The Chinese Ministry of Ecological Environment has recently announced winners of the 7th batch of demonstration areas for ecological civilization construction and practice innovation bases for “lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets”. Qingdao now boasts six national demonstration areas for ecological civilization construction after Licang District and Jimo District make the list.

As the greatest honor in China’s pursuit of ecological progress, Chinese national demonstration areas for ecological civilization construction are chosen based on ecological regimes, ecological safety, ecological space, ecological economy, ecological life and ecological culture. Winning the title highlights not only a region’s achievements in pursuit of ecological progress, but also its efforts to uphold green development philosophy to strike a balance between conservation and development. (Wu Shuai)