Where Mountains Meet the Sea: FTP 2023 in Action | The Circle of Life
Video Link: https://youtu.be/B4YYHLio7gk?si=gPrzTMOF7Cz625J5
Lucid waters and lush mountains and its blue seas and skies are Hainan’s strongest advantages and greatest assets. How do we rewrite its story of ecological conservation into one of wealth creation, maintaining its ecology while increasing economic prosperity? Hainan has sought to answer this question through concrete exploration.
In this episode, HIMC presenter Henry and overseas communication officer Tommy visit Wangxia Township in Changjiang County, walking the depths of the rainforest to experience the real gains it has brought to the local community.
Where is the Wangxia Township?
Wangxia Township, located in the west of Hainan Island, the Changjiang Li Autonomous County, boasts the most primitive ecological landscape resources, a mild climate, and a forest coverage rate of 98%, as well as rare species of trees including the upas tree, agallochum and other precious trees.
This earns Hainan the name of “natural species gene bank”. Adhering to the concept of harmonious coexistence between man and nature, Wangxia Township follows the policy of forest ecological service payments. This is coupled with publicity campaigns and effective measures for the protection of biodiversity. As a result, a miraculous landscape painting has unfolded in the Li ethnic township.
In December 2018, the Chinese Ministry of Ecology and Environment named Wangxia Township the Practice and Innovation Base of “Lucid Waters and Lush Mountains Are Invaluable Assets”. Since 2019, Wangxia Township has been making efforts to explore the road of sustainable community development and build “The best Li Ethnic Township in China”.
Efforts have been made to revitalize the intangible cultural heritage of Li people, such as winemaking, Li brocade, rattan weaving and explore the local culture to highlight ethnic folk characteristic elements. Efforts are being made to build up Three Poetic and Picturesque Villages. The nature capital has thus been used as capital for future development. The formerly poor and backward Li Ethnic Village has become a “rich and beautiful village” for other parts of Hainan to emulate.
Who is Tommy?
Tommy Coleman, an internet influencer who comes from Los Angeles, California in America, has been living in China since 2006. In 2010, he came to Hainan and soon decided to settle down, working on his chosen career as a small business owner, and now volunteers as one of the overseas communication officers with the Hainan International Media Center, an organization that helps present Hainan to the outside world.
As an internet influencer, the videos he uploads, in which he speaks standard Chinese, Hainan dialect as well as English, usually go pretty heavy on tongue-in-cheek humor, recording his life in Hainan, and he’s got 400,000 followers so far.
Who is Henry Hao KONG？
Henry Kong, host for South China’s Hainan International Media Center (HIMC), has been in Hainan for three years. He grew up in China and studied in the U.S., attending the Pennsylvania State University before pursuing a journalism career. He became a correspondent and host for HIMC in 2020, hosting his program on the Internet and social media. Kong has also served as the host of HIMC’s business talk FTP Plus on TV.
Kong’s journalistic output has earned him several honors over the years, including a first prize in Hainan News Award. In 2023, Kong attended China Media Group’s Host Competition and ranked top 10 in the event.
Media Contact
Company Name: Hainan International Media Center (HIMC)
Contact Person: Shuaichen Lin
Email: Send Email
City: Haikou
State: Hainan
Country: China
Website: https://www.hicn.cn/
