At Changfeng Group’s mining area, “lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets” is far more than a slogan—it’s an operational creed etched into every rock.

From the moment blast-generated dust settles, every step of transformation here reflects a resolute determination to break new ground.

They dismantled outdated, energy-intensive production lines and installed dust-control nets along the exposed edges of open pits. Fog cannons weave a fine “air filter,” causing airborne dust to settle within water mist—transforming it into a recoverable resource. Along the mine roads, workers carry saplings deep into every patch of barren land: purple alfalfa stabilizes shifting sands, while pine and locust trees form green networks across slopes. Even depressions once piled high with mining slag have been reshaped into retention ponds, mirroring the sky and drifting clouds.

To sever pollution at its roots, the mine built a wastewater treatment plant. Once sulfur-laden effluent now undergoes multi-stage purification, nourishing reeds and wild ducks by the pond’s edge. Massive heaps of waste rock are crushed and repurposed into new building materials, supporting infrastructure projects in surrounding villages. They’ve even equipped every reclaimed zone with smart monitoring devices—real-time data on soil pH, airborne PM2.5 levels, and water clarity stream continuously to the central control room, ensuring no subtle environmental fluctuation escapes 24/7 “ecological vigilance.”

“When we mined coal, we sought gold and silver mountains; now that we’ve restored greenery, we cherish lucid waters and lush mountains even more,” says the mine manager with quiet resolve. Here, miners have laid down their picks and taken up hoes—transforming from “miners” into “forest guardians.” Calluses have simply shifted hands, but their reverence for the land remains unwavering.

Today, standing on the observation deck and gazing into the distance, one sees a landscape once shrouded in gray now wrapped in ten thousand acres of green. The former coal-transport railway has become an eco-trail, and even villagers who once relocated due to mining operations are returning, drawn by birdsong, to a homeland that now looks “better than ever before.”

This determination lies in the root systems of every sapling, dissolves in every drop of purified water, and is written most clearly in the miners’ profound shift—from “taking from the mountain” to “giving back to the mountain.” They understand deeply that only a restored landscape of lucid waters and lush mountains can become the most solid, enduring “gold and silver mountains” they pass on to future generations.