City embraces green development

Liuzhou, with a history stretching back more than 2,100 years, is one of China's five cleanest industrial cities and home to over 30 ethnic groups. Its healthy environment, breathtaking scenery and diverse cultures attracted more than 40 million tourist trips to the city last year. "The city has fresh air for most of the time throughout a year, and its rivers are clear," said Jiao Yaoguang, deputy mayor of Liuzhou.

Jiao recalled that Liuzhou used to be called the "capital of acid rain" in the 1990s because of heavy industrial pollution.

In the decades that followed, the government has taken resolute action to stop the smog.

Most polluting enterprises have been closed, with others upgrading their technology to ensure their emissions do not harm the environment.

Sewage water and solid waste treatment plants have also been built to minimize environmental impact. Liuzhou was one of the first cities in China to report real-time air quality data to the public.

The city's environmentally friendly development model has won support from both its residents and the central government. It has been called a garden city, a forestry city and a livable city of China.

Jiao said balancing industrial development with environmental protection has attracted people from across the country to work and live in Liuzhou.

It has hosted international triathlons and cycling and water sports competitions in recent years. Almost all international athletes have praised the city's modern facilities and fine natural scenery. Jiao said that sporting events promote Liuzhou and imbue the city with new vitality.

(China Daily 10/23/2018 page24)