6
Z. Xie
increase and the Chinese government launched the “33211” and “One Control and
Two Standards” environmental improvement projects. In 1998, the National Environmental Protection Agency was reorganized into the State Environmental Protection
Administration.
After the political turmoil of 1989 in China, the drastic changes in Eastern Europe,
and the disintegration of the Soviet Union, Deng Xiaoping recognized the necessity
of economic reform and opening-up in speeches during his South China tour in
1992. At that time the Yangtze River Delta was developing rapidly and there was a
building frenzy across the country involving nearly 10,000 economic development
zones and industrial parks. However, rapid economic development led to a drop in
arable land and serious environmental degradation and pollution. There was a folk
song at the time, depicting the deterioration of water quality in the Huaihe River.
According to the song, water in in the Huaihe River could be used to wash rice
and vegetables in the 1950s, irrigate farmland in the 1960s; then the water was
seriously polluted in the 1970s and almost all fish and shrimps died in the 1980s. In
the 1990s, the water quality further deteriorated, drawing attention from the whole
society. In the meantime, environmental issues such as damages to the ecosystem,
soil erosion, and desertification became increasingly serious. Sandstorms in Beijing
become increasingly fierce, and major ecological disasters such as drying up of a
section of the Yellow River and flooding of the Yangtze River occurred frequently.
In order to solve these problems, the Standing Committee of the National People’s
Congress accelerated environmental protection legislation. In December 1989, the
Environmental Protection Law was revised and officially promulgated. In the 1990s,
the Air Pollution Prevention and Control Law and the Water Pollution Prevention and
Control Law were revised, and the Solid Waste Pollution Prevention and Control Law
and the Noise Control Law were formulated and promulgated. China’s legal system
for environment protection began to take shape. At the same time, the “33211”
pollution control project, which was the first large-scale pollution control project
in China, was launched. “33211” means three rivers (Huaihe River, Haihe River,
and Liaohe River), three lakes (Dianchi Lake, Taihu Lake, and Chaohu Lake); two
control areas (sulfur dioxide and acid rain control areas), one city (Beijing) and one
sea (the Bohai Sea). The “33211” project started from addressing water pollution
in the Huaihe River. According to the requirements of the State Council, all key
factories in the Huaihe River Basin must meet the wastewater discharge standards by
midnight on December 31, 1997, and all factories that failed to do so would be shut
down for rectification. In 1995, then Vice Premier Zou Jiahua and State Councilor
Song Jian, on behalf of the State Council, listened to the report on the Chinese
government’s work concerning environmental protection and set out the goal that by
2000, the country’s gross pollutant discharge should not be higher than that of 1995
and all environmental function zones and industrial pollution sources should meet
relevant standards (i.e., as set out for the “One Control and Two Standards” project).
During this period, the primary method adopted to control gross pollutant discharge
was offsetting pollutant discharge from new projects by reducing discharge from
other pollution sources in the same area. During the same period, China also began
Z. Xie
increase and the Chinese government launched the “33211” and “One Control and
Two Standards” environmental improvement projects. In 1998, the National Environmental Protection Agency was reorganized into the State Environmental Protection
Administration.
After the political turmoil of 1989 in China, the drastic changes in Eastern Europe,
and the disintegration of the Soviet Union, Deng Xiaoping recognized the necessity
of economic reform and opening-up in speeches during his South China tour in
1992. At that time the Yangtze River Delta was developing rapidly and there was a
building frenzy across the country involving nearly 10,000 economic development
zones and industrial parks. However, rapid economic development led to a drop in
arable land and serious environmental degradation and pollution. There was a folk
song at the time, depicting the deterioration of water quality in the Huaihe River.
According to the song, water in in the Huaihe River could be used to wash rice
and vegetables in the 1950s, irrigate farmland in the 1960s; then the water was
seriously polluted in the 1970s and almost all fish and shrimps died in the 1980s. In
the 1990s, the water quality further deteriorated, drawing attention from the whole
society. In the meantime, environmental issues such as damages to the ecosystem,
soil erosion, and desertification became increasingly serious. Sandstorms in Beijing
become increasingly fierce, and major ecological disasters such as drying up of a
section of the Yellow River and flooding of the Yangtze River occurred frequently.
In order to solve these problems, the Standing Committee of the National People’s
Congress accelerated environmental protection legislation. In December 1989, the
Environmental Protection Law was revised and officially promulgated. In the 1990s,
the Air Pollution Prevention and Control Law and the Water Pollution Prevention and
Control Law were revised, and the Solid Waste Pollution Prevention and Control Law
and the Noise Control Law were formulated and promulgated. China’s legal system
for environment protection began to take shape. At the same time, the “33211”
pollution control project, which was the first large-scale pollution control project
in China, was launched. “33211” means three rivers (Huaihe River, Haihe River,
and Liaohe River), three lakes (Dianchi Lake, Taihu Lake, and Chaohu Lake); two
control areas (sulfur dioxide and acid rain control areas), one city (Beijing) and one
sea (the Bohai Sea). The “33211” project started from addressing water pollution
in the Huaihe River. According to the requirements of the State Council, all key
factories in the Huaihe River Basin must meet the wastewater discharge standards by
midnight on December 31, 1997, and all factories that failed to do so would be shut
down for rectification. In 1995, then Vice Premier Zou Jiahua and State Councilor
Song Jian, on behalf of the State Council, listened to the report on the Chinese
government’s work concerning environmental protection and set out the goal that by
2000, the country’s gross pollutant discharge should not be higher than that of 1995
and all environmental function zones and industrial pollution sources should meet
relevant standards (i.e., as set out for the “One Control and Two Standards” project).
During this period, the primary method adopted to control gross pollutant discharge
was offsetting pollutant discharge from new projects by reducing discharge from
other pollution sources in the same area. During the same period, China also began