In the past, however, excessive and indiscriminate development and the impacts of human activities had threatened the fragile ecosystem in the region, sounding an alarm about ecological security.
The CPC Central Committee attaches great importance to the ecological damage in some parts of the Qilian Mountains region. Before he inspected the ecological restoration and protection of the Qilian Mountains in August 2019, President Xi had made instructions for several times, calling for timely rectification and through years of efforts, the ecosystem of the Qilian Mountains has been effectively restored.
In fact, as early as August 2005, when visiting Yucun Village in Anji County, east China's Zhejiang Province, Xi Jinping, the then secretary of the CPC Zhejiang Provincial Committee, had already put forward the concept that “lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets.” This concept pinpoints the dialectical unity between poverty alleviation and ecological progress.
“President Xi has always attached great importance to the coordinated development of ecological protection and economic growth. Following the concept of green development, we formulated the pairing assistance measures characterized by returning farmland to grassland and forest and planting eco-friendly cash crops,” said an officer from the Xining Joint Logistics Support Center, who has witnessed the ecological restoration of the Qilian Mountains. Over the years, they have been committed to guiding villagers to protect the local ecosystem while offering pairing poverty alleviation assistance to Xiashiba Village.
Three years ago, mines and coal dressing facilities around Xiashiba Village were removed one after another, and a poverty alleviation working team from the PLA Xining Joint Logistics Support Center came to the village, helping villagers develop the green economy instead of mining.
Now when the reporters came to village, they were pleased to see farms full of cattle and sheep, mountains carpeted with lush vegetation, and fields growing with cash crops and vegetables like snap pea and asparagus lettuce. With the help of the PLA troops, more and more villagers have benefited from the green economy. Practice has proven that the economy shouldn’t develop at the cost of ecology. The reporters could feel the tremendous changes in local villagers’ attitude toward ecological protection. The concept that “lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets” has become a consensus deeply rooted in their minds.
