Daqing Mountain gets additional greenery

Hohhot, capital city of Inner Mongolia autonomous region, has recently made significant achievements in environmental protection and comprehensive project management to the front slope of Daqing Mountain.
The project covers an area of 150 square kilometers, ranging from the south of Daqingshan national nature reserve in the north, to the Beijing-Tibet Expressway in the south.

Since 2012, the government has made the project a top priority, relocating and reconstructing 26 villages to plant more than 10 million trees, and shutting down enterprises which carry out prospecting and illegal mining.

A series of large greening projects are nearing completion, including Yamatu Forest Park, Halaqin Ecological Park, and Huhtala Grassland, covering land of 100,000 mu (6666.67 hectares).

To enhance protection of water resources on the front slope of Daqing Mountain, more than 260 firms were shut down due to illegal operations and pollution discharge.

In addition to greening projects, a tourism industry has developed, which is of great significance in improving the city’s environment, conserving water and boosting economic growth.

"There used to be few birds in the village, but in the last four or five years, flocks of birds have arrived,” said Liu, who has lived in Taosihao village, Xincheng district, which is at the foot of Daqing Mountain, for nearly 60 years.

Covering an area of over 12,000 mu, Halaqin Ecological Park attracts large numbers of visitors.

"It’s much cooler here than at home, and it is wonderful that we can overlook Hohhot city,” said a visitor to the park.

"It used to be a sandpit,” said Zhu Ruixiang, director of the environmental protection bureau of Xincheng district.

"Since 2013, we have demolished more than 260 factories to plant trees and grass, and now the environment has really improved a lot.”

In 2016, Xincheng district in Hohhot received 5.58 million visitors, with tourism revenue of 2.05 billion yuan ($308 million), making a significant contribution to regional economic development.

Nowadays, Hohhot enjoys a greatly improved environment and a booming economy.

The southern part of Yamatu Forest Park in Hohhot previously had no plant life. [Photo/Hohhot Daily]

The southern part of Yamatu Forest Park in Hohhot now has a large number of trees. [Photo/Hohhot Daily]