Nation makes rapid progress toward greener future (3)

Illegally built villas were demolished in the Qinling Mountains, Shaanxi, in 2018. YUAN JINGZHI/FOR CHINA DAILY

Invaluable assets

The philosophy that "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets", first put forward by Xi when he was the top official in Zhejiang province in 2005, is also a key factor underpinning China's environmental efforts, according to analysts.

In April 2020, Xi visited a national nature reserve in the Qinling Mountains, a natural boundary between the north and south of China and home to a wide variety of plants and protected animals. The president highlighted the importance of parallel efforts in ecological protection and restoration of the mountains.

From 2014 to 2018, Xi issued six instructions on the illegal construction of luxury villas at the northern foot of the mountains in Shaanxi province, calling for local authorities to demolish the buildings, restore the environment and root out corruption.

"Illegal construction in the Qinling Mountains is a big lesson," he said during his tour in 2020. "From now on, any official working in Shaanxi should above all learn this lesson, avoid repeating the same mistake, and work as a guardian of the ecological environment of the mountains."

Xi has also visited the Qilian Mountains on the border of Qinghai and Gansu provinces, the Wuyi Mountains on the border of Fujian and Jiangxi provinces, and the Wuzhi Mountains in Hainan province. He told local officials to phase out work harmful to the environment and bolster ecological protection and restoration efforts.