From Slogan to Strategy: How Xi Jinping’s “Green Mountains and Clear Waters” Redefined China’s Economic and Environmental Policies
When Chinese leader Xi Jinping first uttered the line “绿水青山就是金山银山” during an inspection of Anji County in Zhejiang province on 15 August 2005, few could have guessed that the words would become a cornerstone of the nation’s development strategy. In English the phrase is rendered in several slightly different ways – “lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets,” “green waters and green mountains are gold mountains and silver mountains,” and the longer “we want to have not only mountains of gold and silver but also green mountains and clear waters.” All of these translations capture the same core idea: protecting the environment is not a cost to growth, but a source of wealth.
14 August 2025
The slogan emerged from Xi’s conviction that ecological health could be a driver of prosperity. At the time he was Secretary of the Zhejiang Provincial Party Committee, and his remark was a direct challenge to the prevailing development model that prized rapid industrialization at the expense of rivers, forests and farmland. Within a decade the phrase was elevated from a regional talking point to a national policy pillar. After the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in 2012, Xi incorporated the idea into what later became known as “Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization.” It now appears in party documents, government white papers and the curricula of Chinese universities.
The political machinery behind the slogan is massive. The CCP formally adopted the principle in March 2015 when the Political Bureau approved the “Opinions on Accelerating the Construction of Ecological Civilization,” which called for “adhering to the principle that green waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets.” Since then, ministries ranging from Ecology and Environment to Finance have crafted regulations to turn the slogan into practice – from stricter water‑pollution standards to incentives for renewable‑energy projects. Local governments, especially in Zhejiang, have become living laboratories. In Anji, once a modest tea‑producing county, the authorities have leveraged its clean rivers and bamboo forests to attract eco‑tourism, organic agriculture and green‑tech firms, illustrating how “lucid waters” can indeed become “golden mountains.”
Academic institutions have also been enlisted to give the slogan scientific heft. The Chinese Natural Resources Economics Academy, with Deputy Dean Jia Wenlong at the forefront, treats the phrase as a framework for converting natural capital into financial capital. By quantifying ecosystem services – the flood control offered by wetlands, the carbon sequestration of forests, the tourism draw of pristine lakes – the Academy helps policymakers set prices on what were once intangible benefits. This approach dovetails with China’s burgeoning green‑finance sector, where banks and bond issuers are increasingly tying loans to verified environmental outcomes.
Internationally, the concept has begun to resonate beyond China’s borders. At United Nations climate conferences, “China Corner” sessions have highlighted carbon‑sink transactions that turn forest preservation into tradable credits, citing the “Two Mountains” theory as a domestic model for global cooperation. While the phrase remains firmly rooted in Chinese political discourse, its underlying premise – that environmental stewardship can fuel economic development – aligns with the Sustainable Development Goals and echoes in the green‑growth strategies of Europe, the United States and developing nations alike.
Social media offers a barometer of public reception. A quick scan of Weibo, China’s Twitter‑like platform, shows the slogan trending alongside official campaigns for the 20th anniversary of its introduction. Posts from state media weave the phrase into narratives about rural revitalisation, cleaner air and the rise of “green industries.” The sentiment is overwhelmingly positive, reflecting both top‑down endorsement and a growing bottom‑up awareness that a clean environment is part of the nation’s collective wellbeing.
The evolution of the idea can be traced through a series of milestones. After its 2005 debut, the slogan was woven into the 2015 national sustainability agenda, prompting a surge in pilot projects for ecological restoration. By 2019, the government was promoting carbon‑emissions trading schemes that explicitly valued forest carbon sinks, a direct nod to turning “green mountains” into marketable assets. In 2020, the phrase was enshrined in the broader vision of “harmonious coexistence between humans and nature,” a thematic thread in the 14th Five‑Year Plan. The following year, ministries released detailed opinions on mechanisms to realise the value of ecological products by 2025, marking a shift from rhetoric to measurable outcomes. In 2024, the state reaffirmed its commitment, linking the slogan to accelerated low‑carbon transformation across industry and society. Analysts now project that by 2025 China will have further tightened its ecological governance, with noticeable gains in energy‑intensity reduction and air‑quality improvement.
The practical implications are already visible. Rural revitalisation programmes exploit scenic landscapes to develop eco‑tourism, while sustainable agriculture leverages clean water and fertile soils to command premium prices. Green finance instruments – from green bonds to ecosystem‑service credit schemes – funnel capital into projects that transform “lucid waters” into tangible returns for investors. Meanwhile, integrated land‑spatial planning seeks to align industrial zones away from ecologically sensitive areas, preventing the kind of unchecked expansion that once scarred many Chinese rivers.
For industry, the slogan serves as both a mandate and an opportunity. Companies are encouraged to adopt clean technologies, cut emissions and invest in high‑value, low‑impact sectors such as renewable energy, high‑tech manufacturing, and services. The shift away from heavy, polluting industries has spurred a wave of innovation, with firms developing carbon‑capture equipment, biodegradable materials and smart‑grid solutions to meet new regulatory expectations. The rise of eco‑tourism and “green” branding also opens new markets for businesses that can credibly tie their products to healthy ecosystems.
On society, the phrase has become part of the national consciousness. Citizens increasingly associate a clean environment with quality of life rather than a luxury. Government campaigns promote frugal, low‑carbon lifestyles, and schools teach the importance of protecting “green mountains and clear waters” for future generations. This cultural shift underpins a broader social contract: environmental stewardship is presented not as a sacrifice but as a shared path to prosperity.
Politically, the slogan is a linchpin of China’s ecological civilization narrative. It informs policy agendas from central ministries to village committees, guiding resource allocation, land‑use decisions and disaster‑prevention strategies. By embedding ecological goals within the framework of “high‑quality development,” the state seeks to balance GDP growth with environmental health, a balance that many observers see as essential for long‑term stability. Internationally, the concept is promoted as a model of Chinese contribution to global sustainable development, positioning Beijing as a leader in the quest for a greener future.
In sum, what began as a region‑specific speech in 2005 has grown into a multi‑layered doctrine that shapes China’s economic, social and environmental policies. The various English renderings of “绿水青山就是金山银山” may differ in wording, but they all convey a simple, powerful truth: safeguarding the natural world can generate wealth, security and a higher quality of life. As China continues to refine the mechanisms that turn “lucid waters and lush mountains” into “invaluable assets,” the world watches to see whether this ambitious synthesis of ecology and economics can indeed be replicated elsewhere.
