Despite the bleak weather in early winter, a newly built botanical garden is attracting visitors with its blooming flowers.
Located in Taiyuan, north China's Shanxi Province, the botanical garden covering 1.82 million square meters is the largest of its kind in the province.
Since the garden was put into trial operation in October, visitor numbers have been close to capacity, with a total of 6,000 e-tickets sold out in minutes every day.
In the garden, tourists can visit three greenhouses exhibiting plants of different seasons and a viewing platform that presents a panorama of the garden.
"I heard the garden is beautiful, so I brought my family here today. It's been a worthwhile trip," said Wang Yun, one of the visitors.
More than half of the picturesque garden was built on the former sites of coal mines and industrial enterprises, which totaled 970,000 square meters, said Lyu Jiannan, an employee of the garden.
The country's coal mining hub Shanxi has produced more than 19 billion tonnes of raw coal supplying 26 Chinese provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities since the founding of the People's Republic of China.
Amid the province's drive to cut its outdated overcapacity, eliminate polluting industries and achieve sustainable development, Shanxi has planned to close all coal mines with an annual output of fewer than 600,000 tonnes by the end of 2020.
Before the construction of the garden started in 2017, one coal storage plant, three coal washing plants and 144 high-emission companies had been the bane of local residents.
"The air was so dusty that we'd never seen a clean windowsill," said Li Yurong, from Wangjiafen Village some 10 minutes' ride to the garden by electric bicycle.
Because of the severe pollution, even the date trees didn't bear fruits, Li recalled, adding that the meager yields from the farmland had left them in poverty.
Over the following three years, the local government shut down polluting plants and restored damaged mine pits and sandpits, transforming them into a lush garden.
The greenery not only brings local residents fresher air but also hundreds of jobs.
Li, who once relied on doing odd jobs near home to make a living, now works as a security guard in the garden with a monthly salary of 3,000 yuan (about 456 U.S. dollars).
"In the past, no one wanted to visit here, but now it's great. Everyone envies us!" Li added.
Editor: Galia
