"The reservoir is now a popular tour site, so wonderful!" Said a villager from Qingshan Village, Huanghu Township in Yuhang District of Hangzhou. The villager has witnessed streams of visitors coming to the village for Longwu Reservoir. 

Longwu Reservoir, river embarkment, and canoeing, cycling and hiking around the Qingshan Reservoir in Lin’an District are all popular among visitors. Hangzhou has been making active moves to open its water conservancy projects to the general public. It has built a raft of water spaces for recreation, swimming, camping, sightseeing and fishing. Statistics showed that 13 water conservancy projects in Hangzhou including the Qingshan Reservoir have been recognized as provincial-level pilot projects, and 20 projects such as the Sanbao project for stagnant water drainage as municipal-level pilot projects. 

"In 2015, the right to use 33.3 hectares of Phyllostachys pubescens forests in low hills was transferred to the local government. The use of pesticides and chemical fertilizers was stopped, giving time for the ground vegetation to have a full rest. In 2018, water quality in Longwu Reservoir was upgraded to national class-A level, making the reservoir one of the best water sources 50km around Hangzhou," said an official from the city's authority of forestry and water resources. Starting from water source preservation, individuals and teams specializing in ecological preservation, art design and traditional handicrafts gather in Qingshan Village and built the Rong Design Library and Qingshan Nature Academy. Last year, for-profit operations in Qingshan Village earned 1.53 million yuan, up 53 percent year on year. Earnings of the village collective reached 5 million yuan. Beautiful scenery has been transformed into economic gains. Lush mountains and lucid water emerged as the golden goose for villagers' happy life.   

With today's bustling life, Citywalk and Cityboat are favored by young people. The water forest on Qingshan Lake has become a popular tourist destination as a result. "In fact, Qingshan Lake is not a natural lake. Exactly speaking, it should be called Qingshan Reservoir. In the 1950s and 1960s, a dam was built on the Tiaoxi Creek to prevent flooding, and the Qingshan Reservoir began to take shape," said the leading staff worker. 

Wentao Road in the riverside flanked by lake view and peach blossoms is dubbed the most beautiful route for jogging in Hangzhou. The Skate Park and outdoor basketball court which opens 24 hours along the road are favorable destinations of exercise for residents living nearby. "The most beautiful route for jogging is actually a standard embarkment," said the leading staff worker. The explorations represent Hangzhou's efforts to open its water conservancy facilities for public benefits. 

"Our original intention of opening the water conservancy facilities is to enable residents and tourists to access lake views and have exercises while gaining a straightforward understanding of water conservancy facilities," said the official. In 2023, the city's forestry and water resources bureau released documents, including the pilot guidelines for opening water conservancy facilities for public benefits, setting out principles for opening the facilities while ensuring the projects are safe and reliable, the management is procedure-based, power and duties are well-defined, and the opening is made in an orderly manner. In the meantime, a five-month field research has been finished. As a result, Hangzhou was the first in Zhejiang Province to release pilot standards for the star rating of water conservancy facilities. Hangzhou selected 20 water conservancy projects that meet standards for opening, and 13 of them are included in the list of provincial-level water conservancy projects for opening.