New Era China Research Tour - Yangtze River Chapter | "Deserted Oasis" Becoming "Oasis" - Green Stories on the Han River - Yuliangzhou | Blue Waves | Deserted Oasis
On the continent, green trees provide shade, and visitors enjoy themselves; On the shore, the golden sand and blue waves, and the surging river water; In the distance, blue sky and white clouds, green mountains and lush greenery... Stepping onto Yuliangzhou in the heart of the Xiangyang section of the Han River in Hubei Province, a harmonious picture of mountains, waters, and cities is fully displayed before our eyes.
The picture shows Yuliangzhou with lush greenery.
Yuliangzhou is a sandbar formed by the intersection of the largest tributary of the Yangtze River, the Han River, the Tangbai River, and the Xiaoqing River. It is also the largest island in the Han River basin. However, the former Yuliangzhou was a barren land with poor soil and sparse trees. In the memory of Zhang Yuanchao, a resident of Xiangyang City, people had planted crops and trees on Yuliangzhou, but there was hardly any harvest. Due to its unique geographical location, Yuliangzhou experienced a period of extensive development in the 1990s, with hotels, commercial housing and other projects flocking in, and environmental issues such as household waste and sewage also arising.
Looking at the red and blue walkway under his feet, the colorful flowers and trees beside him, and the flowing Han River not far away, and then opening the photo of Yuliangzhou saved in his phone 16 years ago, Zhang Yuanchao exclaimed with emotion, "It's really different now, completely new."
The picture shows Yuliangzhou with lush greenery.
In recent years, while focusing on ecological environment improvement, Xiangyang City on the banks of the Han River has actively laid out the "ecological+" business model, relying on ecological resources and guided by the leisure tourism industry. Yuliangzhou uses major ecological restoration projects such as the roundabout landscape belt and the central ecological park as carriers to control desertification and cover greenery. It has planted nearly 100000 trees and more than 130 varieties of ground cover plants, and added nearly 8 million square meters of green space.
Among them, as the earliest large-scale ecological restoration project launched in Yuliangzhou, the roundabout landscape belt project has created a 23 kilometer long greenway around the island. The Central Ecological Park, which opened just three months ago, has added a play area for citizens that integrates ecological conservation, cultural popularization, sports and fitness functions.
Yuliangzhou has equipped sports venues for citizens to exercise and exercise.
"The island is rich in fine sand and impurities, with weeds and sparse trees in most areas, making it difficult to build a park. In the past three years, the construction team has improved the soil area by about 1.35 million square meters, which is equivalent to more than 100 standard football fields." said Wei Wei, Chief Engineer of the Yuliangzhou Central Ecological Park Project of China Construction Third Engineering Bureau Third Company. Now, stepping onto Yuliangzhou, arched bridges, paths, and pavilions are connected along the water system, while greenways are set up around the island. Colorful flowers adorn the area, presenting a "oasis" style with flowers in all seasons and scenery everywhere.
"There are flowers and plants everywhere, and the Han River is right next to it. It's really comfortable to wake up every day listening to the chirping of birds." RV camping enthusiast Gao Yong and his friends camped on Yuliangzhou for over a month, and the comfortable environment and complete facilities made them reluctant to leave.
In order to make good use of the ecological and water advantages of Yuliangzhou and improve the comprehensive benefits of ecological construction, the local government has held a series of high-quality competitions and cultural activities in Yuliangzhou, including the F1 Motorboat World Championships, the Hanjiang Ironman Triathlon, the Lantern Festival, and art exhibitions. In 2022, Yuliangzhou received over 3 million citizens and tourists, with a daily peak of over 50000 visitors. This not only enhances the city's ecological appearance, but also drives the development of the cultural and tourism industry.
The former "wasteland" has become an "oasis", and the "green" of Yuliangzhou is spreading along the Han River.
The Han River passes through Xiangyang City, with clear water and green banks, like a scroll painting.
In recent years, Xiangyang City has completed the relocation and transformation of 29 chemical enterprises along the Yangtze River, as well as the relocation and transformation of hazardous chemical production enterprises, achieving zero chemical enterprises within a 1-kilometer radius along the Yangtze River; 990 Han River discharge outlets have been renovated, with 921 completed; 408 illegal sand mining and storage yards have all been demolished, and 1142 sand related "three no" ships have all been banned. The data shows that the water quality of the Xiangyang section of the main stream of the Han River has remained stable at Class II standards throughout the year... A beautiful picture of "clear water and smooth river, beautiful green scenery on the banks, and harmonious human water" is slowly unfolding by the Han River.
"In the future, Xiangyang City will comprehensively utilize both natural restoration and artificial restoration methods to implement the protection and restoration of important ecosystems." Cai Jinhai, Director of the Xiangyang Ecological Environment Bureau, said that at the same time, he will continue to crack down on illegal behaviors in the ecological environment, strengthen the supervision of the ecological environment in nature reserves, and continuously improve the quality and stability of the ecosystem.
