China’s Philosophy on Development
of an Ecological Civilization
Weimin Yang
1 Spatial Development
Development encompasses economic development, human development, and
sustainable development, which have different meanings and goals. At the policy
level, they should be put together in a specific space to be meaningful; to look at
them separately and abstractly will not make much sense.
Beijing has enjoyed remarkable economic development and social progress. It
provides high-quality public services and is home to China’s best universities and
hospitals. However, the city has been grappling with poor air quality over the years,
and blue skies with white clouds are a common wish of people living in Beijing.
How to achieve sustainable development poses a great challenge to Beijing.
Shenzhen has overtaken Hong Kong to rank 5th among Asian cities by GDP and is
reputed for innovation in the world. However, more than 80% of the city’s population
lives in “urban villages” where the living environments are not satisfactory. For every
single individual, without a stable and good living environment, development and
wellbeing would be merely an empty talk. Therefore, human development is a major
issue for Shenzhen.
Sanjiangyuan, or the Three-River-Source, is situated on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau,
which is known as “the Third Pole of the Earth.” It is an important ecological shelter
and water conservation area in China and even Asia and also an area sensitive to
climate change. Economic activity there will not only have great impact on China’s
natural environment but also on global climate change. Therefore, China has set up
the Three-River-Source National Park in a bid to protect the region to the greatest
extent. However, the development of people living in Sanjiangyuan is an important
issue. The solution is to encourage local residents, mainly Tibetans, to be ecological
W. Yang (B)
Committee on Economic Affairs, The National Committee of CPPCC, Beijing, China
General Office of the Central Leading Group for Financial and Economic Affairs, Beijing, China
© China Environment Publishing Group Co., Ltd. 2021
J. Pan et al. (eds.), Beautiful China: 70 Years Since 1949 and 70 People’s Views
on Eco-civilization Construction, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-33-6742-5_25
259
of an Ecological Civilization
Weimin Yang
1 Spatial Development
Development encompasses economic development, human development, and
sustainable development, which have different meanings and goals. At the policy
level, they should be put together in a specific space to be meaningful; to look at
them separately and abstractly will not make much sense.
Beijing has enjoyed remarkable economic development and social progress. It
provides high-quality public services and is home to China’s best universities and
hospitals. However, the city has been grappling with poor air quality over the years,
and blue skies with white clouds are a common wish of people living in Beijing.
How to achieve sustainable development poses a great challenge to Beijing.
Shenzhen has overtaken Hong Kong to rank 5th among Asian cities by GDP and is
reputed for innovation in the world. However, more than 80% of the city’s population
lives in “urban villages” where the living environments are not satisfactory. For every
single individual, without a stable and good living environment, development and
wellbeing would be merely an empty talk. Therefore, human development is a major
issue for Shenzhen.
Sanjiangyuan, or the Three-River-Source, is situated on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau,
which is known as “the Third Pole of the Earth.” It is an important ecological shelter
and water conservation area in China and even Asia and also an area sensitive to
climate change. Economic activity there will not only have great impact on China’s
natural environment but also on global climate change. Therefore, China has set up
the Three-River-Source National Park in a bid to protect the region to the greatest
extent. However, the development of people living in Sanjiangyuan is an important
issue. The solution is to encourage local residents, mainly Tibetans, to be ecological
W. Yang (B)
Committee on Economic Affairs, The National Committee of CPPCC, Beijing, China
General Office of the Central Leading Group for Financial and Economic Affairs, Beijing, China
© China Environment Publishing Group Co., Ltd. 2021
J. Pan et al. (eds.), Beautiful China: 70 Years Since 1949 and 70 People’s Views
on Eco-civilization Construction, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-33-6742-5_25
259