Fujian, a coastal province in the southeastern part of China, has been making green development a priority in recent years, and nowhere has this made a more visible difference than in Changting county.

Changting county used to suffer the worst soil erosion in southern China because of the poor red soil here, and the hills were bare with little vegetation.

How to develop agriculture in such an environment had long been a problem for locals.

Yu Shuihuosheng, a local farmer, and his friends tried planting many different crops in the 1980s, and they found out that waxberry is the most suitable for the red soil.

Under Yu's direction, local villagers have planted more than 600 hectares of waxberry trees over the past three decades. The trees have remarkably alleviated the soil erosion on the hills.

The county’s Sanzhou waxberry has become a renowned brand across China. Now, people are promoting waxberry-related industries to earn higher incomes.

Changting county used to suffer the worst soil erosion in southeastern China because of the poor red soil here, and the hills were bare with little vegetation. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]