6. Lucid water and lush mountains

Xiangyang Village in Wenzhou, which is a tourist site now. (People’s Daily Online/Kou Jie)

As a coastal city nestled in the mountains, Wenzhou’s economy was once developed at the expense of its environment. The city’s air pollution index reached its peak in 2003, and the water pollution index in 2006. Poor air quality and hazardous water made the local people realise that if they were to continue their business success, they would need to protect the environment.

For the past decade, authorities in Wenzhou have been making great efforts to tackle environmental issues, shutting down polluted enterprises, as well as cooperating with over 100 city environmental protection NGOs and over 20,000 volunteers. In 2019, Wenzhou’s air quality ranked top out of all the cities in Zhejiang Province.

Sunrise in Dongtou Village, Wenzhou. The small village now features eco-tourism, creating lucrative income for the villagers. (People’s Daily Online/Kou Jie)

The improved environment has also created new opportunities for Wenzhou. In 2019, the city’s tourism revenue reached 133.4 billion RMB, with an annual growth rate of 18.8 percent, receiving over 119 million visitors worldwide. The city has also set up high-tech companies that specialise in waste management and disposal of hazardous materials, fields that have become new pillars of the city’s economic development.