“Green Mountains Are Mountains of Gold”

The comparison of green mountains with mountains of gold was first made by Xi Jinping in 2005 when he was secretary of Zhejiang Provincial Party Committee. Since the 18th CPC National Congress, he has on multiple occasions reiterated this idea. While visiting Kazakhstan in 2013, he said, “We want to have not only mountains of gold, but also mountains of green. If we must choose between the two, we would rather have the green than the gold. And in any case, green maintains are themselves gold mountains.”

This metaphor reflects a people-centered approach to people’s wellbeing, an approach that emphasizes the importance of harmony between man and nature, and embodies the unwavering resolve of the CPC and the government to preserve and protect the natural environment.

The report to the 19th CPC National Congress emphasized harmony between man and nature, calling on people to realize that lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets and act on this understanding, and continue China’s fundamental national policy of conserving resources and protecting the environment.

This represents a fundamental shift in China’s development strategies, requiring respect and protection for nature in its development efforts. Resource conservation and environmental protection have thus been incorporated into our basic national policy, along with economic, political, cultural and social development. The goal is to place China on a path to green development, so as to build a beautiful China.

綠水青山就是金山銀山

綠水青山就是金山銀山，是時任浙江省委書記的習近平于2005年8月在浙江湖州安吉考察時提出的科學論斷。中共十八大以來，他更是反復強調這一理念。比如，2013年在訪問哈薩克斯坦時就提到：“我們既要綠水青山，也要金山銀山。寧要綠水青山，不要金山銀山，而且綠水青山就是金山銀山。”“綠水青山就是金山銀山”體現了以人為本的民生思想，遵循了人與自然和諧共生的規律性認識，生動形象表達了中國黨和政府大力推進生態文明建設的鮮明態度和堅定決心。中共十九大報告進一步指出，必須堅持人與自然和諧共生，樹立和踐行綠水青山就是金山銀山的理念，堅持節約資源和保護環境的基本國策。這一理念要求：深刻轉變發展理念和發展方式，在生產生活中按照尊重自然、順應自然、保護自然的原則，貫徹節約資源和保護環境的基本國策，把生態文明建設融入經濟建設、政治建設、文化建設、社會建設各方面和全過程。