Ecological transformation of Jinyun Mountain Reserve in Chongqing

An aerial drone photo taken on Aug. 26, 2026 shows the sunrise scenery of Jinyun Mountain, Beibei District, southwest China's Chongqing. (Photo by Qin Tingfu/Xinhua)

CHONGQING, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- Located along the Jialing River, Jinyun Mountain Reserve is an important ecological barrier in Chongqing and one of the best-preserved subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forest ecosystems in China.

Years ago, ecological conservation in the reserve was under severe strain, as unauthorized construction, irregular business activities, and unregulated expansion of farm-stay tourism ran rampant.

In June 2018, Chongqing launched the comprehensive ecological environment improvement project of Jinyun Mountain.

To date, the reserve has restored 774,000 square meters of ecology and planted about 1 million ornamental plants. The forest coverage rate has increased from 94 percent to 98 percent.

In 2025, the collective economic income of villages in the Jinyun Mountain area reached 27.784 million yuan (about 4.13 million U.S. dollars), and villagers' per capita annual income increased by 9.5 percent year-on-year, achieving a win-win situation for ecological protection, industrial development, and villagers' income growth.

An aerial drone photo taken on Aug. 26, 2026 shows tourists enjoying the scenery on a glass observation deck on Jinyun Mountain, Beibei District, southwest China's Chongqing. (Xinhua/Huang Wei)

An aerial drone photo taken on Aug. 26, 2026 shows the scenery of Jinyun Mountain in southwest China's Chongqing. (Xinhua/Wang Quanchao)

An aerial drone photo taken on Aug. 26, 2026 shows an exterior view of the Ecological Civilization Education Exhibition Hall on Jinyun Mountain, southwest China's Chongqing. (Xinhua/Wang Quanchao)

Tourists enjoy the sunset at a homestay in Jinyun Mountain, Beibei District, southwest China's Chongqing, Aug. 16, 2026. (Photo by Qin Tingfu/Xinhua)

Tourists enjoy their leisure time at a homestay in Jinyun Village, Beibei District, southwest China's Chongqing, Aug. 26, 2026. (Xinhua/Wang Quanchao)

This combo photo shows a scene before the renovation of the shantytown in the Sanhuashi area of Jinyun Mountain, Beibei District, southwest China's Chongqing, Aug. 8, 2019 (above, photo by Qin Tingfu/Xinhua) and a scene after the renovation of the Sanhuashi area on Aug. 26, 2026 (below, photo by Xinhua photographer Huang Wei). (Xinhua)

This combo photo shows a scene before the renovation of Tenglongya on Jinyun Mountain, Beibei District, southwest China's Chongqing, April 23, 2019 (above, photo by Qin Tingfu/Xinhua) and a scene after the renovation of Tenglongya on Aug. 26, 2026 (below, photo by Xinhua photographer Huang Wei). (Xinhua)

Girls have fun by the lakeside of Daihu Lake on Jinyun Mountain, Beibei District, southwest China's Chongqing, Aug. 26, 2026. (Xinhua/Huang Wei)

A drone photo taken on Aug. 26, 2026 shows tourists watching the sunrise on Jinyun Mountain, Beibei District, southwest China's Chongqing. (Xinhua/Huang Wei)

A staff member tidies up a room at a homestay on Jinyun Mountain, Beibei District, southwest China's Chongqing, Aug. 26, 2026. (Xinhua/Huang Wei)