Editor’s note: February marks the fifth anniversary of the publication of the “Outline Development Plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area”. In the eighth in China Daily’s series on the most intriguing stories to come out of the Greater Bay Area cities within the past five years, we take an in-depth look at Huizhou’s efforts to explore its development in an environmentally friendly mode, and searching for a scientific method to protect the precious ancient trees.

Huizhou has carved out a niche for itself by coordinating environmental protection with economic growth, along with its innovative strategies and unwavering commitment to sustainability.

Huizhou topped Pearl River Delta cities and ranked sixth nationwide in terms of air quality last year, according to the Ministry of Ecology and Environment.

Despite a challenging economic environment, Huizhou's gross domestic product surged 5.6 percent last year, having achieved stable growth for the past two years since topping the province's GDP growth rate in 2022.

The fact that Huizhou's two pillar industries - petrochemicals and electronics - are traditionally seen as highly environmentally unfriendly makes the city's environmental conservation achievements even more striking.

Preserving the environment is inseparable from the local government's strict environmental standards and effective implementation. City authorities actively examine and supervise emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Of the 611 VOC-related enterprises they inspected last year, 221 were required to correct their operations.