National wetland park boosts ecosystem, tourism in Shanxi

In May, Li found a man shocking fish and persuade him to leave. "I told him that this is a wetland park now and catching fish is against the law, and he drove away," Li said.

He earns 10,000 yuan ($1,467) a year as a ranger and receives another 5,000 to 6,000 yuan from growing corps, including potato and corn.

According to Wang Xin, Party chief of Jingle county, tourists from nearby cities, such as Taiyuan, have started to come during the weekend, even though the park is not yet fully open to the public.

Wang said he is confident that more visitors will be attracted to the park and boost local economy.

Jingle county is at the upper ranches of the Fenhe River and passes down to Loufan, and then enters Taiyuan, the provincial capital. Thus, the water protection in Jingle county is essential to ensure nearly 4.5 million of Taiyuan people have access to clean drinking water.