County champions green economy

Yanqing in northwest Beijing is committed to creating a green economy as the county functions as an ecological protection zone for the Chinese capital, according to the region's official website.

The county depends on tourism, modern eco-agriculture and other ecological-friendly industries.

Yanqing boasts a good natural environment and has abundant tourism resources.

The county has more than 30 scenic spots open to the public, including the renowned Badaling section of the Great Wall, Longqing Gorge and Kangxi Grassland.

The region's tourism revenue hit 5.4 billion yuan ($870 million) last year, an annual increase of 6.7 percent.

There are nine parks in the county seat of Yanqing, accounting for 20 percent of the downtown area.

Among them is sculpture-themed Xiadu Park that has 50 works by domestic and foreign sculptors.

The 400-hectare Guishui Park is mostly covered by water.

The 11th International Conference on Grapevine Breeding and Genetics took place in Yanqing last year and the county will also host the 2019 International Horticultural Exposition.

Organic agriculture in Yanqing has developed rapidly in recent years and its output value accounted for 18 percent of the county's total agricultural production in 2013.

Yanqing covers an area of nearly 2,000 square kilometers, 72.8 percent of which is mountainous. The county has the richest solar energy resources of all regions in Beijing.

songmengxing@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 07/28/2015 page7)