Eco-efforts favor Huaxi's sustainable development

A tranquil river in Huaxi district [Photo/huaxi.gov.cn]

Over the past 10 years, Huaxi district in Guiyang, capital of Southwest China's Guizhou province, has been focusing on sustainable development and high-level environmental protection and economic development.

As an important ecological conservation area in the provincial capital, Huaxi has implemented projects to treat water, air and other pollution and increase afforestation, and has participated in the development of a national healthy city, national civilized city and national environmental protection model city, gaining many national titles such as "National Ecological Demonstration Zone" and "National Green Development Top 100 District". 

A rural area in Huaxi district [Photo/huaxi.gov.cn]

In the past decade, the water quality of all urban drinking water sources and surface water environmental quality in the district have met standards. The rate of excellent air quality has increased to 98 percent. 

Huaxi has also formulated the "General Plan for the Huaxi Scenic Area Plan (2015-2030)", built the first national urban wetland park in Guiyang, and completed the comprehensive treatment of the Huaxi Reservoir and Aha Reservoir and their basins. 

In addition, the district has set up a management station in a Chinese pine nature reserve in Qingyan town and clarified the nature reserve's boundaries, completed a survey of 35,761 ancient tea trees and recognized 1,361 ancient tea trees with development significance and to be protected.

Furthermore, the treatment of 52 mountains has been carried out with the aim of eliminating barren mountains and improving vegetation coverage.

Rural view in Huaxi district [Photo/huaxi.gov.cn]

Taking advantage of local environmental resources, Huaxi has developed over 6,133 hectares of high-efficiency cash crops such as tea, vegetables, fruit, traditional Chinese medicine herbs, flowers, and fungi, and built more than 3,466 ha of quality fruit growth bases, six rural tourism demonstration sites, and 15 demonstration parks for the integration of agriculture and tourism development. 

The local Yanlou Industrial Park has finished environmentally-friendly and recycling renovations. Twelve enterprises in mid-to-high-end manufacturing, energy conservation and environmental protection have been introduced to the district, and an ecological tourism industrial chain integrating tourism, leisure, vacation, health, and recreation has formed there. 

Due to various efforts, the district's GDP in 2021 ranked 5th among districts and counties in the province, and the per capita disposable income of rural residents was 21,259 yuan ($2,961.92) last year, 8,403 yuan higher than the provincial average.