Zhang Tao, a 58-year-old gardener, has been tending to the flowers and trees in the Guanmenshan National Forest Park, Benxi City, northeast China's Liaoning Province, for nearly a decade. As Zhang tells CGTN, this job has no "off-season." 

Staff members at the forest park put in a lot efforts in preserving the greens inside the natural heaven. "Fire prevention, water quality monitoring, pest control and maintenance after tourist season - there is always something to do," said Zhang. 

Reflecting upon the concept of "Living Green and Living Better," also the theme of the ongoing International Horticulture Expo in Beijing and the upcoming World Environment Day, an increasing number of national parks in China are prioritizing nature preservation among their main operational targets. 

Many forest parks have turned down commercial projects like sky trams and river rafting, so as to leave the nature alone. Also, the idea of embracing nature and green living have received widespread acceptance not just in the province but also across the country.

"Most scenic areas have their own long-term development plans, the question is whether or not people can stick to the principles of environmental conservation that are in accordance with the rules of nature, especially while facing commercial temptations," said Tang Jingxuan, manager of the Guanmenshan National Forest Park. 

Since protecting the environment is everyone's job, changes in people's habits often reflect the progress in mainstream society. 

"When I first started working here, we had to stop tourists from picking flowers or leaving trash behind, but now people show more concern toward the environment. Raising such awareness is in line with the nature-caring manner that the expo promotes," said Tang.

(Cover image via VCG)

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