Restored natural beauty replaces big industry as area's name card

By Yuan Shenggao | China Daily | Updated: 2018-01-08 07:51

Situated in the central north of South China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, Liuzhou is blessed with both beautiful natural scenery, and profound historical and cultural heritage.

As more than half of the city's 3.8 million residents belong to over 30 different ethnic groups, including the Zhuang, Miao, Yao and Dong people, Liuzhou is a window to showcase China's diverse culture and the harmonious co-existence of multi-ethnic groups.

Thanks to the local government's continuous efforts, Liuzhou has reaped fruitful results in transforming from an industrial hub into a livable eco-city.

"Our air is free from pollution for more than 80 percent of every year, and our rivers are so clean that people can see 100 meters underwater," Jiao Yaoguang, vice-mayor of Liuzhou, said proudly when being interviewed by China Daily and journalists from Southeast Asian countries last month.

In recent years, Liuzhou's pleasant natural environment and good employment opportunities have made the city a magnet for people from outside.

"We are the only city in Guangxi that enjoys a net surplus population influx," Jiao said.

Standing on the banks of the Liujiang River, the mother river of Liuzhou, and enjoying the lucid water, bridges and surrounding green mountains, one would find it hard to imagine that the environment in Liuzhou used to be so heavily polluted that it was once nicknamed China's "capital of acid rain". After the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, a large number of industrial projects were launched in Liuzhou, which propelled its status as a major industrial city in China and the biggest industrial base in Guangxi until the 1990s.

While the city enjoyed its newly found fame in the country's industrial sector, pollution in the air and water, an unwelcoming companion of industrialization, had also become increasingly acute.

To improve the environment and to build a livable city for the people, Liuzhou has persistently pursued sustainable development, giving equal emphasis to economic growth and environmental protection since the 1990s. Heavily polluting companies were either closed down or renovated, while others were required to follow emission controls strictly.

Untreated sewage water used to be directly discharged into the Liujiang River. But today, no industrial and domestic sewage can be discharged without being treated.

Liuzhou was the first city in Guangxi to release PM 2.5 air quality data to the public, a hallmark of the city's rising awareness of environmental protection.

After efforts over more than two decades, Liuzhou's green development concept has paid off, with the city winning many honorary titles both in Guangxi and across the country in environmental protection and sustainability in recent years.

The visible improvement in the city's ecosystem has refreshed Liuzhou's stunning natural environment, which is best reflected in the Liujiang River. With 9 kilometers of its length running across Liuzhou, the picturesque river can now serve as a beautiful necklace that strings up the multiple and multilayered scenic spots along the waterway.

Sightseers can take bus line No 100, which runs along the riverside, to see the enchanting natural beauty on both sides of the river. Or, they can take a cruise at night to see the lighting on the edifices of different buildings, ancient or modern, and the surrounding mountains.

The cruise, which takes about one hour, stops for a short while before turning back, allows those on board to appreciate a high-tech multimedia water show that mixes water curtains, fountains, music and lasers, which is a real feast for the eyes and ears. As Liuzhou's environment changes for the better, the city can now live up to its fame as a lush, mountainous paradise in Guangxi. In recent years, it has been chosen to host a number of international sports games. In April it staged China's Ironman 70.3 season, an event which Vice-Mayor Jiao said would be a shot in the arm for the city's tourism industry.

Jiao said he believes that Liuzhou will embrace an even brighter future, as the city is working hard to improve the quality of both its industrial growth and people's quality of life.