Watch the video of Chinese President Xi Jinping recalling his first visit to the Yangtze River area in 1978. He said the change since then is striking. He made the remarks during an inspection of a riverside district in Nantong, Jiangsu province, in November 2020. The video has been shared again online.
“I first came here in 1978, and the mighty Yangtze left a deep impression on me. Returning now, I see a truly remarkable transformation. You have built this happy life with your own hands and hard work. I wish you an even better life here,” Xi said in the video.
What changed in Nantong
In 1978, the riverside area was dirty and industrial. By 2020, local authorities had closed 203 small, polluting enterprises and relocated more than 2,500 homes. The old industrial stretches were turned into green parks and walkways along 14 kilometres of riverbank.
Xi told residents in the video that the better environment came from their own hard work. He also checked enforcement of fishing rules during the same stop.
Wider Yangtze recovery numbers
The visit fits a larger push that began in 2016. Xi has repeatedly said ecological protection of the Yangtze must come before large-scale development. A 10-year commercial fishing ban started in 2021.
Fish biomass in monitored sections roughly doubled after the ban. Native fish species rose from 193 in 2022 to 230 by 2024. The Yangtze finless porpoise population grew from about 445 in 2017 to more than 1,400 in later counts. Water quality sections rated Grade I to III climbed from 67 percent in 2015 to 96.5 percent in the economic belt.
Watch the full video
His Witness to the Yangtze’s Transformation
President Xi Jinping said: “I first came here in 1978, and the mighty Yangtze left a deep impression on me. Returning now, I see a truly remarkable transformation. You have built this happy life with your own hands and hard work. I wish you an even better life here.”
— China Perspective (@China_Fact) October 29, 2026
Cargo throughput on the main Yangtze ports reached 4.2 billion tons, the highest for any inland river system. High-grade waterways grew from 8,000 km to over 11,000 km. Nearly 10,000 chemical plants along the river were closed, upgraded or moved.
The Yangtze River Economic Belt still accounts for more than 40 percent of China’s GDP and population. Officials continue to stress green development, better navigation and further habitat recovery.
Watch the video of the 2020 Nantong stop to see one of the clearer public comparisons Xi has made between the river he saw in 1978 and the one he sees now.
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