China News Agency, Taiyuan, October 12th, title: Good scenery on the banks of the Yellow River: "Old Town Xing" by "Swan Lake"

  Author Yang Peipei

  In autumn and winter, Shengtian Lake, "the first lake on the Loess Plateau", will be transformed into "Swan Lake".

  The number of whooper swans has increased from nearly 1,000 to nearly 10,000. In the past ten years, the whooper swans flying from Siberia have become "regular visitors" to Shengtian Lake in Ruicheng County, Yuncheng City, Shanxi Province.

  "The environment is getting better and better, and the number of whooper swans that accompany me has increased from dozens to tens of thousands today." The number of whooper swans in the Pinglu Yellow River Wetland, which is dozens of kilometers away from Ruicheng County, has also increased year by year. He Jianxi is one of them. A ranger who has accompanied the Whooper Swan for more than ten years.

  For He Jianxi, Whooper Swan is like a child returning home for the New Year.

"I live by the Yellow River. Every year when they come, I go to the river every day and wait for them."

  In addition to whooper swans choosing the waters along the Yellow River as their wintering habitats, more and more wild animals such as black storks, grey cranes, flamingos, great bustards and red-crowned cranes are visiting Shanxi. Department of Wildlife Conservation, Shanxi Forestry and Grassland Bureau Director Wang Yifei shared with reporters.

  The figures of these distant visitors have gradually spread from the wetlands along the Yellow River in southern Shanxi, such as Pinglu and Ruicheng, to the Fenhe, Sanggan, Qinhe and other basins, and many wetlands around cities have also become their "posts".

  In the Shanxi section, a flood of clear water flows into the Yellow River, and of course the local people are very happy.

The beauty of "Swan Lake" adds to the fun in winter; the improvement of water quality gives more opportunities for inland people to "close to the water".

  The Fen River, known as the "Mother River" in Shanxi, is the second largest tributary of the Yellow River.

Because of the heavy industry, the water quality of the Fen River was seriously polluted, the loess on both sides of the river was bare, and the garbage was everywhere, so "Old Taiyuan" could not avoid it.

  Today, the Fen water is clear and water birds are inhabited.

The public can not only play water sports, but also take a boat to see the beautiful scenery on both sides of the Fen River, reproducing the scene of "the pan-built boats come to the Fen River, and the middle stream to Yangsubo".

  Such a sight did not come easily.

The Yellow River flows through Shanxi, with low water flow, high sediment content, and complex hydrological characteristics; improving the water environment requires "combined fists".

  In recent years, Shanxi Province has carried out forest and grass ecological construction in the Yellow River Basin, implemented comprehensive management and systematic management of mountains, rivers, forests, fields, lakes, grass and sand, and adopted measures such as wetland protection and restoration, returning farmland to wetlands, and wetland ecological benefit compensation projects.

The "strong physique" and "attraction" of the Shengtian Lake Wetland, the Pinglu Yellow River Wetland, and the Fenhe River, the largest national wetland reserve in the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River, all come from this.

  Blue sky, clear water and green mountains have gradually become the norm, and there is such a green support behind it. In the past ten years, Shanxi has afforestation of more than 4 million mu each year, and the forest coverage rate has increased from 18.03% in 2010 to 23.57% in 2020, historically surpassing the national Average.

  "The Yellow River is peaceful, and the world is peaceful." The Yellow River embraced the Central Plains and stirred up, and the ferry culture nurtured from this is still a blessing to the people.

  In Qikou Ancient Town, Linxian County, "the first town on the Yellow River", tourists can be seen sitting on the banks of the Yellow River, listening to the sound of the Yellow River while enjoying farm meals.

  Years ago, the local area developed tourism relying on the culture of the Yellow River, attracting art and photography enthusiasts from all over the country.

  Growing up by the Yellow River since childhood, Li Shixi is currently the inheritor of the Yellow River Tracker, an intangible cultural heritage project in Shanxi Province.

"Now not only do I open a homestay, but I also often go to the film and television street of Qikou Ancient Town to be an actor to showcase the intangible cultural heritage. I earn nearly 100,000 yuan (RMB) a year, and my life is getting better year by year." (End)