The National Mine Park of Suichang Gold Ore. [Photo/zjol.com.cn]

The Zhejiang Provincial Department of Natural Resources announced on Aug 5 a list of 16 exemplary cases for the province's implementation of the Two Mountains theory "that lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets".

Cities and counties across Zhejiang province have been seeking new ways to achieve sustainable, high-quality development while keeping the environment healthy. Many successful examples of this have emerged over the past few years.

The development of an eco-friendly mining economy in Suichang county, Lishui, was among the examples.

Suichang county has implemented geological prospecting projects and discovered some new mineral deposits such as fluorite, lead, zinc and geothermal energy in recent years. The county not only mined more than 11 million tons of low-grade and hard-to-select calcium fluorite resources, but also used the geothermal energy resources associated with fluorite to establish a hot spring resort and a national 4A-level mine park.