STORY: Green is Gold: China's green transformation
DATELINE: July 18, 2023
LENGTH: 00:05:55
LOCATION: Beijing
CATEGORY: ECONOMY/ENVIRONMENT

SHOTLIST:
1. various of China
2. various of a vineyard in Ningxia
3. SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): YUAN YUAN, Owner of Yuanshi Vineyard
4. SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): YUAN YUAN, Owner of Yuanshi Vineyard
5. SOUNDBITE 3 (Chinese): YUAN YUAN, Owner of Yuanshi Vineyard
6. SOUNDBITE 4 (Chinese): YU XIAOJIA, Owner of Lansai Vineyard
7. SOUNDBITE 5 (Chinese): GONG YOUFA, Local villager
8. SOUNDBITE 6 (English): MARGARET TRACY ANDREWS, Liberian tourist
9. SOUNDBITE 7 (Chinese): LI BAOSHENG, Tour raft rower
10. SOUNDBITE 8 (Chinese): LI HUA, Homestay owner
11. SOUNDBITE 9 (Chinese): ZHANG WEI, General Manager of Guilin Esquel Textiles Company Limited
12. SOUNDBITE 10 (Chinese): WU ZHAN, Local resident
13. SOUNDBITE 11 (Chinese): HU ZHIGANG, Official of Langshan Mountain Tourism Resort Management Office
14. SOUNDBITE 12 (Chinese): HU ZHIGANG, Official of Langshan Mountain Tourism Resort Management Office
15. SOUNDBITE 13 (Chinese): WU ZHAN, Local resident
16. SOUNDBITE 14 (Chinese): XI JINPING, Chinese President

STORYLINE:

Nestled amid the lush green expanse by the foot of the Helan Mountains in northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region lies the Yuanshi Vineyard.

Cultivating 16 kinds of wine grapes, the vineyard boasts over 200 hectares of vines.

But this place was once an abandoned quarry.

SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): YUAN YUAN, Owner of Yuanshi Vineyard
"The ecological environment here was bad. At that time, any talk of developing an industry here sounded unrealistic."

In an effort to restore ecology and protect the environment, the local government shut down coal and other mines in designated areas.

Meanwhile, vineyards mushroom on the eastern foothills of the Helan Mountains as the natural conditions there are ideal for growing wine grapes.   

SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): YUAN YUAN, Owner of Yuanshi Vineyard
"Through ecological restoration, we now have lucid waters and green mountains, so that we can develop our industry."

In June 2020, Chinese President Xi Jinping visited a vineyard to learn about the efforts on strengthening the ecological conservation of the mountains.

He said the wine industry has promising prospects as the living standards of Chinese people continue to improve.

SOUNDBITE 3 (Chinese): YUAN YUAN, Owner of Yuanshi Vineyard
"We are now developing the wine industry and even the tourism industry."

Since 2017, 23,000 hectares of the Gobi Desert have been turned into "green corridors," by developing wine-grape growing bases and planting shelter forest belts. Now, it's home to 200 wineries.

SOUNDBITE 4 (Chinese): YU XIAOJIA, Owner of Lansai Vineyard
"The wine industry here becomes better and better with our sales volume increasing annually."

The wine-related industries have provided nearly 130,000 jobs for locals annually.

SOUNDBITE 5 (Chinese): GONG YOUFA, Local villager
"My wife and I all work here with good salaries."

SOUNDBITE 6 (English): MARGARET TRACY ANDREWS, Liberian tourist
"People come from all over to not just taste the wine, but view the beauty of the vineyard."

A better ecological environment not only helps promote the development of industries but also facilitates the improvement of people's living standards.

The Lijiang River is famous for its picturesque landscape, making it a prime tourist destination.

But the river used to have a bad reputation for being polluted. Some 20 years ago, the river water became murky due to wastewater discharge and deforestation.

In 2012, actions were taken to restore its original beauty. Polluting factories and quarries were closed, unplanned fish farms removed. Households that relied on the fishing industry have transitioned to sectors such as ecotourism and agriculture.

SOUNDBITE 7 (Chinese): LI BAOSHENG, Tour raft rower
"Many people make their livelihood from the beautiful Lijiang River. It provides a lot of jobs, such as raft rowers like me. It (the good environment) is as precious as gold."

SOUNDBITE 8 (Chinese): LI HUA, Homestay owner
"It is a world-class tourist destination with a huge potential for development. The homestay business like ours is flourishing. Thanks to lucid waters and lush mountains, we are better off now."

Local factories also seek to go green in the pursuit of high-quality development.

SOUNDBITE 9 (Chinese): ZHANG WEI, General Manager of Guilin Esquel Textiles Company Limited
"During our development, we hope to make breakthroughs and changes so as to live in harmony with nature."

When inspecting a section of the Lijiang River two years ago, President Xi hailed the river as the only one treasure of its kind in China and the world, saying that its ecological environment should never be damaged.

Meanwhile, in its pursuit of sustainable development, China strives to build healthy ecosystems.

This area in east China's Jiangsu Province is called "Wushan," literally meaning "five mountains."

Located along China's longest river the Yangtze, it now has a national park.

This place was once a bulk-cargo port with piles of sulfur and iron ore stacked in the open air.

SOUNDBITE 10 (Chinese): WU ZHAN, Local resident
"We used to live in the port area. We suffered from three things: dust, noise, and the smelly river."

In 2016, ecological restoration projects were carried out. Over 200 polluting factories were closed, and 65,000 square meters of illegal buildings demolished. Abandoning freight function, a shoreline of 12 kilometers was revived to green land.

SOUNDBITE 11 (Chinese): HU ZHIGANG, Official of Langshan Mountain Tourism Resort Management Office
"After ecological restoration, this place turned into a national forest park."

During an inspection tour in Jiangsu in November 2020, Xi visited this riverside district.

Xi said more prominence should be given to protecting the urban environment and ensuring a better quality of economic development and people's lives.

SOUNDBITE 12 (Chinese): HU ZHIGANG, Official of Langshan Mountain Tourism Resort Management Office
"By better protecting the environment of the park, we hope to make our tourists and residents nearby feel happy."

SOUNDBITE 13 (Chinese): WU ZHAN, Local resident
"Now the sky is bluer, the weather nicer, air fresher. People here are all satisfied with the living environment here."

SOUNDBITE 14 (Chinese): XI JINPING, Chinese President
"Clear waters and green mountains are invaluable assets. A sound eco-environment is not just a natural asset, but also an economic asset, and has a critical impact on the potential and sustainability of economic and social development.
If we humans do not fail nature, nature will not fail us."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Beijing.
(XHTV)