In the first half of 2019, the county saw fairly or very good air quality for 97.7 percent of days.
To achieve these results, great efforts have been made to control and manage pollution sources. A number of high-energy-consuming and high-polluting companies such as sand plants, cement plants and carpet factories were improved or closed. Green agriculture and green tourism have gathered momentum. 58 sewage treatment stations were built in 25 villages and disposable plastic bags and tableware are banned across the county.
The county also boasts a total grassland area of 4.29 million mu (286,000 hectares) with an 81.2 percent coverage rate of forest and grass. In 2018 alone, residents volunteered to plant over 700,000 trees.
Another 83 cities and counties across the country were included in the list at the awards ceremony held on Saturday in Shiyan, Central China's Hubei province.