A lawmaker from Yucun Village in eastern China is fighting plastic pollution with a novel weapon and roping in young entrepreneurs as partners.
When lawmaker Wang Yucheng came to Beijing to attend the Two Sessions in March, the annual sessions of the National People’s Congress (NPC), China’s top legislature, and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, the top political advisory body, he brought something unusual with him all the way from home. It was a pencil box containing several pencils. But it was no ordinary pencil box. It was his weapon to fight environmental degradation.
Wang is the secretary of the Communist Party of China’s local branch in Yucun, a village in Anji County, Zhejiang Province in east China. In the past, the village was a mining village with rich limestone reserves. As people realized the commercial value of limestone, quarries began to mushroom, followed by cement factories, and the once picturesque village with breathtaking mountain views and lush forests became scarred and heavily polluted.
In 2005, Xi Jinping, then secretary of Zhejiang Provincial Party Committee, went to Yucun and put forward the philosophy of green development, saying, “Lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets.” After years of ecological restoration and the integrated development of cultural tourism and agricultural industries, Yucun has become a demonstration village, ranking among the “Best Tourism Villages” listed by the United Nations World Tourism Organization.
Wang Yucheng, secretary of the Communist Party of China’s local branch in Yucun Village, in Anji County, Zhejiang Province, attends the third session of the 14th National People’s Congress on March 5, 2025.
Bamboo as Economic Asset
Zhejiang has sprawling bamboo forests, covering an area of over 930,000 hectares. Anji is known as the “Bamboo Town of China.” “Anji’s bamboo industry has an annual output value of over RMB 100 billion,” Wang said. “So, my proposal (at the 2025 NPC session was) that we develop new industries to realize the ecological value of the bamboo.”
He took out the pencil box. It has been manufactured by a local firm in Anji and both the box and the set of pencils are made of bamboo. The world uses more than 12 billion pencils every year. To make the pencils, 400,000 cubic meters of high-quality basswood is needed, Wang told China Today in an exclusive interview. But if bamboo pencils are made as substitutes for wooden pencils, they will be of immense ecological and economic value.
“How many years does it take for a sapling to grow into a big tree?” he asked. “But the bamboo plant grows up in just one year. This is how we can turn lush mountains and lucid waters into gold and silver in real world.”
For the deliberations at the NPC session, Wang came prepared with several proposals to develop Yucun. Their centerpiece is transforming and upgrading the bamboo industry and “replacing plastic with bamboo.”
Controlling the use of plastic is one of the most challenging battles against pollution across the globe. In 2023, China began implementing a three-year action plan to promote the use of bamboo as an alternative to plastic products. It is also a partner in the International Bamboo and Rattan Organization’s “Bamboo as a Substitute for Plastic” initiative that focuses on developing biodegradable alternatives to plastic products. Bamboo can be a sustainable alternative, helping create a greener and low-carbon environment.
The first national base for “replacing plastic with bamboo” was established in Anji in 2023 and the county is receiving policy support to upgrade its bamboo industry and broaden the application of bamboo, exploring new ways to control plastic pollution.
Wang has held long discussions with bamboo products makers and related government departments and his comprehensive proposal to use the bamboo in new industries has been drafted after taking into consideration the scientific and technological innovation perspective, the kind of policy support required, and even the plan for an industrial park and promotion.
“I hope central authorities will support the development of the bamboo industry with more policies and promote bamboo as an eco-friendly substitute for plastic, wood, and even steel in various fields,” he said. NPC deputies should pool these grassroots voices together and bring them to Beijing, he said.
Yucun has become a demonstration village, ranking among the “Best Tourism Villages” listed by the United Nations World Tourism Organization.
A Story of Transformation
Yucun boasts an amazing carbon-neutral library. Named “Yucun Impression,” it has outer walls made of bamboo and concrete, and the stairs and railings of wild bamboo.
It is a story of transformation. Originally, it was the site of two factories, a cement factory built with concrete, and a two-storied factory made of steel that manufactured metal wire. The steel bars, concrete and cement of the original buildings are all materials that consume high energy. So, the reconstructed library retained them so as to not waste the resources. But for the new materials it used, it took care to reduce further carbon emissions.
The new building also has improved thermal insulation and natural ventilation, reducing its energy consumption. The roof is paved with photovoltaic glass tiles which generate green electricity for the entire building. The excess energy is stored for use at night and in winter. The renewable photovoltaic power generation system offsets its carbon footprints, achieving carbon neutrality in the whole life cycle.
The library has a system to monitor environmental information, such as the temperature, humidity and air quality, and calculate the carbon emissions of the building. Visitors can see the real-time updated data on an electronic screen.
“The carbon-neutral library has become the most dynamic and creative place in the village,” Wang said. The residents, especially children, young entrepreneurs and tourists all love it. It holds cultural and creative activities regularly, such as youth forums, photo exhibitions, and China’s most influential rock music festival, the Midi Music Festival.
It is also the venue of Yucun’s Global Partners initiative. Announced in July 2022, it is an initiative to develop Yucun together with its 24 surrounding administrative villages. It focuses on recruiting young entrepreneurs from around the world for rural tourism, cultural creativity and study tours to start businesses in Yucun.
But over and above everything else, the preserved old industrial structure is a link with history, creating a memento of the past for villagers and the newer generations.
Yucun boasts an amazing carbon-neutral library, named “Yucun Impression.”
Global Partners Initiative
“Talent is highly important for the revitalization of the countryside,” Wang said. “Our major task is to attract more young people to work, start businesses and live in rural areas.”
In 2023, it was the first time when Wang took questions from the Chinese and foreign media as an NPC deputy on the red carpet at the Great Hall of the People. He told them the story of Yucun and the Global Partners initiative.
Since the initiative was launched, more than 60 young people from across the world have come with their business plans, creating jobs for college graduates. New business and lifestyle models have sprung up, such as digital nomads and camping plus, making life in Yucun more colorful and prosperous.
As an NPC deputy, Wang has been concentrating on “making more young people come to the countryside and stay in the countryside.” A “Yucun NightTalk” salon has been started to bring potential global partners, villagers and local officials face to face for brainstorming. In 2024, the salon was held every week and organized more than 50 events. Many ideas discussed there have been realized, turning into cafés, gyms, 24-hour convenience stores, and more.
“These young people have broadened my mind on rural development,” Wang said. “For this year, I continue to seek policy support for attracting more young people to dream big in the countryside. More incentive policies can guarantee more talent coming to the village and propelling it toward common prosperity.”
More than 60 young entrepreneurs have come to Yucun with plans to set up businesses since the Global Partners initiative was launched in July 2022.
