Located at the eastern foot of the Qilian Mountains, Jinchang City in Gansu Province was built around a mine that gave rise to its industry. Starting in the 1960s, the Jinchuan open-pit nickel mine operated for nearly three decades, extracting a total of 70.33 million cubic meters of ore and rock. While this established the industrial foundation of "China's Nickel Capital," it also left deep scars on the landscape.
In 2009, Jinchang City partnered with Jinchuan Group to launch an ecological restoration project. The following year, the Jinchuan National Mine Park was officially approved for establishment. Over the subsequent decade, the local government and the enterprise jointly implemented a governance model focused on "eliminating geological hazards, leveling and repairing exposed surfaces, replanting native vegetation, reclaiming damaged land, and enhancing regional landscapes."
Significant funds were invested, and more than 200,000 person-times participated in voluntary tree planting and greening efforts. This led to the reshaping of eight mountain landforms and the planting of 740,000 seedlings. What was once a severely damaged mining area has now been transformed into an ecological green park that receives over 100,000 visitors annually.
On August 12, a drone photo captured a corner of the Jinchuan National Mine Park in Jinchang, Gansu. Another drone shot showed the park's panoramic view. On the same day, workers were seen tending to trees in a forested area of the park and clearing dead branches. At the ornamental plant breeding base of Jinchuan Group's Jujia Ecological Agriculture Co., Ltd. Garden Company, staff pruned seedlings that would be used for the ecological restoration of the Jinchuan National Mine Park. A drone photo also documented the ongoing graded slope-cutting and treatment of waste rock and slag piles within the park.