A view of the picturesque Sanshuiyuan Eco-tourism Resort in the Boshan district. [Photo provided to shandong.chinadaily.com.cn]
The Sanshuiyuan Eco-tourism Resort in the Boshan district of Zibo city – located in East China's Shandong province – is now in pristine condition after the development of a once barren mountain area.
Honoring China's national development concept of "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets", the local authorities are turning the area's resources into commercial gain without cutting down trees.
At the start of the development, nearly 100 million yuan ($15 million) was invested to repair the damaged mountain, improve the soil quality and plant native plants.
Some 306.67 hectares of cropland was returned back to forest, while more than 3.1 million flowers and trees were planted. In the process, the forest coverage has increased from 46.2 percent to 80 percent currently.
An aerial view of the Sanshuiyuan Eco-tourism Resort. [Photo provided to shandong.chinadaily.com.cn]
Sanshuiyuan is currently an eco-tourism resort integrating cultural tourism, leisure agriculture and homestays. Since its opening in September 2019, it has received a total of 200,000 tourists.
Locals have also benefited from local rural vitalization policies. Villagers working in Sanshuiyuan not only receive annual land transfer fees, but also a monthly average salary of more than 2,000 yuan and machinery rental fees.
"After the establishment of the Sanshuiyuan resort, the biggest change is the utilization of idle resources in the villages," said Xie Jianye, a local.
Xie added that idle houses and land are reused through land redistribution and the leasing of homes, while idle manpower – including old people or women without jobs – have received opportunities for long-term employment.
A bird's-eye view of a heart-shaped landmark in the Sanshuiyuan Eco-tourism Resort. [Photo provided to shandong.chinadaily.com.cn]
