“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.
绿水青山就是金山银山
绿水青山就是金山银山，是时任浙江省委书记的习近平于2005年8月在浙江湖州安吉考察时提出的科学论断。中共十八大以来，他更是反复强调这一理念。比如，2013年在访问哈萨克斯坦时就提到：“我们既要绿水青山，也要金山银山。宁要绿水青山，不要金山银山，而且绿水青山就是金山银山。”“绿水青山就是金山银山”体现了以人为本的民生思想，遵循了人与自然和谐共生的规律性认识，生动形象表达了中国党和政府大力推进生态文明建设的鲜明态度和坚定决心。中共十九大报告进一步指出，必须坚持人与自然和谐共生，树立和践行绿水青山就是金山银山的理念，坚持节约资源和保护环境的基本国策。这一理念要求：深刻转变发展理念和发展方式，在生产生活中按照尊重自然、顺应自然、保护自然的原则，贯彻节约资源和保护环境的基本国策，把生态文明建设融入经济建设、政治建设、文化建设、社会建设各方面和全过程。