In early July this year, China's State Council issued a plan for building a Beautiful China during the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030), setting out the overall requirements, targets, key tasks and major projects for comprehensively advancing the initiative. At the closing meeting of the fourth session of the 14th National People's Congress, in March, China's national legislature adopted the Ecological and Environmental Code of the People's Republic of China, which opened a new chapter for systematic environmental governance. The code formally took effect on August 15, 2026.
The chapter of "Women's Contributions in the Eco-environmental Field," in the white paper, China's Achievements in Women's Well-Rounded Development in the New Era, records data and cases that systematically and vividly present Chinese women's contributions to ecological protection and green development. Women of China shares several stories about Chinese women, who have contributed to enhancing ecological and environmental protection in China, and to fostering the building of a Beautiful China.
This article focuses on the story of Wang Qiong, Chief Engineer at Zongguan Water Plant, under Wuhan Urban Construction Investment and Development Group Co., Ltd.
"I am a 'doctor specializing in physical examinations,' but my service object is special; it is our mother river, the Yangtze River. My job is to check the 'health' of the Yangtze River by analyzing water samples and data," Wang Qiong says.
Wang, Chief Engineer at Zongguan Water Plant, under Wuhan Urban Construction Investment and Development Group Co., Ltd., in Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei Province, has been monitoring the water quality of the Yangtze River for more than 30 years.
She has recorded the rebirth of the Yangtze River through countless water quality reports, and she has witnessed the magnificent transformation of the Yangtze River's banks in Wuhan, from cluttered docks to ecological riverfronts.
Statistics indicate water quality of the Wuhan sections of the Yangtze and Hanjiang rivers have remained stable, at Grade II, the second-highest level in the country's five-tier water quality system, for six consecutive years.
By the end of December 2025, some 12,480 sewage outfalls into the Yangtze River had been repaired and/or renovated within Hubei Province.
Wang grew up by the Yangtze River, so she has a deep affection for the river. Since she joined Zongguan Water Plant, to work in water-quality testing, she has worked hard and continually honed her skills. She has been honored as an Artisan of Hubei Province, Chief Technician of Hubei Province and a Model Worker of Wuhan.
In 2015, Wang Qiong Innovation Studio was established. The studio has focused on water quality testing and process optimization, and it has made every effort to deal with technical challenges within the industry. Staff persist in scientific research, innovation and skills cultivation, and in building a solid technical and talent foundation for water supply safety and ecological protection.
Women account for 60 percent of the studio's staff. "Ecological protection is a long-term cause, which requires sustained effort. Women, with their qualities of meticulousness, resilience, focus and empathy, can play an irreplaceable role in safeguarding the ecosystem," Wang says.
She was elected a deputy to the 14th National People's Congress (NPC) in 2023. Since then, she has made several proposals, all focusing on the ecological protection of the Yangtze River. When she reflects on her time as an NPC deputy, she uses three key words — confidence, warmth and strength — to summarize her experiences.
"My confidence stems from my country's firm determination to build an ecological civilization," Wang says. From deepening the great protection of the Yangtze River to implementation of the Ecological and Environmental Code, frontline ecological- and environmental-protection work has gained solid legal support, Wang adds. The code, she continues, gives grassroots workers more confidence and stronger conviction in law-based supervision and governance, and it helps build a solid legal foundation for the systematic restoration and normalized protection of the Yangtze River's ecosystem.
"Ecological and environmental protection is never about cold data and rigid clauses; it is a cause full of warmth, for people's livelihoods," Wang says. She believes only by listening to grassroots voices, responding to public expectations and transforming professional knowledge into philosophies of life, which people can understand, resonate with, and practice, will the concept of "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets" truly take root in people's hearts. And only then will they become a prevailing trend in society, she stresses.
Wang says the immense strength she feels is derived from the numerous ecological guardians rooted on the front line. "I have witnessed the perseverance and dedication of countless grassroots environmental-protection workers. An increasing number of women are shining and playing indispensable roles in environmental supervision and ecological science popularization," she says.
"The ecological protection of the Yangtze River has never been a solitary struggle, but a collective undertaking, in which all sectors of society work together, with a shared vision and collaborative governance," she adds.
According to Wang, deepening the protection of the Yangtze River has not only reshaped the ecological appearance of the river, but has also transformed people's ecological concepts and lifestyles, making environmental protection a new trend in the new era.
Many citizens serve as volunteers, and they patrol the river's banks and report ecological violations. "Not only are adults practicing environmental-protection concepts and safeguarding the ecological environment, but teenagers and children are becoming 'little ambassadors' for ecological science popularization," she says.
Evolution of the public's awareness of ecological and environmental protection is the most precious, and enduring, achievement of the ecological-conservation cause, Wang says.
"Ecological protection is no longer just a slogan; it has truly been integrated into the daily lives of ordinary people. This internal-to-external transformation and action provide the most solid mass foundation for promoting implementation of the Ecological and Environmental Code, and for safeguarding the aquatic ecology of the Yangtze River," she says.
Implementation of the Ecological and Environmental Code marks a new stage in China's ecological- and environmental-protection work, Wang says.
"Safeguarding the clear waters of the river and ensuring implementation of the Ecological and Environmental Code is our due responsibility. In the future, I will continue to lead frontline women workers in contributing women's strength to the construction of a Beautiful China, where humanity and nature coexist in harmony," Wang vows.
Photos from Interviewee
(Women of China English Monthly August 2026)
Editor: Wang Shasha
