An Ecological Gem in Western Hangzhou

November 30， 2009 was a big day for Lin’an， a scenic county-level city in the west of Hangzhou. On the day， a foundation-laying ceremony was held in Lin’an， marking the launch of the Science Innovation Base of Zhejiang. The 5-km2 “Silicon Valley” is designed to serve as the top-class incubator of Zhejiang’s “brain” economy. Thanks largely to its well-preserved ecology， Lin’an triumphed in a fierce competition of five rivals for hosting this high-tech base. With about 77% of its land covered by forests， Lin’an is a national-grade forest city.

Like a shiny emerald gem embedded in the Yangtze River Delta， Lin’an sits deep in the mountainous northwestern Zhejiang. The bubbling streams from its mountains and peaks are part of the headwaters of the Taihu Lake (which sits between Zhejiang and Jiangsu Province) and the Qiantang River (the mother river of Zhejiang Province). The Tianmu Mountains and the Qingliang Peak in Lin’an are respectively a national nature reserve and a national forest park where rare fauna and flora such as spotted deer and Sinocalycanthus chinensis flourish. Encircled by mountains and rivers， Lin’an is compared by some poets to a symphony of colors and views.

Lin’an has the greatest number of mountains as a county-level city in the province. Mountains spread and rise to the sky， accounting for 86% of the 3126.8-km2 area of Lin’an. Of all the mountains within the city’s territory， about 650 have names.

Keeping Lin’an green is a strategy for more than two decades. Unlike many other regions in Zhejiang where development strategies are focused on something else， Lin’an focuses on its mountains for its economic prosperity and adheres to a development policy at no cost of ecology.

Agriculture is the mainstay of the local economy with the western Lin’an engaged in fruits and the eastern Lin’an engaged in bamboo products. Lin’an turns out eight leading farm products such as bamboo shoots， hickory， silkworm， and flower.

Tourism is another pillar of the local economy. There are more than 20 ecotourism destinations across the city， attracting large numbers of tourists from neighboring urban centers in the Yangtze River Delta.

Local industry has developed through the strategy of environmental protection. Outmoded manufacturers in papermaking， dying， and electroplating have been phased out over years. New investment has been introduced with the focus on advanced technology and zero pollution. The government’s strict approval system guards against any new pollution.

A great number of improvement projects have been carried out in rural and urban areas of the city with the focus on ecology improvement and elimination of pollution. Three major projects have been carried out to prevent emission from discharging into the two major river systems and Qingshan Lake. Urban sewage systems and rubbish treatment systems have been upgraded. With 1，000-strong rural ecology projects completed， more than 95% of rural towns now have solid and liquid waste treatments. A ban on fishing in the rivers was an initiative of villagers and now is adopted most willingly citywide. Five major projects have been carried out to protect existing forests， add green belts to urban areas and rural villages and highway fringes， and maintain biological diversity. Numbers of nature reserves speak convincingly: Lin’an has two national nature reserves， twelve provincial nature reserves and one national forest park.

The city’s government gives top priority to ecology in its development strategy for sustainable economic growth. For all the green endeavors and ecological successes over the past two decades， Lin’an has won more than 10 national honors and accolades.