Central News Agencies Report Yangtze River Economic Belt Development in Yueyang

The national central news agencies visited Yueyang recently, to prepare for their special report "Promoting Yangtze River Economic Belt Development". They will focus on Dongting Lake ecological environment protection.

Over the past two years, the CPC Hunan Provincial Committee and the Hunan Provincial Government strictly followed the guideline of "striving for comprehensive protection, instead of large-scale development". With this in mind, Hunan has yielded major progress in developing the Yangtze River Economic Belt.

"I was touched by such a beautiful lake in downtown area! Yueyang people are so lucky!" said CCTV journalist Guo Qian when she walked on the waterside platform along Nanhu Lake. The journalists will focus on Dongting Lake ecological and environmental protection, and report people抯 sense of contentment and happiness.

Nanhu Lake is located in the south of downtown Yueyang. It was once heavily polluted by surrounding factories and farms. After systematic treatments, the water quality has reached IV-class for industrial use and indirect contact recreation use in 2017, and is expected to reach III-class for domestic drinking water source in 2018. As of November 2017, the 381 farms in the Dongting Lake domestic drinking water source region have been shut down. The lake water has been notably improved.

In 2017, Yueyang Government shut down 39 illegal wharfs along the Yangtze River, and implemented greening project. "The Yangtze River bank turns green again, after the effective treatments. This is the natural color!" said People抯 Daily journalist Guo Shuran.

In recent years, the Caisang Lake Ecological Rehabilitation Project has been carried forward, including river system interconnection, wetland restoration, bird habitat protection, and wetland conservation, to improve biodiversity. Caisang Lake has become an ideal habitat for migratory birds, and is reputed as "a hope land for saving the world抯 endangered species", and "a model of harmonious coexistence between man and nature".

"So magnificent! Dongting Lake offers a free world for birds!" said Yuan Yujun, executive deputy editor of the chinadevelopment.com.cn. 

Translator: Pang Yuehui 
Chinese source: hunan.gov.cn