Ecological Huairou

Honolulu （USA）， Vladivostok（Russia）， and Bali （Indonesia） successively hosted the AsiaPacific Economic Cooperation （APEC） meetings from 2011 to 2013. Huairou， a suburban district of Beijing， became host of the 2014 APEC summit. Compared to the previous famous resort cities， Huairou is not a natural successor. It has endured monumental change： Formerly barren land plagued by deforestation is now Beijing’s backyard garden after landscape restoration.

Green Relay

Nicknamed “the north gate” of Beijing， Huairou has always served as a natural ecological shield for the capital’s water conservation. About 97 percent of its area conserves sources of quality drinking water for the capital.

Huairou natives have long been able to make livings in the mountains. Born in northernmost Labagoumen Village in Huairou， 46-year-old Peng Xingdong recalls chopping down trees for firewood when he was young. “Looking for the best firewood， we cut down a lot of trees，” he remarks.

“Back then， rural areas lacked resources，” notes Peng Tianming， vice president of Huairou Bureau of Landscape and Forestry. He was stunned by the situation in late 1970s. “Even leaves were collected for kindling， leaving bald mountains and naked rocks.”

After China’s reform and opening up， the Chinese government implemented a series of projects including the “Three North” Forest Shelterbelt to restore the country’s ecological environment. Huairou began to plant trees around hillsides to facilitate afforestation and banned logging， so the forests and vegetation gradually recovered. Peng Tianming and his colleagues have kept busy working in the mountains and fields. “It is said that it takes ten years to grow a tree，” remarks Peng. “Our work differs from others. The effects happen slowly. It is like a relay that needs many generations to be completed.”

After unremitting efforts over three decades， Huairou residents are finally finding their hometown greener. Especially since 2000， with policy support from both the central government and Beijing local authorities， Huairou has carried out three major projects which drastically improved its environment. The Beijing-Tianjin Sandstorm Source Control Project， for example， invested 407 million yuan to plant tens of thousands of trees and benefit thousands of local farmers， who deemed the project an “ecological bank.” By the end of 2013， the greening rate of Huairou District had reached 77.7 percent and forest coverage 54.08 percent， levels topping everywhere else in Beijing municipality. In some areas of the district， forest coverage hits 90 percent， making it a true “backyard garden” of the capital.

In the early days， however， locals didn’t understand Peng’s efforts. “It is understandable，” remarks Peng. “These people have lived in， grown up and made a living in the mountains for generations， and then we tell them they are no longer allowed to cut down trees， which only makes their everyday lives more difficult. Certainly they have complaints.” But along with environmental improvements， the local people are now benefiting from forest protection and tourism development. Their environmental awareness changed quietly.

Ecology + Economy

Along the Baihe River， travelers will find billboards advertising rural family inns， with some in Baihe North Village. Sitting on the northern bank of Baihe River and surrounded by mountains， Baihe North Village is graced by a pristine river. The village head is 33-year-old Zhang Jinlin. After he retired from the army， Zhang worked as a waiter in a chain restaurant and later became the manager of a retail store. Five years ago， he saw neighboring villages open rural family inns one after another， but only one or two households in his village had the amenities to receive visitors. Zhang became so worried that he decided to run for village head. He won the election. Since then， he has endeavored to lead his villagers in renovating the village.

Today’s Baihe North Village is composed of cookie-cutter two-story countryside villas， each covering an area of about 300 square meters with a large courtyard. Along with double-bed rooms， Zhang’s household inn boasts Japanese tatami-style rooms and family suites. Decorated with various wind chimes， every room’s balcony includes a bench long enough for a family to appreciate the surrounding landscape. Watercolor paintings featuring scenery of Baihe River Valley adorn the walls in the courtyard， in which guests can entertain themselves by chatting， singing， watching movies and playing games.

“Only when the owner is comfortable in the inn will guests be satisfied，” opines Zhang. “I wanted to set up a quality rural inn.” Zhang worked hard to correct local habits of littering everywhere and called for them to use unified doorplates， bedding and menus. During down time after weekends and holidays， he organizes villagers to clean up the entire village to decrease the damage caused by tourists to the environment.

“Villages around Baihe River Valley used to be poverty-stricken，” notes Peng Xingdong， a chief official of Mountain Areas Construction Office of Agricultural Committee of Huairou District. In 2013， the average per capita annual income of farmers in nine villages in the area reached 18，000 yuan， a 91-percent increase since 2007. And 80 percent of the income comes from suburban tourism.

According to Peng Xingdong， in 2008， the 2nd Beijing Mountain Area Meeting first proposed the development of a “valley economy，” which promotes the establishment of industrial zones featuring agricultural tourism， countryside culture and nature experience. With a unified plan that treats each valley and gully as a unit， the“valley economy” aims to increase farmers’ income and accelerate local development. Against this background， Baihe River Valley became a model for others as a pristine example of the development mode， and brought great changes to local villages.

“Public awareness is critical for green projects，” declares Peng Tianming， vice president of Huairou Bureau of Landscape and Forestry. “The development mode of the ‘valley economy’ has not only greatly improved Huairou’s environment but also brought economic benefit to locals. Today， the public not only understands and supports environmental campaigns but is also actively asking for a better environment.”