Two Chinese Mountains Named UNESCO Global Geoparks

In April China saw two more sites added to the UNESCO Global Geopark List. According to UNESCO’s official website on April 17, Yimeng Mountain in East China’s Shandong Province and Jiuhua Mountain in East China’s Anhui Province are now formally recognized UNESCO Global Geoparks.

The Yimeng Mountain Geopark is home to one of Asia’s largest kimberlite-type diamond mines, the site where the first primary diamonds were discovered in China. The landscape is dotted with castlelike land formations as well as multiple cultural heritage sites which include the Xialou Pavilion that Confucius is believed to have once visited, the 1,500-year-old Marshal Tree, and several renowned temples.

Jiuhua Mountain, whose name literally means “Nine Glorious Mountains,” is home to sacred Buddhist temples. But beyond the religious, historical, and cultural significance of these mountains, they also provide a major source of fresh water that feeds the Yangtze River system. Unique and favorable geological conditions have contributed to the flourishing of the region’s biodiversity and cultural traditions.

With this year’s additions of sites to the UNESCO Global Geopark List, the network now has 147 parks in 41 countries, 39 of which are located in China.

China has released a threestep plan to integrated urbanrural development, according to the National Development and Reform Commission.

The three steps work in a progressive way. First, by 2022, a preliminary mechanism serving this purpose will have come into being. Then by 2035, the mechanism will have been largely improved. Finally, by the middle of this century, it is expected to have become mature and wellfunctioned. Because the whole process is long and arduous, an overall plan and clear goals are much needed.

In short, China will, following the guiding principles of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC), and the second and third plenary sessions of the 19th CPC Central Committee, coordinate a rural revitalization strategy and new type of urbanization strategy featuring common prosperity. It will narrow the gap of living standard between urban and rural residents, improve the property right system, and discard barriers that restrict the free flow of resources between urban and rural areas.

The reform is to ensure that the development is farmercentered and is shared by them.