Hainan takes the green path for sustainable economic development

Hainan province will come out with more green, innovative measures to attract investors and make the province a leading global trade hub, according to officials.

"We are done with sacrificing the environment for economic growth, for now and for good, as it is by no means a way to real prosperity," said Wang Guangmin, curator of the planning exhibition hall of Lingshui Li autonomous county in Hainan province, during the anniversary of the launch of the Hainan free trade zone.

President Xi Jinping said on April 13, 2018 that Hainan island would be developed as the nation's 12th FTZ. Since then, the province has been looking to play a bigger part in the opening-up and reform process by charting development plans loaded with green, innovative efforts.

Children play at a park in Shamei village in Qionghai, Hainan province. Li Yajun / For China Daily

Located at the southeast part of Hainan island, Lingshui utilized the beneficial policies pertaining to the Hainan FTZ to transform the county into a popular destination with vast tourism resources for domestic and international tourists.

"The pilot free trade zone plan has been a big boost to our Beautiful Villages project, and is making the village an attractive tourist destination," Wang said.

Beautiful Villages is a project initiated by the Hainan provincial government in 2016 to improve the infrastructure of villages on Hainan island without damaging the environment, and transform them into tourist spots with distinct characteristics.

Local government officials said a sum of 250 million yuan ($37.31 million) has so far been spent to undertake beautification projects in Lingshui. Under the project, 20 villages have been earmarked for transformation and nine have already attained the project standard.

Such efforts have also started to bring in revenue for the county. According to data from Lingshui Tourism Association, 5.3 million tourists visited the county in 2018, a year-on-year growth of 20.9 percent. The increasing visitor flows helped generate record revenues of 3.59 billion yuan, up 20.1 percent from the same period a year earlier.