While serving as the Secretary of the Communist Party of Zhejiang Province, President Xi Jinping introduced the theory of Two Mountains. He established the idea that clear waters and green mountains can be invaluable assets. This concept sets the direction for the vision, theory, and future work in Zhejiang Province. He laid the groundwork for this initiative by selecting Yuncun village. Yuncun has become the reference point for the work on lucid water and lush mountains.
However, it is pertinent to highlight here that the Two Mountain theory has roots in the ideology and theory of ecological civilization and the vision of eco-civilization forwarded by President Xi. Hence, the Two Mountain theory does not only talk about the protection of mountains or water; it is a comprehensive theory that also covers social and economic development. It talks about externalities, quality of life, beautiful landscapes, economic development opportunities, social welfare of society, etc. It emphasizes the importance of green and high-quality development, the use of clean sources of energy and transportation, exploration, and industrial development.
After assuming the leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the State of China, President Xi introduced the Two Mountain theory on a national scale as part of his vision for the construction of ecological civilization. President Xi is a strong proponent of the ideology of ecological civilization. Since assuming leadership, he has dedicated himself to implementing the ideology and principles of ecological civilization, including the Two Mountain Theory. He has outlined a vision and a pathway for China to construct an ecological civilization. Therefore, before evaluating the implementation status of ecological civilization or the Two Mountain theory, it is crucial to understand President Xi’s ideology and vision.
A deep dive into his speeches, policy debates, and thoughts reveals that certain factors contributed to shaping President Xi’s vision. First, he explored the Marxist interpretation of the term eco-civilization. He drew his inspiration from Marxism’s three basic theories: dialectics of history, dialectical materialism, and dialectics of nature. He keenly studied these areas during his stay in the countryside.
Secondly, Chinese wisdom has profoundly influenced President Xi’s thoughts. He has drawn lessons from Tao’s teachings, which emphasize that harmony between humans and nature is vital for sustainable development. President Xi consistently emphasizes this concept. At the same time, he adheres to Confucian teachings that promote rational and responsible resource use and self-restraint as essential for achieving ecological civilization and collective prosperity.
Third, President Xi’s thoughts are rooted in Chinese environmental governance, which has emphasized care for the environment since ancient times. He meticulously examines the history of environmental governance and derives valuable lessons from it. The Shang dynasty (16th-11th BCE) was the first government to enact laws aimed at controlling waste and littering in public areas. According to these laws, anyone caught littering in the streets or public spaces faced severe punishment: the severing of a finger.
In addition, I assume that three more factors helped President Xi evolve his vision. First, while reading the life history of President Xi, I reached the conclusion that his stay in the village also played a very significant role. It was the time when he closely observed nature in terms of its role in livelihood and to make the environment better. He practically explored nature and its bond with human beings. During the process, he developed a close association with nature, which he has carried throughout his leadership journey.
Second, President Xi also drew lessons from the wisdom of modern Chinese elders, such as Chairman Mao, Prime Minister Zhou Enlai, and Deng Xiaoping, who governed the country with the goal of creating a balance between man and nature. Despite the numerous challenges China faced at the time of independence, the leadership embraced this concept and guided the country toward progress.
Third, President Xi’s position as the top leader in various provinces also allowed him to learn valuable lessons. He gained firsthand experience regarding people’s livelihoods and their connections to nature, the environment, and resources.
Furthermore, Jia-Lin LIU and Yi-Fei MA, in a bid to develop a logical framework to understand President Xi’s thoughts, believe that the President emphasizes not only the harmony between man and nature but also within humans. He has also provided the ideological foundations to steer the party to devise instruments to achieve this goal. President Xi believes that achieving the target of eco-civilization and the Two Mountain theory is impossible without implementing strict policies, guidelines, legal means, and instruments. Hence, he called upon the party and government to introduce the required legislation, laws, and rules and implement them according to the true spirit of eco-civilization. He considered it essential to materialize the dream of China – the beautiful.
Thus, since the 18th National People’s Congress, China strengthened or upgraded or devised new laws and plans, policies including 1) the Environmental Protection Law of the People’s Republic of China, 2) the Air Pollution Prevention Action Plan, 3) the Water Pollution Prevention Action Plan and 4) Soil Pollution Prevention Action Plan.
China also introduced the Integrated Reform Plan for Promoting Ecological Progress in 2015. The plan provides the vision, policy guidelines, and required instruments for implementation, supervision, and accountability with the slogan “respect, protect, and stay in tune with nature.” The plan prioritized eight areas to achieve the goal. China will expand the forest area and achieve the goal of 26% of the land mass under forest.
The analysis of policies and instruments revealed that China has launched numerous initiatives to achieve its goals and targets, including 1) a New Philosophy of Development, 2) High-Quality Development, 3) a Dual Circulation Model of the Economy, 4) a Three-Dimensional Transport Network, and 5) Digital Trade, among others.
However, China is moving in stepwise manner and has defined goals for the short, medium, and long term. The short—and medium-term goal is to create a “Beautiful China” by improving the ecological environment. This goal will be achieved through the 14th and 15th Five-Year Development Plans and Vision 2035. Meanwhile, the long-term goal is to make blue skies, green land, lush mountains, and clean water the new normal in China, which will be materialized through the second-century goal.
Efforts to implement the Two-Mountain Theory within the framework of ecological civilization are now yielding results. Dr. Zhongde Huang et al., conducted a study to evaluate the significance of the Two-Mountain Theory and the outcomes achieved during its implementation. They selected 421 pilot cases from 2010 to 2020. Their findings revealed that 98.3% of the pilot cases positively impacted society, the environment, and the economy. They observed that refining and altering the structure of the industry to enhance its environmental friendliness reduced negative impacts. It contributed to better management of landscapes and externalities. It also improved ecosystem services.
In conclusion, China has established theoretical, institutional, and practical frameworks for building an eco-civilization through the modernization of the economy (green development, circular development, and low-carbon development), culture (cultural movement, living well-off, and social inclusion), environment (Building a beautiful China, good ecology), and governance (systems, mechanisms, and institutional systems). Adhering to the principles of Socialism with Chinese characteristics has enabled China to achieve the goals of the Two Mountain Theory and ecological civilization.