Lucid Waters and Lush Mountains Are Invaluable Assets

Lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets. This is an important concept for development in the new era and a major principle behind China's modernization drive.

The comparison of mountains of green with mountains of gold was first made by Xi Jinping in 2005 when he visited Yucun, a village in Zhejiang Province, in his capacity as secretary of the CPC Zhejiang Provincial Committee. 

This idea bears on the future of the Chinese civilization and people's wellbeing, as it cherishes harmony between humanity and nature and between the economy and society, so that a sound eco-environment and fast economic growth can be both maintained. This is because maintaining a sound eco-environment will surely benefit humanity, while damaging nature will incur harm in the end. Humanity can enjoy a sound eco-environment only by fostering harmony with nature and creating a sound eco-environment for ourselves.

Responding to students in Kazakhstan in September 2013, Xi Jinping 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 mountains are themselves gold mountains." He also pointed out that China will never seek short-term economic growth at the expense of its eco-environment. The goal of building an eco-civilization and a beautiful China is to leave to future generations a legacy of blue skies, green vegetation and clear waters.

The references to green mountains and gold mountains make it easy to understand the relationship between environmental protection and economic development, the two of which do not conflict with each other, but can make progress side by side. On the one hand, clear waters and green mountains are not only natural and eco-environmental wealth, but also social and economic wealth. Healthy ecosystems promise boundless economic potential, generate steady returns, and contribute to economic and social sustainability. On the other hand, they make a major contribution to a happy life for the people, much more precious than economic returns. A good eco-environment is the shared wealth of the people, a fair public product, and the most inclusive form of public wellbeing.

The concept that mountains of green are mountains of gold is rooted in the Chinese philosophy about "unity of humanity and nature" and harmony between the two. It interprets the relationship between economic development and eco-environmental protection, thus: Protecting the eco-environment equates to protecting productive forces; improving the eco-environment equates to enhancing productive forces. This is a new way to coordinate development and protection.

綠水青山就是金山銀山

綠水青山就是金山銀山，是新時代中國重要的發展理念，是推進現代化建設的重大原則。2005年8月，時任中共浙江省委書記習近平在浙江省安吉余村首次提出了“綠水青山就是金山銀山”這一關系文明興衰、人民福祉的發展理念，要求追求人與自然的和諧、經濟與社會的和諧，既要綠水青山，又要金山銀山。因為，綠水青山是“人的無機的身體”，只有留得綠水青山在，才能保護人類自身，破壞了綠水青山，最終會殃及人類自身。而只要堅持人與自然和諧共生，守望好綠水青山，就能永恒擁有綠水青山。

2013年9月7日，習近平在哈薩克斯坦回答學生提問時指出，中國明確把生態環境保護擺在更加突出的位置，既要綠水青山，也要金山銀山；寧要綠水青山，不要金山銀山，而且綠水青山就是金山銀山。中國絕不以犧牲生態環境為代價換取經濟的一時發展。建設生態文明、建設美麗中國的戰略任務，就是為了給子孫留下天藍、地綠、水凈的美好家園。

綠水青山和金山銀山，是對生態環境保護和經濟發展的形象化表達，這兩者不是矛盾對立的關系，而是辯證統一的關系。一方面，綠水青山既是自然財富、生態財富，又是社會財富、經濟財富。良好生態本身蘊含無窮的經濟價值，能夠源源不斷創造綜合效益，實現經濟社會可持續發展。另一方面，綠水青山是人民幸福生活的重要內容，勝過金山銀山。良好生態環境是人民群眾的共有財富，是最公平的公共產品、最普惠的民生福祉。

綠水青山就是金山銀山的發展觀，繼承了“天人合一”的中華民族生態智慧，體現了人與自然和諧共生的本質要求，闡述了經濟發展和生態環境保護的關系，揭示了保護生態環境就是保護生產力、改善生態環境就是發展生產力的道理，指明了實現發展和保護協同共生的新路徑。