106
L. Zhang
on Strengthening the Treatment, Utilization and Management of Industrial Waste
(June 1964) and other documents. It also held a series of meetings, including the
National Meeting on the Reuse of Wastewater for Irrigation (October 1958), National
Conference on Industrial Wastewater Treatment and Comprehensive Utilization
(November–December 1959), Second Urban Development Meeting (September–
October 1963), Urban Development Meeting (July 1965), and New Factory and
Mine Sanitation Meetings (March 1966), repeatedly calling for actions to strengthen
the management of urban and industrial waste. At the National Conference on Industrial Wastewater Treatment and Comprehensive Utilization, the Chinese government
demanded that the treatment of industrial wastewater be taken as an integral part of
the design of new factories. For the first time, the idea of “three simultaneous” was
proposed at a central meeting or in a central government’s document. The Interim
Sanitary Standards for Design of Industrial Enterprises was revised and renamed
as Sanitary Standards for Design of Industrial Enterprises, and the revised document was promulgated in April 1963. During this period, the focus of industrial
and urban waste treatment was wastewater treatment, and the primary method was
reusing wastewater for irrigation. The reuse of wastewater for irrigation followed the
two steps of treatment and reuse, and complied with the comprehensive utilization
policy. In the meantime, some industrial enterprises were shut down, suspended,
merged, or relocated; the chaotic industrial layout was also corrected to some extent.
In early 1960, the State Council approved the Interim Regulations on Management
of Radioactive Materials, which included provisions on the prevention of radioactive
pollution.
From 1960 to 1963, to restore the normal order of the forestry economy, the
Chinese government issued a series of policy documents, including Urgent Instructions on the Current Policy Issues of Rural Communes (November 1960), Regulations on Resolute Correction of Adjustment Errors and Compensation (June
1961), Regulations on the Determination of Forest Rights, Protection of Forests and
Forestry Development (Draft) (June 1961), Amendment to Rural Commune Regulations (September 1962), and Forest Protection Regulations (May 1963). In 1964,
the Ministry of Forestry stressed that in forest management importance should be
attached to planting, protection, harvesting and the species structure. The above regulations and policies effectively restored the normal order of the forestry economy and
played an important role in making up for the environmental damage caused by deforestation. In addition, to promote natural resources conservation and environmental
protection, the State Council issued the Instructions on Proactive Protection and
Reasonable Utilization of Wild Animal Resources (1962) and Mineral Resources
Protection Regulations (1963), and established a number of nature reserves with
comprehensive conservation functions before 1965, further improving the system of
natural resources conservation and environmental protection.
2. Environmental protection efforts of local governments from 1958 to 1969
During this period, local governments actively responded to the call of the central
government and played a more active role in environmental protection, especially
in the prevention and control of industrial pollution. This also become an important
L. Zhang
on Strengthening the Treatment, Utilization and Management of Industrial Waste
(June 1964) and other documents. It also held a series of meetings, including the
National Meeting on the Reuse of Wastewater for Irrigation (October 1958), National
Conference on Industrial Wastewater Treatment and Comprehensive Utilization
(November–December 1959), Second Urban Development Meeting (September–
October 1963), Urban Development Meeting (July 1965), and New Factory and
Mine Sanitation Meetings (March 1966), repeatedly calling for actions to strengthen
the management of urban and industrial waste. At the National Conference on Industrial Wastewater Treatment and Comprehensive Utilization, the Chinese government
demanded that the treatment of industrial wastewater be taken as an integral part of
the design of new factories. For the first time, the idea of “three simultaneous” was
proposed at a central meeting or in a central government’s document. The Interim
Sanitary Standards for Design of Industrial Enterprises was revised and renamed
as Sanitary Standards for Design of Industrial Enterprises, and the revised document was promulgated in April 1963. During this period, the focus of industrial
and urban waste treatment was wastewater treatment, and the primary method was
reusing wastewater for irrigation. The reuse of wastewater for irrigation followed the
two steps of treatment and reuse, and complied with the comprehensive utilization
policy. In the meantime, some industrial enterprises were shut down, suspended,
merged, or relocated; the chaotic industrial layout was also corrected to some extent.
In early 1960, the State Council approved the Interim Regulations on Management
of Radioactive Materials, which included provisions on the prevention of radioactive
pollution.
From 1960 to 1963, to restore the normal order of the forestry economy, the
Chinese government issued a series of policy documents, including Urgent Instructions on the Current Policy Issues of Rural Communes (November 1960), Regulations on Resolute Correction of Adjustment Errors and Compensation (June
1961), Regulations on the Determination of Forest Rights, Protection of Forests and
Forestry Development (Draft) (June 1961), Amendment to Rural Commune Regulations (September 1962), and Forest Protection Regulations (May 1963). In 1964,
the Ministry of Forestry stressed that in forest management importance should be
attached to planting, protection, harvesting and the species structure. The above regulations and policies effectively restored the normal order of the forestry economy and
played an important role in making up for the environmental damage caused by deforestation. In addition, to promote natural resources conservation and environmental
protection, the State Council issued the Instructions on Proactive Protection and
Reasonable Utilization of Wild Animal Resources (1962) and Mineral Resources
Protection Regulations (1963), and established a number of nature reserves with
comprehensive conservation functions before 1965, further improving the system of
natural resources conservation and environmental protection.
2. Environmental protection efforts of local governments from 1958 to 1969
During this period, local governments actively responded to the call of the central
government and played a more active role in environmental protection, especially
in the prevention and control of industrial pollution. This also become an important