The people didn’t have enough chemical fertilizers, so they dug the soil on the mountain to burn ashes and fertilize, which caused serious ecological damage and formed a vicious circle. Now the national policy is good. As the government’s governing philosophy has changed, the people’s thinking has also changed, and their wallets have also bulged up. This is the most universal welfare of the people."
The easy-to-understand "two-mountain theory" affects and changes what the Chinese feel, think, say, do, hope, and wish.
“As long as I have time, I will clean up the domestic garbage on the beach and salvage dead aquatic plants and algae near the shore.” Li Dechang, a villager in Gusheng Village, Wanqiao Town, Dali City, Yunnan Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture, lives by the Erhai Sea.
In recent years, he has paid attention to the changes in the quality of the Erhai Lake every day. "As long as the quality of the Erhai Lake is better, it is worth the hard work."
In subtle changes, the concept of ecological and environmental protection has penetrated into the lives of Chinese people.
"If you can walk, you can't ride a bike, you can ride a bike without a bus, you can ride a bus without driving." This is the travel principle of Zou Xinxin, who works in Jinan, Shandong.
Zou Xinxin is also a "cloud environmental protection" expert. Since 2016, she has "planted" 26 trees online and enjoys "stealing energy" because she can urge others to adhere to "cloud environmental protection". . "With only a small amount of time every day, we can contribute to the improvement of our ecological environment. I feel very meaningful."
From "seeking survival" to "seeking ecology", from "hoping for food and clothing" to "hoping for environmental protection," "Beautiful China" is the will of the people and the livelihood of the people.
Someone has used a vivid metaphor: China’s move is like opening a sustainable "green bank", which will benefit the present and future generations.
"Stay there, future generations can use it." "Let future generations not only enjoy rich material wealth, but also look at the stars, see the green mountains, and smell the fragrance of flowers."-Looking back many years later, history will appreciate the choice of China today. . (Finish)