Ecological scars from abandoned mines plague regions worldwide, including South Africa's Johannesburg, where over 6,000 derelict sites and polluted waterways challenge local communities, alongside former industrial hubs across the globe. China's answer lies in the "Thousand Villages Demonstration and Ten Thousand Villages Renovation" Project, launched in east China's Zhejiang Province in 2003 under the initiative and guidance of Xi Jinping, then secretary of the Communist Party of China Zhejiang Provincial Committee, to improve rural production, living and ecological environments.

A 1,500-year-old abandoned quarry has been reborn as Huangyan Stone Caves: a global tourism sensation registering 750,000 visits and generating tens of millions of yuan in revenue in its first year. Through "architectural acupuncture," repurposed materials and a community-centric approach, it has created local jobs, boosted collective incomes and turned an ecological liability into an asset for shared prosperity.

Aligning with the ecological restoration and green development goals of China's 15th Five-Year Plan, this model delivers cost-effective, high-impact results. As China's Two Sessions proceed, what new steps will advance national ecological restoration and green development?