Along The Yangtze River: Cities explore ecological development

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Cities along China's Yangtze River are exploring new forms of development, and making ecological protection their top priority. CGTN's Ning Hong went to Nanjing, capital of Jiangsu province, to find out how green development is reshaping the city.

In the center of Nanjing, where the Yangtze River flows through the city, an island is now the frontier of green development experiments.

NING HONG NANJING "China is putting environmental and ecological protection at the top of its to-do list in city development. The most obvious change in cities along the Yangtze River is the increase of green space."

Wu Fan is the region's deputy chief planner. He helps regulate the scale of city development.

WU FAN, DEPUTY CHIEF PLANNER SINGAPORE-NANJING ECO HI-TECH ISLAND "We are keeping 55% of the entire island as an ecological preservation area."

A 24--kilometer river bank was fully restored green, covered with gabion to help plants grow. Trees and grasslands now surround many residential areas in the region. 

The project began in 2012. Working with Singapore, Chinese experts aim to introduce high-tech industries to boost the economy here. That includes putting low-carbon buildings in residential areas.

LU XIAOYE, EXECUTIVE GENERAL MANAGER JIANGSU BRANCH OF IFLYTECH CO, LTD "We are analyzing temperature and humidity, to control the central air-conditioning. This alone will greatly reduce energy consumption."

The environmental improvement is attracting more people to settle down, which in turn helps Nanjing become more competitive in attracting investment.