However, economic development has resulted in conflict between progress and protection as environmental issues, such as overfishing, water pollution and soil erosion, are affecting the river and residents.

As roughly 691 km of the Yangtze runs through Chongqing, the city has concentrated on environmental restoration and protection and has avoided large-scale development, especially since Xi's inspection tour in January 2016, when he urged the municipality to become a "pleasant place with clear water and green mountains".

Chongqing authorities quickly began improvement work along the Yangtze and its tributary, the Jialing River, restoring waterfronts, optimizing riverside functions, creating water-friendly spaces and protecting historical and cultural resources.

To strengthen environmental protection, Chongqing has drawn an ecological red line of around 2.04 million hectares of land. To restore water quality, environmental authorities have banned the construction of new chemical plants within 1 km of the Yangtze and its major branches, and new industrial parks must be located at least 5 km away.

These initiatives are already showing results. Water quality in the Chongqing section of the Yangtze has been rated as "good" under national standards for the past five years.