The Helan Mountain area in the Ningxia Hui autonomous region has become beautiful after three years of ecological restoration and other work.

The city of Yinchuan, the capital, undertook an action plan three years ago — covering the use of factory lands, clean production, waste recycling and utilization of low-carbon energy — to eliminate low-efficiency production and introduce energy-saving technologies.

More than 20 programs have unfolded, including technical renovation of sewage treatment facilities and the treatment of exhaust gases at biological fermentation enterprises. The city also planted trees along waterways, including a section the Yellow River.

Yinchuan lies west of the Yellow River and east of Helan Mountain. The past three years resulted in more than 5,000 hectares of new forest and the construction of 10 micro parks.

At the same time, Yinchuan tightened air quality controls, completed a clean energy heating project and encouraged the use of new-energy vehicles, with an aim of having 75 percent of the days in a year with good air quality.