“We have enjoyed so many benefits since the park was built. It is far much better than the time we farmed here,” Feng Kexun, a villager of Guihua Village said. His lifestyle has been gradually changed with the Phoenix Ecological Park built near his house.

Now, Feng Kexun offers local food and accommodation in his house to visitors from cities. He told reporters that his income had also increased. So, why does this park have such great influences? With the comprehensive treatment for the Zhijin River by authorities of Zhijin County of Bijie City of southwest China’s Guizhou Province, this scenic wetland park shows their relentless efforts and determination to improve the local environment.

“Contaminatedwaterfrom mining activities” become clear, wasteland turned into an ecological park

In the past, the water from the Zhijin River was polluted by coal mines. Feng Kexun recalled, “polluted water is not good for planting any crops. The water was so yellow that we were worried it may harm crops.” Because of the barren land, Feng  had to go to Guiyang, Zhejiang, and Shanghai to find a job, earning one to two thousand yuan a month.

Nowadays, the Zhijin River has been cleaned up through the water environment treatment, and an ecological park free for public also built. Living necessities are not problem for him. Sometimes, he even has free time to walk in the park at night. The park looks more beautiful at night in the dots of light. Like Feng Kexun, some villagers have also engaged in the business of agritainment, pursuing a better village life by their diligence.

How can “contaminated water from mining activities” become clear again?

The reporter came to the Phoenix Ecological Park. Scenic spots such as Time Island, Cherry Blossom Island, Batik Plaza are scattered in the park. The vast clear water is sparkling, reflecting the blue sky and white clouds in the distance. In addition, water from the Fengyi Lake, an artificial lake, even reaches the standard of drinking water.

According to Zhang Feng, general manager of Guizhou Zhijin Shuiyun Ecological Environment Co., Ltd., in order to restore the Zhijin River, the Phoenix Ecological Park was built on the upper side of the River, with the Fengyi Lake conserving the water. At the same time, other measures were also taken. For example, The company set up 19 dams to deposit contaminated impurities by reducing the fluidity of the water, and purify them through aquatic animals. In so doing, the water quality has been gradually improved. In addition, residents’ domestic sewage is diverted and discharged separately with the help of water saving measures.

Phase I PPP project of Zhijin water environment comprehensive governance project is built for Zhijin County section of Zhijin River with around 21 kilometers length. The project is expected to include Phoenix Ecological Containment Zone (Phoenix Ecological Park), Maoshajing Park, Baozhen Lake Park and the river landscape linking each theme park. Meanwhile, some other constructions in the projects will also be activated like sewage trunk pipe, relocation of strong electricity between Phoenix Ecological Park and Baozhen Lake Park, water supply pipeline reconstruction between Yujing River and water plant, reconstruction of S209 Provincial Highway, Huahong Road Network and so on.

“The most difficult part of water environment management lies in project specifics, which all takes a long time to fulfill.” Zhang Feng told the reporter, “Local residents’ domestic sewage will be connected to the trunk pipe step by step and a sewage treatment plant will be built downstream to form an integrated system. Then the water quality of the entire Zhijin River can reach the water quality standard for scenic rivers.”

Migratory birds land here

The scenic ecological environment has provided a comfortable home for migratory birds. Luo Laizhi, deputy director of Housing and Urban Rural Development Bureau of Zhijin County, led reporters to the bird watching zone in the migratory bird reservation. A white migratory bird happened to flap its wings and landed on the wetland to rest.

Luo Laizhi introduced that this is the place that migratory birds must pass from north to south. Therefore, the migratory bird reservation was built with an area of 5.56 hectares, with a total investment of 20.46 million yuan. In order to attract migratory birds and form a habitat of complete ecological cycle, arbor fruit trees favored by the birds were planted, and more than 40,000 fish fry were raised in two batches. “After its completion, this place has become a permanent residence for many migratory birds such as egrets, gray egrets and mandarin ducks. In autumn, the number of migratory birds reaches more than 300 at most, and usually there are about 20 to 50.”

He said that the green space, wetland and water conservation could not only purify the water body, but also provide a pleasant aquatic environment to protect biological diversity and improve the ecological environment of the section of the Zhijin River basin.

Green rivers and mountains make people delighted

In addition to attracting migratory birds, the scenery of the park has also become a natural background for “fantastic pictures”. At present, some wedding photography brands have been attracted to the park. Jiang Zhihong, director of the Operation and Maintenance Department of Guizhou Zhijin Shuiyun Ecological Environment Co., Ltd., is also thinking about how to combine business and culture tourism together in the park. He introduced that the park was attracting investments for stores, cruises, bicycles for sightseeing.

The north area of the Phoenix Ecological Park has been completed and the south area is under construction. After its completion, a tourism belt will be formed with Zhijin Grand Canyon, Zhijin Cave and other tourist attractions all included to promote the development of tourism in Zhijin County.

Feng Kexun told reporters happily that his farmhouse for entertainment had been reported by the media because of its unique style. “In the past, the water was turbid. Later, the park was built and there were all gorgeous natural scenery, which eased people’s mind.”