Environmental Protection in China
in the Past 70 Years
Jinnan Wang
The development of the People’s Republic of China in the past 70 years is the greatest
miracle in the modern world. The past 70 years have seen China, with a population
of more than 1.3 billion, grow from a poor country to the second largest economy in
the world. The Chinese government has worked to keep its environmental protection
policy up to date, with emphasis shifting from the control of wastewater, exhaust
gas, and solid waste to the development of ecological civilization. With environmental protection at the center of modernization, it has proposed a grand blueprint
for building a beautiful China, and is gradually moving toward the center stage of
global environmental governance. China is joining hands with other countries to
build a community with a shared future for mankind and a clean and beautiful world.
This unprecedented ambition attracted worldwide attention. In particular, China’s
achievements in environmental protection and ecological civilization development
since the 18th National Congress of the CPC received praise and recognition from
the Chinese people and the international community.
1 Timeline of Environmental Protection in China
Since the founding of the People’s Republic of China, remarkable strides have been
made in the country in environmental protection despite some ups and downs, with
emphasis shifting from the control of wastewater, exhaust gas, and solid waste to the
development of ecological civilization and to building a beautiful China. Awareness
of the importance of environmental protection has been raised to an unprecedented
Qin Changbo also contributed to this article.
J. Wang (B)
Chinese Academy of Engineering, Beijing, China
Chinese Academy of Environmental Planning, 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_3
35
in the Past 70 Years
Jinnan Wang
The development of the People’s Republic of China in the past 70 years is the greatest
miracle in the modern world. The past 70 years have seen China, with a population
of more than 1.3 billion, grow from a poor country to the second largest economy in
the world. The Chinese government has worked to keep its environmental protection
policy up to date, with emphasis shifting from the control of wastewater, exhaust
gas, and solid waste to the development of ecological civilization. With environmental protection at the center of modernization, it has proposed a grand blueprint
for building a beautiful China, and is gradually moving toward the center stage of
global environmental governance. China is joining hands with other countries to
build a community with a shared future for mankind and a clean and beautiful world.
This unprecedented ambition attracted worldwide attention. In particular, China’s
achievements in environmental protection and ecological civilization development
since the 18th National Congress of the CPC received praise and recognition from
the Chinese people and the international community.
1 Timeline of Environmental Protection in China
Since the founding of the People’s Republic of China, remarkable strides have been
made in the country in environmental protection despite some ups and downs, with
emphasis shifting from the control of wastewater, exhaust gas, and solid waste to the
development of ecological civilization and to building a beautiful China. Awareness
of the importance of environmental protection has been raised to an unprecedented
Qin Changbo also contributed to this article.
J. Wang (B)
Chinese Academy of Engineering, Beijing, China
Chinese Academy of Environmental Planning, 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_3
35