The above photo was taken when a local resident in the Xijingtang Village of the Jiulong Lake Town was taking care of her backyard garden.

The Zhenhai District has been actively practicing the conviction that “lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets” in recent years, insisting on harmonious coexistence of human and nature, and vigorously promoting ecological construction and environmental protection. The ecological green “backyard garden” developed by the Zhenhai District presents a harmonious scene of people and nature, which greatly improves the happiness of the mass public.

At the entrance of the Jiaochuan Ecological Park, 90 landscape road racks are eye-catching with each spanning 9 meters, which is one of the largest of its kind in the city at present. Both sides of the racks are planted with mucuna and Chinese trumpet creeper, which are evergreen all the year round and have good ecological protection function while beautifying the environment.

The Jiaochuan Ecological Park, located in the center of the Jiaochuan Sub-district, is the green corridor buffer connecting the industrial area in the north and the living area in the south. The Park, covering an area of nearly 1,800mu, is like a huge green carpet, and has become the leisure “backyard garden” of the residents in the Zhenhai district. Wang Xiaofen runs the Wanrun Farm in the Park. Wang Xiaofen, born in a family of farmers, took root in the ecological garden with her love for agriculture. She is happy to harvest a variety of products, such as cherries, blueberries and oranges… “My staff and I work here in a very comfortable mood. We can often smell the fragrance of the land. I’d like to take it as the harmony between human and the nature.” Wang Xiaofen said.

The Jiaochuan Ecological Park is next to the Yingzhou Village. The villagers there witnessed the development of the Park. “I’ve lived here for over 40 years. After the Park is built, the air is much fresher. Villagers would like to take a walk in the Park every morning and evening. It’s very comfortable to see green everywhere.” Guo Yunmei, a local resident of the Yingzhou Village, said. “There are 5 roads from the Yingzhou village to the park, which is very convenient. The Dingdong natural village is about 10 meters away from the lawn of the ecological park. Villagers can feel the rural scenery in the ecological park at a close distance. This is our backyard garden.” Zhou Chao, Director of the village committee of the Yingzhou Village, said.

While in the Jiulong Lake Town, Chen Liqun, a villager of the Xijingtang Village, was taking care of her own charming backyard garden, watering and pruning the branches… She also led the local villagers to create a beautiful courtyard with skillful hands. Till the end of Year 2019, a total of 397 families in the Jiulong Lake Town created their own charming courtyards. “Everyone loves beauty, and my neighbors are greatly affected. Everyone wants to make their courtyard more beautiful. So we often talk about flowers together, and the atmosphere is very good.” Chen Liqun said.

The Jiulong Lake Wetland Park is not only the first wetland park in the Zhenhai District but also the first provincial wetland park established according to the released Regulations on Wetland Protection in Zhejiang Province. The wetland park fully relies on the ecological background of the Jiulong Lake area and the characteristics of KuTang wetland. It is divided into 4 functional areas, namely the ecological conservation area, the wetland ecological display area, the reasonable utilization area and the wetland service management area, presenting a platform for the public to enjoy leisure tourism, get close to nature, protect ecology and popularize science. In 2014, it was shortlisted in the list as one of the first batch of major provincial wetlands. “Egrets and ducks are often seen here. These 2 species demonstrate that the ecology of the Jiulong Lake is very good. The harmonious ecology of the Jiulong Lake Wetland also calls on the mass public to protect our ecological environment. The earth needs our common protection and cannot be destroyed at will.” Shen Feijun, Deputy General Manager of the Jiulong Lake Tourism Service Co., Ltd., said.

In recent years, the Zhenhai District has been integrating integrated the concept of ecological civilization into the whole process of urban-rural integration development. According to the requirements of developing a “metropolis and big garden”, Zhenhai has carried out comprehensive renovation of urban environment, promoted green creation at the grass-root level, built 5 national ecological towns (sub-districts), 5 provincial ecological towns (sub-districts), 43 provincial green units, improved the living environment, and worked hard to build an environment-friendly society with a harmonious relationship between human and the nature.