Chongqing - On October 10, Bridging News reporter took a deep dive into the wonders of Liangping County, landing at the Shuanggui Lake National Wetland Park. The visits to bird-watching platforms, biodiversity monitoring stations, and the Ecological Civilization Exhibition Hall provide an interactive insight into the achievements of Liangping's ecological protection and development.
A stunning view of the Shuanggui Lake National Wetland Park. (Photo/Zheng Junxing)
Shuanggui Lake has undergone an extraordinary transformation over the years, evolving into a spectacle worth seeing today.
In the past, few people were eager to visit the site. "I never wanted to come here before," admitted Yang Xiuyong. Shuanggui Lake was once a polluted reservoir, contaminated by excessive fertilizer use from aquaculture activities, which darkened the water and produced a foul smell.
Around 2010, the Liangping District resolved to rehabilitate the reservoir, converting it into a wetland park and restoring its clear blue waters. The district's forestry bureau spearheaded an effort to consult with experts and scholars on developing both the city and lake as a harmonious entity.
The goal was to enable the wetlands and the city to coexist while preserving the ecological environment, providing recreational spaces for residents, enhancing the city's image, and attracting tourists.
In line with the wetland's development, Liangping adopted a "strict protection and natural restoration" policy to maintain the area's original characteristics as much as possible.
By 2015, Shuanggui Lake National Wetland Park had received approval as a pilot construction project. Illegal structures near the lake were removed, over 30 aquaculture sites were shut down, and over 400 households were relocated to safeguard the ecosystem. Aquaculture activities are now banned within the rainwater catchment area, crops remain untreated by pesticides or fertilizers, designated no-go zones are in place, and habitats for wildlife and bird migration corridors have been established.
Liangping implemented a bird AI monitoring system to further protect the wetlands, using data analysis to create a more conducive environment for rare avian species. The district also designed smart lakeside walking paths tailored to local conditions and set up informational signage to educate both citizens and tourists on appreciating and protecting the natural landscape.
Today, Shuanggui Lake stands as a haven for both birds and people. The wetlands are now home to 182 vertebrate species, including several nationally protected ones. The area also hosts 706 higher plant species, such as ferns and Chinese swamp cypresses, likewise under national protection. During the winter, tens of thousands of migratory birds flock to Shuanggui Lake, turning it into a seasonal sanctuary and drawing bird enthusiasts like Yang Xiuyong as regular visitors.
Image of the Glossy Ibis captured by the bird AI monitoring big data platform. (Photo/Zheng Xuefei)
Liangping and Shuanggui Lake coexist harmoniously, with the wetlands extending from the northeast to the northwest of the city. Liangping boasts nearly 20,000 hectares of wetland resources, a wetland coverage of nearly 11%, and a wetland protection rate of 52%.
Through comprehensive water management and the nurturing of wetlands, in November 2022, Liangping was awarded the "International Wetland City" certification at the 14th Meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands (COP14). It became the only international wetland city in the southwestern region of China, attracting tourists from home and abroad and bringing more revenue to the local tourism industry.
In recent years, leveraging its pristine ecological environment, Liangping has actively developed the electronic information industry.
"Shuanggui Lake and other wetlands are as crucial to Liangping as the West Lake is to Hangzhou. We aim to attract tourists and showcase them as a shining symbol of Liangping, attracting talent and driving industrial development," said Qian Jianchao, the Secretary of the Liangping District Committee.
Not far from Shuanggui Lake, Chongqing Pingwei Industrial Co Ltd has become one of Chongqing's largest semiconductor device packaging and testing enterprises. Relying on Pingwei Industrial, Liangping has attracted more than 20 semiconductor and related companies, establishing an integrated circuit industry chain.
The dust-free production workshop of the Chongqing Pingwei Industrial Co Ltd. (Photo/Liu Hui)
Targeting the booming pre-made food industry, Liangping has attracted nearly 200 green food enterprises, developing over 100 pre-made food products and achieving a pre-made food output value of approximately 20 billion RMB.
In 2022, the total regional GDP reached 57.72 billion RMB, with a growth rate of 4.2%, and a per capita regional GDP of 89,760 RMB, demonstrating Liangping's remarkable economic progress.