Yangtze River shipbuilding zone transformed

Standing at a high point on the riverbank and looking out, one can see a vast expanse of green on the northern bank of the Yangtze River in Nanjing's Pukou district in Jiangsu province.

It's hard to imagine that this place was once renowned as a major shipbuilding belt stretching along the Yangtze River for more than 10 kilometers. Factories and sheds stood in dense formation, and machines roared. The riverside could not be seen from the city, and those living near the water felt no affinity for it.

But there was a dramatic transformation starting in 2016 when environmental protection inspection teams were sent by the central government to Jiangsu. They emphasized the need to restore the ecosystem of the Yangtze and clean up the environment.

Approximately 2.4 billion yuan ($343 million) was invested and 38 illegal shipyards and fish farms were dismantled. Nine others were improved and preserved. By the end of November 2020, around 1.7 million square meters of land along 11 km of shoreline was green again.

Residents of Zhouying village, located just a few hundred meters from the river, used to get covered with dust on sunny days and were mired in mud on rainy days.

"Now that the ecological environment has improved, villagers have started to plant organic vegetables and run rural homestays to generate income," said Zhang Fang, the village's Party secretary.

The pleasant environment has attracted residents from downtown Nanjing to come and enjoy the scenery. At the end of April, an outdoor sports festival was held on the green land along the river, attracting more than 1,000 participants and bringing in revenue for residents, Zhou said.