Tourists pick their way carefully across a stream in Qingyuan county. [Photo by Lei Ning/Lishui Daily]

Renowned as one of the nation's top regions for its pristine environment, Qingyuan county – located in Lishui city in East China's Zhejiang province – has a virtually unbeatable forest coverage rate which has been maintained at more than 86 percent in recent years.

In Qingyuan, the movement for protecting the environment has taken hold of its people. The county has undertaken gas, water, soil and waste control projects – as well as rolled out green industry development plans to establish an effective ecological safety barrier.

The great environment has reportedly brought new development opportunities to Qingyuan.

Lin Chenglong is an overseas Chinese resident in Spain and his wife is from Qingyuan. When he first came to the county with his spouse, he was awestruck by the majesty of the scenery there. That overwhelming feeling led him in 2018 to invest 80.55 million yuan ($12.38 million) to build a green health resort in Qingyuan.

Relying on its expansive alpine plateau covering some 40 square kilometers, Qingyuan launched the "Qingyuan 800" regional public brand to sell local traditional Chinese medicinal materials and agricultural products, focusing on the Yangtze River Delta market.

The brand has rolled out 25 endorsed agricultural products, which generated total sales in 2020 of 185 million yuan.

At the same time, the beautiful environment has boosted Qingyuan's tourism.

In recent years, the county has integrated its scenic spots and created seven themed tourist routes. It has built an environmental greenway system which stretches out more than 280 kilometers.

In addition, Qingyuan has staged various festivals and other events which have attracted hordes of visitors.