China's ancient Weihe River revitalized

Stretching over 800 kilometers with a river basin of nearly 135,000 square kilometers, the Weihe River is the largest tributary of the Yellow River, the birthplace of ancient Chinese civilization.

The capital of 13 feudal Chinese dynasties, Xi'an City, capital of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, has been nurtured by the river. Li Bai, a Chinese poet in the Tang Dynasty (618-907), famously wrote that "the clear Weihe flows forever."

By the 20th century, however, Weihe had become the only pathway for wastewater in the region. The polluted river silted up, and hardly any aquatic life survived. Holding 18 percent of Shaanxi's water resources, the river took in 80 percent of the province's industrial wastewater and domestic sewage.

In October 2008, the Weihe River governance project was launched in Xi'an, the largest ever conducted in the province. The Xi'an Economic and Technological Development Zone, built across the river, has become the main site for the project. Ecological governance has been improved on both sides of the river, making the natural corridor serve the entire city of Xi'an.

Since 2008, Xi'an has used recycled water to form a lake area of nearly 100 hectares, creating a multifunctional ecological space.

"We save 400 million cubic meters of water a year, which is equivalent to the volume of four large reservoirs," said a staff member at the Xi'an water conservation service center. The city's recycled water utilization rate has increased from less than 3 percent to 34.3 percent on an annual basis.

In Luochuan County, Yan'an City, an integrated water and fertilizer irrigation project has been built. It delivers water and fertilizer to the roots of fruit trees, making efficient use of water resources.

"We used to carry water from afar. It took two persons to irrigate four mu (about 0.3 hectares) of a crop field in about three days. Now I can finish the work in half a day by myself," said a local apple farmer.

In the dry and rainless Mizhi County, the yield of millet has increased by 20 percent since rainwater collection and irrigation technology was adopted.

Through the unremitting efforts of several generations, the soil and water conservation area has reached 80 percent in Suide County, Yulin City. More than three-quarters of the county is covered with trees and grass, while the soil erosion has been reduced by 80 percent.

The ongoing Dongzhuang water control project in Liquan County, Xianyang City, features the largest reservoir capacity and the highest dam in Shaanxi.

It is expected to block the sandy floods that can cause serious siltation in the Weihe River, ensuring the water and electricity supply, and the safety of nearly 1.5 million people and more than 530,000 hectares of farmland in the cities of Xi'an, Xianyang and Weinan.

Due to changes in conditions and the hydrological environment, the Weihe River is no longer used for shipping, but modern industries are booming on both sides. More than 80 key projects in the zone were developed in 2023 alone, absorbing investment of more than 200 billion yuan.

A modern industrial system has been formed, featuring automobiles, new materials and high-end equipment manufacturing, opening up a distinctive path for regional innovation and development.

(Cover: The Weihe River ecological scenic area in Xi'an City, Shaanxi Province, northwest China, July 26, 2024. /CFP