River protection efforts bear fruit

Thanks to protection efforts, the share of surface water with a good quality rating rose to 74.9 percent last year, while only 3.4 percent was rated below Grade V.

The improvement was made possible by the importance attached to ecological protection by the top leadership. On many of his inspection tours, Xi has inspected work to protect major local rivers.

Apart from the Yangtze, he has emphasized the importance of ecological protection of the Yellow River, known as China's "mother river". "The protection of the Yellow River is critical to the great rejuvenation and sustainable development of the Chinese nation," Xi said, adding that it is a major national strategy.

Since August 2018, Xi has checked the Yellow River at least four times during inspection tours to various provinces and regions.

In 2016, the general offices of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the State Council jointly issued a document to implement a river keeper system nationwide. The system, established across the country in 2018, names top local officials as river chiefs and makes them responsible for protecting water resources, controlling and preventing pollution, and restoring aquatic ecosystems.

Seeds of hope

As the national joint center's program and the other campaigns forge ahead, more improvements to the Yangtze's ecosystem are expected.

Yan Zhongning, head of Wuhan's ecology and environment bureau, said dedicated teams, such as the one headed by Wu, are an innovative solution to problems faced by the Yangtze.