International students tour Yangtze conservation sites in Nanjing

It was the kind of exchange that Ilona Ostroukhova, a student from Russia, said changed how she understood China's approach to the environment. "For me now, the saying 'Lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets' means that a healthy ecosystem is the foundation of development," she said.

The trip was organized by the Jiangsu Provincial Environmental Protection Publicity and Education Center and the School of International Studies of Nanjing University.

Tao Jiayi contributed to this story.