72
Y. Zhang
early 1950s that a mass water conservancy campaign should be carried out to control
floods. Soil and water conservation, sanitation, afforestation, and water conservancy
facility construction are the basic projects for an ecological civilization. Therefore,
the above-mentioned mass campaigns are all of great significance to ecological civilization development. On this basis, at the United Nations Conference on Human
Environment held in 1972, the Chinese delegation put forward that China’s policy
for environmental protection was “sound planning, reasonable layout, comprehensive
utilization, turning harm into benefits, relying on the masses, engaging everyone, for
the benefit of the people.” This is how the Party’s mass line was applied in environmental protection. In 1973, this policy was officially announced at the first National
Environmental Protection Conference and in 1979, it was included in the Environmental Protection Law of the People’s Republic of China (Trial). Thus, the mass line
became an important feature of China’s environment work.
After 1978, on the basis of restoring and developing the Party’s mass line, the CPC,
led by Deng Xiaoping, initiated the nationwide voluntary tree planting movement. On
February 23, 1979, the sixth meeting of the Standing Committee of the Fifth National
People’s Congress assigned March 12 to be China’s Arbor Day. On March 5, 1980,
the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council issued
the Instructions on Vigorously Promoting Tree Planting and Afforestation, requesting
people in urban and rural areas and from all walks of life be mobilized to plant
trees. On March 8, 1981, the Decision of the Central Committee of the Communist
Party of China and the State Council on Several Issues Concerning the Protection
of Forests and the Development of Forestry stated that everyone is responsible for
greening the motherland. On December 13, 1981, the Fourth Session of the Fifth
National People’s Congress adopted the Resolution on Carrying out the National
Voluntary Tree Planting Campaign, which was a call for “everyone to plant trees
every year,” citing the ancient Chinese legend of a foolish old man moves mountains
with perseverance. On the Arbor Day of 1982, the State Council issued the Measures
for the Implementation of the National Voluntary Tree Planting Campaign. This is
how the mass afforestation movement was carried out and institutionalized.
After 1992, in order to fulfill China’s solemn commitment to the international
community, proceeding from the country’s large population and low per capita
resource endowment, the CPC, led by Jiang Zemin, established sustainable development as a major strategy for the country’s modernization and began to encourage
“public participation.” In 1994, China’s Agenda 21 proposed that participation
of the public would determine how the sustainable development goals would be
achieved. Therefore, sustainable development requires support and participation of
the public and social groups. On August 3, 1996, the Decision of the State Council
on Several Issues Concerning Environmental Protection stated that China should
establish a public participation mechanism, give play to the role of social organizations, encourage the public to participate in environmental protection, report and
expose cases of violations of environmental protection laws and regulations. Thus,
public participation became an important way of applying the mass line to sustainable
development in a market economy.
Y. Zhang
early 1950s that a mass water conservancy campaign should be carried out to control
floods. Soil and water conservation, sanitation, afforestation, and water conservancy
facility construction are the basic projects for an ecological civilization. Therefore,
the above-mentioned mass campaigns are all of great significance to ecological civilization development. On this basis, at the United Nations Conference on Human
Environment held in 1972, the Chinese delegation put forward that China’s policy
for environmental protection was “sound planning, reasonable layout, comprehensive
utilization, turning harm into benefits, relying on the masses, engaging everyone, for
the benefit of the people.” This is how the Party’s mass line was applied in environmental protection. In 1973, this policy was officially announced at the first National
Environmental Protection Conference and in 1979, it was included in the Environmental Protection Law of the People’s Republic of China (Trial). Thus, the mass line
became an important feature of China’s environment work.
After 1978, on the basis of restoring and developing the Party’s mass line, the CPC,
led by Deng Xiaoping, initiated the nationwide voluntary tree planting movement. On
February 23, 1979, the sixth meeting of the Standing Committee of the Fifth National
People’s Congress assigned March 12 to be China’s Arbor Day. On March 5, 1980,
the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council issued
the Instructions on Vigorously Promoting Tree Planting and Afforestation, requesting
people in urban and rural areas and from all walks of life be mobilized to plant
trees. On March 8, 1981, the Decision of the Central Committee of the Communist
Party of China and the State Council on Several Issues Concerning the Protection
of Forests and the Development of Forestry stated that everyone is responsible for
greening the motherland. On December 13, 1981, the Fourth Session of the Fifth
National People’s Congress adopted the Resolution on Carrying out the National
Voluntary Tree Planting Campaign, which was a call for “everyone to plant trees
every year,” citing the ancient Chinese legend of a foolish old man moves mountains
with perseverance. On the Arbor Day of 1982, the State Council issued the Measures
for the Implementation of the National Voluntary Tree Planting Campaign. This is
how the mass afforestation movement was carried out and institutionalized.
After 1992, in order to fulfill China’s solemn commitment to the international
community, proceeding from the country’s large population and low per capita
resource endowment, the CPC, led by Jiang Zemin, established sustainable development as a major strategy for the country’s modernization and began to encourage
“public participation.” In 1994, China’s Agenda 21 proposed that participation
of the public would determine how the sustainable development goals would be
achieved. Therefore, sustainable development requires support and participation of
the public and social groups. On August 3, 1996, the Decision of the State Council
on Several Issues Concerning Environmental Protection stated that China should
establish a public participation mechanism, give play to the role of social organizations, encourage the public to participate in environmental protection, report and
expose cases of violations of environmental protection laws and regulations. Thus,
public participation became an important way of applying the mass line to sustainable
development in a market economy.