Lanzhou, Gansu Province, was once a transportation hub, military stronghold, and commercial center along the ancient Silk Road, and is also the only provincial capital city through which the Yellow River flows. In recent years, Lanzhou has restored the clarity of its river water through measures such as the investigation and rectification of sewage outlets, the expansion and upgrading of sewage treatment plants, and the treatment of black and odorous water bodies. The water quality of the Yellow River section in Lanzhou has achieved excellent rates in both national and provincial control sections, with the water quality of the exit section consistently reaching Class II and even jumping to Class I in annual exit section assessments. The ecological environment along both banks of the Yellow River has been increasingly improved. The picture shows the scenery along both banks of the Yellow River in Lanzhou on a certain date in a certain year. Photo by Chen Bin/Xinhua News Agency.

The Yellow River Basin is a crucial ecological barrier and an important economic zone in China. However, accumulated issues over the years have left the ecological environment in the Yellow River Basin still fragile: among the major river basins in the country, the Yellow River Basin has the highest proportion of soil erosion in terms of land area; the ecological environment in the upper, middle, and lower reaches is prone to degradation, with recovery being extremely difficult and slow; and in some areas, the intensity of pollution emissions is relatively high.

——In the upper reaches of the Yellow River, conserve water sources, and protect the "Water Tower of China."

Nowadays, the total water resources in Qinghai Province have significantly increased, annually stabilizing the delivery of over 100 million cubic meters of Class II or higher quality water to the middle and lower reaches. The wetland area has risen to the top in the nation, biodiversity has noticeably enhanced, and the ecological system's service functions have steadily improved. The "Tower of Chinese Water" has become even more robust and abundant.

——In the middle reaches of the Yellow River, water and sand are managed, and green hues are painted on the Loess Plateau.

In northern Shaanxi, the cities of Yan'an and Yulin are largely located in the loess plateau hilly and gully region, which is the area with the most severe soil erosion in the upper and middle reaches of the Yellow River.

Gaoxigou Village, Mizhi County, Yulin City, is located in a small valley of the loess plateau hilly and gully region. Once known as "barren mountains and frequent disasters," it has now transformed into "terraced fields winding up the hills and forests covering the slopes," with the villagers' mountain apples becoming the "golden eggs" of wealth. The villagers proudly say, "Now the Yellow River no longer carries the sediment from Gaoxigou."

—In the lower reaches of the Yellow River, constructing ecological corridors to continuously improve the riverbank ecology.

The Yellow River Delta, a young land formed by the deposition of countless sediments, nurtures boundless vitality and hope. Various plants constitute the largest newly formed wetland natural vegetation area along China's coast, where more than 10,000 migratory birds pass through and overwinter each year, and numerous fish species spawn and reproduce...

On the date, at the 44th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, the Yellow (Bohai) Sea Migratory Bird Habitat (Phase II) in China successfully passed the evaluation, and the nomination sites including the Yellow River Estuary in Dongying, Shandong, were expanded and included in the World Heritage List.

For more content, please refer to the Xinhua News Agency reporter's article "The Nine-Bend Yellow River, New Vistas".

Source: Qiushi Net Planning: Zhou Zhaocheng Xu Wenyan

Production: Tang Baolan

Review: Yan Yuqing

Producer: Li Da