Shexian county is the greenest place on Taihang Mountain. Its woodland area measures 76,000 hectares and its green-coverage rate reaches 51 percent. Shexian’s natural resources make it an ideal base for national ecological preservation. An Ambitious Program of Beautification It is critical for Shexian to have a scientific plan to build an ecological city. The county has worked out more than 10 ecological plans, including an ecological county construction plan and an ecological demonstration construction plan.

Shexian is surrounded by mountains and runs alongside the Qingzhang River. The county had some concerns when developing their overall city plan. On one hand, construction and buildings should be designed along the base of the mountains to display the natural landscape of the mountainous region. In contrast, the county also hoped to develop the area’s ecological water network. The local government spent 10 million yuan improving Qingzhang River and building the Qingzhang scenic district. It also spent 100 million yuan to divert water into the city and build the 74-hectare Chishui Bay scenic district, 102-hectare Yudai Lake Park and 134-hectare Donghu Ecological Park. The Butian Lake project is still under construction as the government shifts focus towards greening. The government plans to build Fenghuangshan Forest Park, Hanwangshan Ecological Zone and Wuzhi Mountain Ecological Zone. These parks and zones will act as a 186-hectare green wall around the city. To date, the county’s forest area has reached 76,000 hectares. Afforestation project on the roads has reached 100 percent, urban afforestation is 45.12 percent, green land is 41.49 percent, and public green area per capita is at nearly 17.03 square meters. The county has also received prestigious titles and is considered a “National Ecological Demonstration Base” and “China Famous County.”

“Now we have blue sky, crystal-clear water and green land with flowers blooming all year round,” said Feng Haiping, a wandering resident in Shexian. Sustainable development has played a large role in the city’s beautification.

Industry Transformation In addition to the beautiful city, other “green scenery” was found in Shexian at the site of the Shexian Chongli Steel Co. The company operates a large factory with no pollution or smoke as of July 20. “The factory has completed a flue-gas desulfurization project. The desulfurization reached 96 percent and sulfur dioxide decreased by 3,000 tons, ranking top in China,” said Wang Yongnian, manager of the company’s environmental department.

Recently, a number of companies have developed by following Chongli Steel’s methods of energy conservation and pollution reduction to make the transition to a low-carbon economy. Chongli Steel discarded lagging steel production style which can produce 400,000 tons of and 800,000 tons of cement, and completed 28 energy conservation projects. To control projects with high energy consumption and heavy pollution, they strictly tested new programs and closed a number of heavily polluted factories.

The Town of Happiness

“It took only six or seven years to turn the barren mountains and lands into green land,” said Liu Yuebin, a 20-year-old resident in Liujiacun Village. “It’s due to the construction of the ecological county.”

To improve quality of life, the local government improved the environment by addressing the problems of sewage and garbage, and starting the drinking water security project to solve the problems caused by lack of drinking water. The local government also improved the disposal of garbage and punished companies using illegal blowdown systems to guarantee environmental safety. The county developed rapidly in an ecological way and finally became a town of happiness.