Riverfront turns green in Yangtze River restoration campaign

By Yan Wanqin.

A former coal yard and industrial site have been transformed into a riverside ecological park and education base, reflecting the city's efforts to restore the Yangtze River.

The Yangtze River Protection Education Base. Photo from Xiaoting District Media Center.

The Yangtze River Protection Education Base opened in 2021 on the site of an old paper mill office building, former coal yards, and concrete mixing stations in Xiaoting District. It has since received more than 50,000 visitors from over 500 institutions.

The base presents Yichang's environmental protection efforts through five thematic sections, complemented by panoramic models and an immersive 5D cinema. In April 2026, it became the first regional demonstration station of a national volunteer service incubation program.

The same is true of the neighboring Yangtze River Protection Park, which was also built on a former coal yard. Designed using sponge-city concepts, the park was placed under permanent protection in 2022 as part of Yichang's key urban green spaces. The park serves as an open-air classroom where children conduct water quality tests and clean up litter along the riverbank.

The transformation reflects broader changes in Xiaoting, where early rules for Yangtze River protection were established.

Since 2018, the district has sealed 12 riverside sewage outlets and remediated 187 discharge points. It has demolished six docks, shut down five sand yards, vacated 3.2 kilometers of shoreline, and restored 12.6 kilometers with greenery.

With the shoreline cleared, the question became who would protect it and how. 

A volunteer team known as the "Yangtze River Sentinels" has grown from six members to 15,000 people, patrolling 17.2 kilometers of shoreline and collecting floating debris twice a month. Yangtze finless porpoises are now a common sight in the Xiaoting section of the Yangtze River.
 

Volunteers collect floating garbage on the Yangtze River. Photo by Yang Qing.

From shoreline restoration to community participation, these changes show how returning the riverfront to the public and encouraging volunteer involvement can help sustain a greener environment.

Zhou Chengxin, Xiong Xiaolei contributed to this story.