Green development takes root in the 'forest capital' of China

Residents make successful switch to agriculture, tourism businesses

Sixty years ago, Yichun, the so-called forest capital of China, was thriving thanks to its vast woodland. Day after day, its trees were felled and loaded onto trains bound for markets across the country.

As a result, the once-bountiful green land in northwestern Heilongjiang province was virtually laid bare by the 1990s.