A bird's-eye view of Suxi town, Yiwu. [Photo/zgyww.cn]

Yiwu was once again awarded the title of "Excellent City of Beautiful Zhejiang Construction" in 2021 due to its efforts in environmental protection and biodiversity conservation.

This is the fifth year Yiwu has won such an honor. In recent years, China has adhered to the philosophy that clear waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets. In response, Yiwu, a key player in the world's small commodity trade, is trying to develop into a city that is more livable and more suitable for business and travel.

In 2021, the city's average concentration of PM2.5 was 24 micrograms per cubic meter. The average annual air quality index was 98.6 percent, reaching the national secondary standard for the fourth year. All eight centralized drinking water sources in the city meet the required standards. The outbound water quality of the Yiwu River was better than inbound ones.

Yiwu is part of the first batch of cities in Zhejiang province to pilot the ecological protection and restoration of mountains, rivers, forests, fields, lakes and grasses. Since 2019, it has received a total of 80 million yuan ($11.9 million) in provincial subsidy funds to promote work in 35 pilot areas, including the Shuangjiang Lake Water Purification Plant, Yiwu Botanical Garden, and Yiwu River.

In 2021, it hosted a promotional meeting for the construction of a "waste-free" city program in Zhejiang, aiming to minimize the production of solid waste and improve the recycling and safe disposal of waste in a given city.