China Marks 20 Years of the “Two Mountains” Doctrine: Turning Green Landscapes into Economic Gold

In the two decades since Xi’s declaration, the Two Mountains concept has been woven into the fabric of China’s so‑called ecological civilization. Its most visible early test came in the hills surrounding Anji, where traditional, resource‑intensive industries such as mining gave way to a new economic model centered on eco‑tourism, organic agriculture and high‑value green products. Yu Village, once a mining hub, now boasts forest‑covered slopes, clean rivers and a thriving tourism sector that has lifted household incomes by double‑digit percentages. The story of Yu Village and nearby Fanggan Village – both repeatedly cited in state media and on the Chinese micro‑blogging platform Weibo – illustrates the core claim of the Two Mountains philosophy: protecting the environment can generate wealth, not merely prevent loss.

The anniversary is being underscored by the third National Ecological Day, observed on the same date as the original proclamation. Established in 2023, the day is intended to bring nationwide attention to ecological civilization, prompting schools, factories and local governments to host tree‑planting drives, public lectures and exhibitions about sustainable development. Photos of schoolchildren planting seedlings beside the crystal‑clear waters of the Xin’an River have circulated widely on Chinese social media, framed by the hashtag #两山理念提出20年 (20 Years of the Two Mountains Concept), which has trended for days.

Beyond symbolic gestures, the Two Mountains doctrine has become a measurable driver of policy. Since 2005, the central government has issued a series of green incentives – ranging from tax breaks for clean‑energy firms to ecological compensation mechanisms that reward provinces for preserving forests and wetlands. The language of “converting green into gold,” “accumulating green into gold,” and “generating gold from green” now appears in official planning documents, signaling a shift from the earlier mantra of “green is a cost” to a new narrative that treats ecological services as economic assets. Industry analysts note that China’s renewable‑energy capacity, green‑technology exports and eco‑tourism revenues have all risen sharply, a trend the government attributes in part to the Two Mountains framework.

Public sentiment, as reflected in the flood of Weibo posts, is overwhelmingly positive. Users celebrate the tangible improvements they see in their hometowns: higher forest cover, cleaner air, and local families moving from subsistence agriculture to entrepreneurship in organic tea, bamboo crafts and rural hospitality. One post read, “We no longer chase basic survival; we poverty‑alleviation targets.

Politically, the concept has been elevated to a core component of Xi Jinping’s broader ecological civilization thought, now enshrined in the Party Constitution and embedded in the performance metrics of officials at every level. Provincial governors and city mayors are now evaluated not only on GDP growth but also on measures such as forest recovery rates, water‑quality indices and reductions in carbon emissions. This performance‑based approach has spurred a wave of pilot projects, from “zero‑waste” industrial parks in the Yangtze River Delta to large‑scale reforestation campaigns in the northern provinces.

International observers are watching the 20‑year milestone with a mix of curiosity and cautious optimism. The Two Mountains doctrine offers a divergent model of sustainable development, one that merges market incentives with state direction and places ecological value on par with financial capital. While critics point to ongoing challenges – such as growth.

As China looks ahead to the next decade, officials are already framing the Two Mountains concept as a living, evolving philosophy. Recent speeches from the Ministry of Ecology and Environment emphasize the need to “deepen the understanding and practice” of the doctrine, calling for innovation in green technology, smarter urban planning and greater public participation. The narrative is clear: the mountains and waters that once seemed merely scenic will now be the engines of a greener economy, and the next twenty years will test whether the promise of “green is gold” can be fulfilled on a national, and perhaps global, scale.