After a decade of restoring and rehabilitating its local environment, Rizhao City in east China's Shandong Province has turned itself into a popular eco-tourist destination.

The city has been steadily making efforts to preserve shorelines among coastal cities, balancing economic development and environmental conservation while restoring its overused beaches.

The city authorities have declared that non-service buildings are not allowed to be built near the beach, which explains why there are no skyscrapers or residential buildings along the city's waterfront.

The rule has been so strictly implemented, leading some abandoned industrial buildings to become valuable assets for the local cultural and tourism departments.

Due to marine protection policies, buildings once used for fish breeding have turned into tourism facilities, maintaining their original characteristics.

Cui Jiucheng, director of the city's bureau of ocean and fisheries, explained the thinking behind the rule.

"If we build tall buildings between the coast and urban areas, then people can no longer see the ocean from downtown. We need to protect the beach views, to attract more tourists, and their spending here will increase the income of our residents who run tourism businesses," said Cui.

"Most customers are from mega-cities like Beijing, Nanjing and Shanghai. We earned some 300,000 to 400,000 yuan (roughly $40,000 to 55,000) last year," said Wang Zhengwen, a villager running a homestay business.

(Cover: early morning on the beach of Rizhao City, Shandong Province, east China, May 27, 2024. /CFP)