Lingshan Island, a provincial-level nature reserve in Qingdao West Coast New Area, has been practicing the concept that "clear waters and green mountains are invaluable assets" to build a new model of modernization where humanity and nature develop in harmony.

Looking down from the air, Lingshan Island is like a giant whale lying across the sparkling sea in the Lingshan Bay area. It takes about 40 minutes to reach the island by boat from the Jimiya port area.

An aerial photo of Lingshan Island [Photo/VCG]

"The land area of Lingshan Island is 7.66 square kilometers, and the forest coverage rate is 80 percent. The responsibility of the nature reserve is to protect biodiversity, which refers to marine life, birds, geology and landform, and trees," said Jiang Xia, a local official.

According to Jiang, Lingshan Island has since 1986 turned 233 hectares of farmlands to forests.

"It's our responsibility to protect the trees on the island," said a local villager surnamed Feng, who was standing in front of a six-meter-high boxwood tree. "Boxwood is known as the 'King of the Forest', and this tree has been growing for more than 800 years. We all know that this tree is precious. No one has broken even a twig."

Lingshan Island boasts pleasant views. [Photo/VCG]

According to official statistics, Lingshan Island is home to 324 species of plants. There are 13 famous trees that are more than 100 years old.

"While various measures have been taken to raise people's awareness of caring for the ocean, a centralized clean-up campaign has been carried out since 2019 to clean up more than 5,900 cages in 11 seafood breeding zones, effectively reducing the marine ecological load," said Si Qingye.

"We have also recruited more than 150 marine environmental protection volunteers to carry out public welfare activities such as salvaging marine garbage to maintain the ecology of Lingshan Island," added Si.

Ecological protection has made Lingshan Island more livable and picturesque, attracting more and more tourists. With the increasing number of tourists, local residents and tourism enterprises have opened restaurants and homestays on the island, greatly increasing local villagers' income.

Lingshan Island is a heaven of peace and tranquility. [Photo/VCG]