Over the past two decades, Zhejiang province has developed 510 provincial-level "beautiful rivers and lakes" as part of its long-term water management and ecological restoration efforts.

According to the Water Resources Department of Zhejiang province, the initiative also includes 500 "water-beautiful villages" and more than 4,400 waterfront leisure nodes, reflecting an integrated approach to environmental enhancement and public access.

Officials said Zhejiang has made the river chief system — a mechanism that designates responsible officials for specific water bodies — a key driver of progress. As of now, over 50,000 kilometers of rivers have been managed and improved under the system.

To further improve public well-being, Zhejiang is accelerating the integration of its water-related initiatives with culture, tourism, and sports. The province is also advancing efforts to realize the market value of water-based ecological products.

Since 2021, Zhejiang has recorded nearly 30 billion yuan ($4.12 billion) in ecological product transactions related to water resources.

An official with the Water Resources Department said the province will continue to expand the scale of water-related ecological asset conversion, strengthen comprehensive value accounting, and promote high-quality projects in an orderly manner. Efforts will also focus on attracting more private capital to participate in ecological value transformation.