The 359-kilometer Xin'an River starts at the foot of the Yellow Mountains in Anhui Province and extends eastwards to the west of Zhejiang Province. In 2011, a cross-provincial ecological preservation scheme was put in place.  Anhui, which lies upstream, heavily invested into measures to improve the water quality of the Xin'an River's upper reaches and the surrounding environment. Eight years on, the water quality of the Shexian County section of Xin'an River, has been improved to Grade II, the second-highest level in China's five-tier water quality system. This means that it can be used as a drinking water source.‬