The Chaobai River is one of the drinkable water sources of the eastern city of Rizhao in Shandong province. With its fresh air and forests nearby, a wetland park has been built alongside the river.
But several years ago it was a very different scene, with the river filled with rubbish and weeds.
The change came about, thanks to a river cleaning program conducted within the city last year, part of a government plan to carry out systematic ecological control of 61 major rivers over a period of 5 years.
One important step has been the establishment of a system of "river chiefs," which requires officials at every level of government to take full responsibility for the protection of water resources in regions under their jurisdiction.
Wu Defeng is an official of Rizhao municipal government.
