China News Service, Dingxi, Gansu, September 5 (Dai Wenchang, Ma Fuping, Shi Beili) The Weishui River is flowing continuously. In early autumn, when you walk into Weiyuan County, Dingxi City, Gansu Province, you will see green mountains everywhere and the fragrance of medicinal potatoes in the fertile fields. From the watershed to Shouyang Mountain, the "Baili Gallery" spreads out in a meandering way; tracing its source up the Weihe River, the river's banks are clear and green, and birds are flying in the sky. A long ecological scroll of Longzhong's harmonious coexistence of man and nature is slowly unfolding.
Weiyuan County is located in central Gansu. It is named because the Wei River originates here. It is an important ecological barrier in the upper reaches of the Yellow River and is known as the "Hometown of Fine Potato Breeds in China" and "The Hometown of Chinese Codonopsis Codonopsis". Today, at the source of the Weishui River, a green-based ecological transformation is advancing in depth, quietly reshaping this land and injecting green momentum into the high-quality development of the county's economy and society.
On September 4, the Weihe River Ecological Corridor was covered with lush vegetation. Photo by Dai Wenchang
From "Bald Mountain" to "Eyefuls of Green", build a solid ecological security barrier at the source
"When the wind blows, the sky is no longer full of loess. The ground has been preserved, and the greenery has been retained." Every morning, Ma Hong, an ecological ranger from Xiping Village, Qinqi Township, Weiyuan County, walks through the forest to conduct inspections. The land under his feet once suffered from ecological fragility due to ravines, drought and lack of rain. "The mountains are bald mountains and the land is sloping" was a true portrayal of the local area.
As an important ecological barrier in the upper reaches of the Yellow River, Weiyuan County resolutely shoulders the responsibility of "upstream", regards ecological heritage as the core foundation of development, and promotes the "green Weiyuan" action across the region. The north focuses on "greening the yellow", the center highlights "green development", and the south promotes "ecological improvement." In the first half of this year, the county completed 14,000 acres of afforestation, 214 kilometers of road greening, and 1.738 million voluntary tree plantings, promoting the transformation of ecological advantages into development advantages.
Today, the forest area in Weiyuan County has reached 934,200 acres, the grassland area is 325,200 acres, the forest coverage rate has steadily increased to 18.71%, and the grassland comprehensive vegetation coverage has exceeded 79.5%. The once "Bald Mountain" has completely changed into green clothes. It is worth mentioning that the "Weihe River Landscape Project" was successfully selected into the first batch of "Landscape Projects" during the country's "15th Five-Year Plan".
From "separate management" to "smart governance", build a global ecological co-governance system
Ecological governance is not only about planting trees, but also about managing water, cities and villages. Weiyuan County innovatively established a management and protection mechanism of "river, lake, and forest chief + police chief + X", extending the responsibility system to the village level. With the implementation of projects such as the Weihe River Ecological Corridor, the Weihe River (Weiyuan Section) has been successfully created as a "provincial-level beautiful and happy river and lake". The clear river water reflects the blue sky and white clouds, becoming a "natural oxygen bar" for citizens to relax and exercise.
The picture shows the Weiyuan County Rural Ecological Co-governance Command Center. Photo by Dai Wenchang
In the vast rural land, digital technology has given "smart wings" to ecological governance. The "Harmonious Countryside, Pure and Beautiful Home" intelligent ecological and sanitation integration project is operating efficiently. All 26,800 trash cans in Weiyuan County are equipped with smart chips. 5G signals, Beidou positioning terminals and drone inspection systems cover all remote mountains and forests. The entire process of rural garbage from placement, collection and transportation to disposal is traceable, and the problem of dynamic supervision of the living environment that has long plagued rural areas has been historically solved.
Data shows that the soil and water conservation rate in Weiyuan County has increased to 67%, and the annual air quality rate has remained stable at more than 95%. The beautiful picture of "blue sky, clear water, and green land" has changed from a long-term vision to a daily life within the reach of Weiyuan people.
From “Guarding Green Mountains” to “Producing Golden Eggs”, opening up the path of ecological value transformation
The “green” background color becomes thicker and the “gold” color becomes more eye-catching. Weiyuan County actively explores innovative paths for the market-based transformation of ecological value, and strives to open up a two-way transformation channel from green waters and lush mountains to gold and silver mountains.
Walking into Yuangudui Village, Tianjiahe Township, Weiyuan County, lilies are growing vigorously in the fields, sika deer are leisurely foraging in the forest, and in the village parlor, staff are skillfully making freshly ground coffee. The rich aroma of coffee blends wonderfully with the fresh earthy smell of the mountains, creating a unique harvest atmosphere in the countryside. “A good ecology is our greatest confidence for development.” Dong Jianxin, secretary of the Party branch of Yuangudui Village, revealed the secret of rural development.
This village, which was once selected as the "Best Poverty Alleviation Case in the World", has successfully transformed into a national 4A-level tourist attraction by relying on its continuously improving ecological resources and vigorously developing the integrated agriculture, culture and tourism industry. Wu Guanglin, a villager in Yuangudui Village, returned to his hometown early to open a farmhouse, and the business is getting more and more prosperous. "Guarding the good mountains and rivers at the source of the Weishui River, we can serve this bowl of 'ecological rice' safely and eat it deliciously."
The picture shows Yuangudui Village, taken from above, surrounded by greenery and booming industry. Photo by Li Long
The vital seeds of ecological empowerment have now taken root and sprouted in every industrial corner of Weiyuan. In the flower base on the banks of the Wei River, butterfly orchids are in full bloom, and their products are exported to many cities such as Guangzhou and Chengdu. Northern towns such as Luyuan Town and Qinqi Township in Weiyuan County rely on the plateau ecological environment to plant 78,000 acres of plateau summer vegetables on a large scale. It has driven the per capita net vegetable income of local farmers to exceed 1,500 yuan. Relying on the high-quality and clean Tao River water resources, Xiacheng and rural areas of the county have vigorously developed the ecological cold-water fish breeding industry, turning the dormant cold water resources into "living water" that can increase people's income.
Standing at a new starting point at the beginning of the "15th Five-Year Plan", Weiyuan County will continue to expand its ecological comparative advantages, continue to cultivate a green foundation, improve and strengthen ecological characteristic industries, and steadily embark on a sustainable development path of ecological beauty, industrial prosperity, and people's prosperity, so that the beautiful picture of "Green Weiyuan" will spread more magnificently and longer at the source of the Wei River.
