Pingyang in Wenzhou Wins Sixth Consecutive "Excellent County" Title in 2024 Beautiful Zhejiang Construction Assessment

Recently, in the newly released results of the 2024 Beautiful Zhejiang Construction Assessment, Pingyang County in Wenzhou has once again been awarded the title of"Excellent County." It stands out as the only county (city, district) in Wenzhou to have achieved this honor for six consecutive years. This hard-earned achievement stems from targeted efforts in ecological environment improvement, governance system innovation, and green, low-carbon development.

Pingyang County. Photograph provided by Pingyang Converged Media Center

In terms of strengthening its ecological foundation, Pingyang County focuses on achieving"permanent blue skies" and"ever-clear waters," adhering to source control and systematic management. As a typical representative of southern Zhejiang's water towns, Pingyang boasts an extensive river network spanning 550 kilometers with a water area covering 1866 square kilometers. To manage these resources effectively, the county introduced a"river-lake circle" governance model, dividing 1465 rivers into 17 management units, each overseen by a county-level river chief, fostering a new pattern of watershed co-governance. Additionally, it implemented"one outlet, one strategy" remediation measures for 168 discharge outlets. In 2024, the water quality at all city-controlled sections remained consistently above Grade III standards, with the Pingrui Tang River being recognized as an outstanding case of beautiful river construction at the provincial level.

"Blue skies and clear waters are the most universal benefits to people's livelihoods; we must ensure excellent ecology becomes a standard feature of our cities through regular management," said a relevant official from the Pingyang Branch of the Wenzhou Municipal Bureau of Ecology and Environment. For key industries such as color printing, Pingyang has adopted precise"one factory, one strategy" rectifications, aiding 189 companies in establishing centralized activated carbon regeneration systems. Furthermore, an innovative"red-yellow-green" three-tier management system was introduced for construction sites, addressing 9174 dust issues.

Building a smart environmental supervision system is another critical move in Pingyang's ecological governance. Taking the Nanji Islands as an example, Pingyang established the city's first marine plastic waste collection and disposal point, the"Blue Sea Post," and successfully secured 300 million yuan in central funding for marine ecological restoration projects. In 2024, the excellent water quality rate in the Nanji sea area reached 83.6%, up by 6.1 percentage points year-on-year.

Regarding the cultivation of green momentum, Pingyang has continuously transformed ecological advantages into developmental strengths through industrial structure optimization. In 2024, energy-saving inspections were conducted on key energy-consuming entities, freeing up 23,100 tons of standard coal equivalent. Energy investments amounted to 906 million yuan, ranking first in growth across the city. On the front of industrial transformation, one national-level green factory, one provincial-level green factory, and twelve municipal-level green factories were added, alongside nurturing 55 high-tech enterprises, further enhancing the green manufacturing system.（Xu Yuanlv）