Abandoned mining pit turned into garden in NE China's Liaoning (5)

Up: The west open-air mining pit is seen before ecological restoration, March 6, 2019 (Fushun Mining Group Co., Ltd./Handout via Xinhua).

Bottom: The former west open-air mining pit after afforestation in Fushun City, northeast China's Liaoning Province, June 2, 2022 (Xinhua/Yang Qing).

More than 980,000 square meters of an abandoned mining pit area have been gradually turned green in the past three years amid endeavors to restore ecosystems.

Some 100 million yuan (about 15 million U.S. dollars) has been invested by Fushun Mining Group Co., Ltd. to repurpose and cover the former west open-air mining site with more vegetation.

The company shut down the west open-air mining area in June 2019 for ecological restoration.

Today, this huge mining pit, with a depth of more than 400 meters and an open area of more than 10 square kilometers, is gradually turning into a beautiful garden lush with grass, trees and flowers. (Xinhua)