Zou Jinlian spends her days patrolling the banks of Aixi Lake in Nanchang, capital of the eastern province of Jiangxi. As director of the protection center for migratory birds at the Aixi Lake Forest Wetland Park, the 31-year-old has an eye-catching work partner-a swan named Dabai, or "Big White".

Lying in the heart of Nanchang, the 467-hectare park is a wonderland for migratory birds.

It is home to about 2,000 birds including wild geese, egrets and swans. Although wild, Dabai also seems to enjoy the conditions, as she arrived as a migrant in 2017, but has never left.

Before the park was built, Aixi Lake was surrounded by villages. The area was targeted by real estate developers because of its great commercial potential, according to Yang Funing, chief engineer of the Nanchang Forestry and Grassland Administration.

Instead, the local government decided to move the villages and build a wetland park with the aim of improving the environment to benefit both humans and wildlife.

"People really want a better environment rather than more residential apartments," Yang said.

Construction of the wetland park started in 2007, with investment of more than 70 million yuan ($9.96 million). Gardeners tend to the plants and ensure they are protected, while the designers included zones for various activities, including camping and reading, so the wildlife would not be disturbed or harmed.

To suit the needs of the different wild species, the facility is divided into several mini theme parks, including separate areas for cranes and swans, lotus and wintersweet shrubs. To better protect the birds' habitats, their sections are isolated from areas of human activity.

Since 2014, some migratory birds have made the park their long-term habitat, according to Zou. Before that, the lake was just a place where the birds rested briefly and recuperated before continuing their long journeys, she said.

Zou is always happy to help newborns and their parents settle into a new habitat when the breeding season arrives in June and July. "Female swans lay their eggs in our center during the breeding season. This year's cygnets are the sixth generation to be born in the park from the same group," she said.

The wetland park has also seen a surge in visitor numbers, and a canteen located in the wild birds' protection center is open to the public at weekends.

"It provides a great opportunity for people to interact closely with the wildlife. That plays an important role in educating visitors about ecological conservation, especially children and teenagers," Zou said.

"In recent years, we've received several phone calls from local residents who have rescued wild birds. It shows people's growing awareness of wildlife protection, which is very encouraging."

Urbanization

China has one of the fastest urbanization rates in the world. The urban population is more than 800 million, and it is set to soar to 1 billion by 2030, according to the National Forestry and Grassland Administration.

In 2004, a project was launched to build a cluster of forest cities nationwide, with the aim of improving the environment in urban areas through greening.

The forest cities are expected to help lower the average air temperature, improve air quality, create noise barriers, generate habitats for wildlife and improve biodiversity in their regions.

Nearly 400 cities in 19 provinces and autonomous regions have been involved in the project so far, according to the administration.

By the end of last year, 138 cities had been certified as State-level Forest Cities, and the forested area in each rose by 13,333 hectares per annum in the past five years.

All 11 cities in Jiangxi have been designated State-level Forest Cities, making it the only province in the country where every city has that status. Last year, the province's forest coverage was 63.1 percent-nearly three times the national rate of 22.96 percent.

Air quality in the province also ranks among the best nationwide. The annual average density of PM2.5-particulate matter with a diameter of 2.5 micrometers or less-is 38.

Last year, the protection of forests and wetland brought benefits equivalent to 1.5 trillion yuan, according to the provincial Forestry and Grassland Administration.

"Jiangxi's forest cities have some unique characteristics, compared with other regions. As it is home to Poyang Lake, the country's largest body of freshwater, most of the greening projects have been built alongside rivers, branch lakes or wetland," said Zhu Bing, a researcher with the Jiangxi Greening Work Committee.

The construction plan for forest cities in Jiangxi is designed to reflect local culture. For example, as the province is the "cradle of the Chinese Revolution", maples, pine trees and daisies have been planted in the many martyrs' memorial parks to promote greening. When the maple leaves turn crimson in autumn, they convey both the "Red Spirit" and respect for the martyrs.

Potential

The efforts to build forest cities are meaningful for residents, both downtown and suburban, not only because of the fresher air and improved natural scenery, but also because they have raised incomes and promise great potential for the green economy.

By October, the combined length of "green walk" paths in Nanchang had reached 107 kilometers. All the paths and government-funded parks are open free of charge, and some forests and wetland parks draw large numbers of photographers and outdoor sports fans.

Zhang Yujun, who owns and operates a wedding photo studio in Nanchang, said the city's forest parks are the top choices for many newlyweds.

A few weeks ago, he photographed more than 20 newly married couples, all of whom chose forest parks as locations.

"Most parks are built along riverbanks or next to small lakes, and the great diversity of plant life meets the needs of different customers. Instead of traveling overseas, more couples are now having their wedding photos taken in Nanchang. Our studio recouped the initial investment about a year after it opened," he said.

In the suburbs, the opportunities created by the booming forest trend are drawing young people back from large cities.

Having worked in a tourism agency in Beijing for three years, Lu Xianfeng noticed the growth of forest tourism among urban residents. In response, he decided to return home and open a forest resort in Changshui village, Jiujiang city, Jiangxi.

The 38-year-old opened the resort in 2017 with total investment of 30 million yuan. The 21 wooden villas, all imported from Canada, can house 60 guests at a time.

"Most of our guests are couples traveling with their kids and parents. They want to relax, both physically and mentally, through close contact with nature. With China's rapid economic development, such needs will definitely soar in the future," Lu said.

The resort made more than 200,000 yuan during the seven-day National Day holiday last month.

By the end of that month, the number of people who had stayed at the resort since January reached about 20,000, generating income of some 3 million yuan. Most of the visitors hailed from other parts of China, including large cities such as Beijing and Shanghai.

In Jiujiang, many people have boosted their incomes by promoting the green economy-for example, by planting herbs and commercial plants. Last year, the forest industry generated income of more than 43 billion yuan, according to the city government.

Education

The construction of forest cities provides the younger generation with opportunities to learn about wildlife, as many cities have also built forest or nature museums for educational purposes.

In May last year, Jiujiang's first forest museum, located in the Tianhuajing National Forest Park, opened to the public. Entry is free, and the museum, which has more than 1,000 specimens endemic to the city, has attracted about 500,000 people so far.

The specimens are meticulously arranged according to their living habits or based on relations between different species. Some rare specimens can be found in the museum, such as the country's only stuffed female South China Tiger. In the wild, the animal is an endangered species under the top level of protection.

To stimulate interest among children, the museum has installed high-tech facilities to improve the interactive experience, such as four-dimensional digital projections and an interactive lighting design based on distance and blow sensors. Users can wave their hands over, or blow hard onto, sensors to control the power switch or change the lighting patterns and colors.

In a dark hall, visitors can experience a "night in the forest", during which they can see and hear nocturnal animals by following fluorescent indicators. Touching a "sleeping tiger" (a plastic model) activates a projector that shows a silhouette of a tiger waving its tail and an audio system that broadcasts loud roars.

"The purpose of building forest cities is not simply to 'green' urban areas, but also to inspire a love of nature among people, especially the younger generation," said Yu Xiankui, director of the Jiujiang forestry and grassland bureau.

"Only with love and respect for nature can we better protect it and make good use of it."