A local volunteer in Hangzhou, the capital city of east China's Zhejiang Province, has dedicated himself to cleaning garbage from the city's iconic West Lake over the past decade, hoping his persistence will inspire more people to join in local ecological protection.
At 05:00 each day, Zhu Shuhong begins his volunteer shift removing trash from the West Lake. His effort recently welcomed a special participant, Erik Solheim, chairman of the Europe-Asia Center and a former U.N. under-secretary-general, who joined the cleanup with Zhu and other volunteers.
According to Zhu, extensive underwater plants are cultivated to improve the lake's water quality. However, fish feeding on these plants generate floating debris that must be promptly removed to prevent pollution. Every day, volunteers will clear hundreds to over 2,000 kilograms of trash to preserve the lake's clarity.
Zhu stated that two reasons propel his decade-long dedication: to enhance the clarity of the West Lake's water and improve the environment, and to establish a volunteer service embodying the unique characteristics of Hangzhou and the rest of Zhejiang.
Through his unwavering commitment, he aims to inspire broader public engagement in ecological protection, Zhu said.
The journey is featured in the China Global Television Network (CGTN) documentary "China Quest: A Journey Through Lucid Waters and Lush Mountains", which premiered on August 3.
The documentary follows Solheim as he travels across China to see how the country's green solutions are helping change the world.
Volunteer devotes decade to cleaning West Lake of east China's Hangzhou
