River guardians strive to restore their childhood memories of clean waters

GUIYANG - Yang Liemeng, 50, misses his childhood, when he could swim in the nearby Wuma River.

"When the sun went down, you could see fish leaping out of the water," Yang said.

In recent years, however, the Wuma, which runs through the city of Renhuai in Guizhou province, has been covered with a white foam brought by pollutants. Because of overfishing, "fish leaping" is a rare sight for the younger generation.