The mighty Yangtze River, surging and rolling, cuts through mountains, nourishes fertile lands, and sustains the long-standing Chinese civilization, supporting the development of the Chinese nation. However, as the ship of progress sails at full speed, the mother river once became overwhelmed. The important directive of “jointly focusing on protection, not engaging in large-scale development” was resounding, and a battle to protect the Yangtze River was launched.

Starting in June 2021, the central committees of various democratic parties and individuals without party affiliation, entrusted by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, carried out special supervision on the ecological and environmental protection of the Yangtze River. From the peaks of glaciers to the shores of the East China Sea, democratic supervision flows like a gentle stream, continuously merging into the powerful force of Yangtze River protection, writing a new chapter of coexistence with rivers and lakes. A major 9-episode documentary series “Coexistence with Rivers and Lakes” is launched, witnessing how special supervision unites efforts and accumulates small achievements into significant ones.

Focusing on the key and difficult points of ecological and environmental protection in the Yunnan section of the Yangtze River, the Central Committee of the China Democratic League has established a working mechanism consisting of “three systems”: a liaison responsibility system, an information system, and a technology support system, dedicating full enthusiasm to the special supervision. Over five years, the Central Committee of the China Democratic League has clarified supervision priorities, identified supervision directions, transformed the institutional advantages of democratic supervision into governance effectiveness, and worked together with Yunnan Province to ensure that the natural beauty of “clear waters flowing out of Yunnan” remains forever.

Yangtze River

The Yangtze River is the longest river in Asia and the third longest in the world, flowing over 6,300 kilometers through China. It has been a cradle of Chinese civilization for thousands of years, supporting agriculture, trade, and cultural development along its banks. Historically, the river has played a key role in major events, such as the Three Kingdoms period battles and the construction of the Three Gorges Dam, the world’s largest hydroelectric project.

East China Sea

The East China Sea is a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean, bordered by China, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan, with a history of maritime trade and cultural exchange dating back centuries. It played a key role in ancient shipping routes, such as those connecting China to Japan and the Ryukyu Kingdom, and was a site of conflict during the Sino-Japanese War in the late 19th century. Today, it remains geopolitically significant due to territorial disputes, particularly over the Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands.