An event promoting the protection of Taihu Lake kicks off at Wuxi Open University on April 21. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

With the arrival of the 50th Earth Day, four cities around Taihu Lake, including Jiangsu province's Wuxi, Suzhou and Changzhou and Zhejiang province's Huzhou, jointly held an ecological protection event in Wuxi on April 21 to increase public awareness on the topic.

This year, the event saw the launching of an initiative calling for the protection of the Taihu Lake basin and gathered more than 200 volunteers from the four cities.

During the launching ceremony, volunteers were awarded with certificates and medals for their contributions to promoting ecological civilization.

Through online promotional activities including a live webcast, the activity received more than 150,000 clicks and was praised by residents around Taihu Lake, China's third-largest freshwater lake.

After the launching ceremony, volunteers explored a wetland park, visited an algae water separation station, and observed the water quality of Taihu Lake.

Seagulls fly over Taihu Lake in Jiangsu province, China's third-largest freshwater lake. [Photo/IC]

Volunteers from four cities visit a wetland park beside Taihu Lake. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]