Why does Xi care about two rare cat species?

Since 2017, Qilian county, which is part of the Qilian Mountains National Park, has spent 613 million yuan on the ecological restoration project to bring back the original look of the mountains.

With restoration efforts, Babao township today has become a well-known scenic spot, featuring picturesque scenery such as winding rivers, trickling water, snow-capped mountains and patches of shrubbery.

Herders who live nearby have also taken on new roles to protect the grassland as the province has offered ranger jobs for them.

Data provided by the Qinghai forestry and grassland administration shows that about 17,200 rangers in the province have an annual per-capita income of 21,600 yuan.

In 2020, the province offered about 1.88 billion yuan of subsidies to the farmers and herders in an ecological compensation program.

Experts noted that the concept of green development, while benefiting people, has become an important value to lead the construction of beautiful China and even to promote green and sustainable development globally.

"It is our eternal pursuit to promote harmony between man and nature and seek eco-friendly development. We will stick to the people-centered development concept, make Qinghai more beautiful and bring more benefits to the people," said Liu Tao, vice-governor of Qinghai.