On this World Environment Day, CGTN went to the city of Jinzhou in northeastern China's Liaoning province to find out about an eco-restoration project that has helped boost economic and social development.

Xue Chenglin, a 68-year-old retired art teacher, has lived in Jinzhou all his life. His paintings reflect the changes in the local landscape. He is among the 260 million residents of the city who have witnessed an environmental facelift.

"It stank along the Xiaoling river 20 to 30 years ago. Everybody knew that industrial sewage at the upper stream was discharged into the river without any treatment. No one dared to eat the fish caught there, and people would never go anywhere near the river," Xue told CGTN.

In 2014, Jinzhou vowed to resuscitate and preserve the riverside environment and conducted ecological restoration. Pressing ahead with a green facelift, the city has made every effort to live up to its promises.​

The city has taken comprehensive measures to improve the environment along its rivers. It has also built a green belt of more than 10 kilometers along the riverbank, creating a riverside fitness and recreation park shaped like a ribbon. ​

"We've overcome a number of challenges for a river that runs through the city, as the implementation of green and blue infrastructure strategies alone was not enough to support the river restoration goals. And also flood risks were kept to the minimum while rolling out the ecological remediation work," Wang Yingchao, the director of the Jinzhou housing and urban rural development bureau, told CGTN.

During president Xi Jinping's visit to Jinzhou last year, he noted that a healthy environment helps economic growth and social development, and it is what the city can take advantage of in its revitalization drive.

Jinzhou is known for its barbecues. The city's improved environment along the river has kept tourists coming back.​

"When President Xi visited Jinzhou, he spoke highly of the river's restoration project. That was a great push for our catering and tourism industries. Now I am confident to say that apart from barbecue, there is also green tourism," Li Zhi, the association president of the Jinzhou barbecue association, told CGTN at the end of the visit.

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