On the afternoon of September 18, Provincial Government Information Office held a press conference in Hangzhou. At the conference, Lishui Municipal Party Secretary Chen Ronggao gave to news media an introduction to the city's brilliant achievements in ecological construction since the founding of the People's Republic of China 60 years ago, particularly the Reform and Opening-up 30 years ago. The press conference, the fourth one of a series of news conferences with the theme of "60 Years of Brilliance in Zhejiang," attracted the attention of dozens of media at levels of the nation, province and municipality.

 Lu Jianchu, deputy minister of the Provincial Party Committee Publicity Department and Director of the Provincial Foreign Publicity Office (Information Office of Lishui Municipality) presided over the news conference. Chen Ruishang, member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Lishui Municipal Committee and Secretary of Liandu District Party Committee, and Jin Jianxin deputy mayor attended the press conference and answered questions from reporters.

Chen Ronggao said at the press conference that since the Reform and Opening-up 30 years ago, the whole city at all levels has been exploring a road to the scientific development with regional characteristics and fully implementing a three-parallel strategy that aims at building the city by ecological construction, strengthening the city by industrial developments and making the city prosperous by green projects. As a result, great achievements have been made in ecological construction.

After the strategic planning for the construction of ecological civilization which was made for the first time in the 17th CPC National Congress, our city has clearly put forward a strategic goal for ecological construction and a prosperous society, based on the greatest advantages of its ecology and the most complex topography of its mountains, so as to practise the Scientific Approaches to Development and the general strategy of  "Two Creations" put forward by Zhejiang Provincial Committee of the CPC. Our city is the first to work out and put into practice The Construction Outline for the Ecological Civilization in Lishui (2008-2020) and has been striving to become the pioneer and demonstration region of ecological civilization construction in the country.

At present, preliminary results have been achieved in the construction of ecological civilization. Its eco-economy has been developing well and fast, its ecological environment has been kept improving, and its influencial power of ecological culture has been continously strengthened. The Five Grand Projects, i.e. ecological industry, ecological concentration, ecological infrastructure, ecological conservation and ecological culture, are being carried out in good order. The Five New Appearances in Lishui, including housing, catering, leisure, tourism and business are initially made their way.

Such achievements in the construction of ecological civilization in Lishui stirred up great interest among the reporters who could not wait to ask questions at the news conference.

To the question from a reporter of Xinhua News Agency that how Lishui would balance the economical development and the eco-protection in the process of the industrial development, Chen Ronggao answered, over 20 years ago, on the road were trucks that carried wood, and on the Ou River were rafts. This sort of momentary prosperity, however, was achieved at the cost of the devastation of Lishui's ecology.

In the recent years, successive party committees and governments have recalled the past painful experience and made a determined effort to protect ecological environment on one hand and to seek economic development on the other. Through further adjustment of the ecological function areas, relocation of its mountain farmers and reform of the collective onwership of forest, namely the "three innovations" , they have solved the problems such as "where and how to explore its development", "where to relocate the population" and "where to find funds", so that what should be protected must be protected and what should be explored must be scientifically  explored. In so doing, the win-win goal that its ecology is protected and its people becomes rich is being achieved.

To the question from a reporter of Da Tung Pao, "what is in your mind the highest goal for the construction of ecological civilization?" Chen Ronggao replied, that the construction of ecological civilization does have a start point, but will never come to an end.

With a three-step approach to the construction of ecological civilization, Lishui has clearly come up with its general goals, tasks and demands, and will make great efforts to keep pace with the modernization in whole Zhejiang Province and build Lishui into a new, prosperous, democratic, civilized, harmonious city where man, nature and society co-exist harmoniously by the end of 2020. By then in Lishui its sky will be bluer, its mountain greener, its water clearer, its ecology better enhanced and its society more civilized. And the ecological effects in Lishui will bring economical effects, and clear waters and green mountains will become mines of gold and silver.

To the question from a reporter of Morning Today Newspaper, that why Lishui is called the Number One Eco-city, Chen Ronggao replied that Lishui is a national ecological demonstration zone and the largest "Natural Oxygen Bar" in East China. The total amount of forests, water, minerals, wild life and other ecological resources ranks the first in Zhejiang Province. According to the monitoring, the public satisfaction of the quality and the condition index of the ecological environment rank also the highest in the whole province. Among the 2348 candidate counties, (municipality and district) 9 counties (municipality and district) from Lishui enters top 50, and 4 of them even reach top 10, with Qingyuan County at the head of the national list. Lishui, therefore, certainly deserves the title  "the Number One Eco-city in China."

Mao Zirong, secretary-general of Lishui Municipal Committee, and leaders of the concerned departments under the municipal government attended the press conference.