The southwestern municipality of Chongqing first implemented its "Grain for Green" Project in 2000, bringing with it a greener environment and increased incomes for local farmers.

Over the 17-year period, Chongqing has built a number of ecological production bases, including Xiushan's honeysuckle base, Wanzhou's lemon base, and Zhong county's orange base, totaling an area of 7.5 million mu (500,000 hectares).

At the end of 2016, the total income for forest industrial bases reached 5.29 billion yuan. Special countryside tourism has also brought locals more than 1.31 biliion yuan in revenue.

A pair of farmers grow mulberry trees for the silkworm industry in the Qianjiang district of Chongqing. [Photo/Xinhua]