An aerial photo shows a view of the Yellow River bed in Luoyang, Central China's Henan province. [Photo by Zeng Xianping/For chinadaily.com.cn]

Qihe county in Dezhou, Shandong province has been beefing up efforts to steadily implement the national strategy for ecological protection and high-quality development of the Yellow River basin in recent years.

Qihe, located in the northwest plain region of Shandong, faces Jinan, the provincial capital across the Yellow River, which winds 62.5 kilometers through Qihe.

Originating in Qinghai province, the 5,464-kilometer Yellow River, which is the second-longest river in China, runs through nine provincial regions. It is also known as China's "Mother River" and the cradle of Chinese civilization. The Yellow River basin is an important ecological barrier and is strategically significant for China's national development and modernization.

Since the 18th CPC National Congress in 2012, Qihe has adhered to the principle that lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets, and has taken comprehensive steps to advance ecological conservation, promote afforestation and improve the urban and rural living conditions.

Focusing on targeted, scientific and law-based pollution control, Qihe has made concerted efforts to reduce carbon emissions and pollution, expand green development, and increase production efficiency.

Local authorities have incorporated the goal of peaking carbon emissions and achieving carbon neutrality into the overall plan for economic and social development and building an ecological civilization.

Qihe has been awarded the "national ecological civilization construction demonstration area". It has won various honorary titles such as national green model county, national garden city, national one-for-all tourism demonstration area, and one of China's top 100 rural vitalization demonstration counties.

Qihe has tapped into the Yellow River cultural resources to promote cultural and tourism development along the Yellow River.

The county has built a wetland park along the Yellow River with a total investment of 880 million yuan ($131.82 million). Spanning an area of 1,000 hectares, the park has become an important habitat for migrant birds.