Flowers and trees breathe new life into Yantai, Shandong province during the spring as the weather becomes warmer. [Photo provided to China Daily]

East China's Shandong province recently issued the Beautiful Shandong Construction Planning Outline (2021-35), aiming to promote ecological civilization development, advance afforestation and improve the living environment in both urban and rural areas.

The planning outline defines the short-term, medium-term and long-term goals for the construction of a beautiful Shandong. By 2025, the province's green and low-carbon ecological civilization transformation and construction is expected to lead the country.

The construction of a beautiful Shandong is expected to be largely complete by 2030, and the province's level of green development will advance to a new phase. Beautiful Shandong, where people and nature live in harmony, is expected to be finished by 2035.

According to Shandong officials, this marked the first publicly released planning outline for the construction of a beautiful province nationwide.

The planning outline has put forward eight key tasks, including fully promoting green and low-carbon development, coordinating ecosystem protection and restoration, focusing on improving environmental quality, guarding the bottom line of environmental health and safety, improving the living environment in both urban and rural areas, as well as further developing the ecological culture, and improving the ability of modern environmental governance.

Since the 18th CPC National Congress, Shandong has adhered to the notion that lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets to fully promote ecological civilization development.