Stepping into the Golf Garden Community in Guangzhou’s Baiyun District, you will see lush vegetation mixed with buildings, filling the white space of urban areas with green life.

With smooth road surfaces, booming community businesses, and orderly garbage sorting, it is a microcosm of Guangzhou’s move to promote the green development of both urban and rural areas.

According to a draft regulation on the promotion of green development released by the city's urban and rural construction bureau recently, Guangzhou is set to build itself into a zero-waste city by 2025 with priorities given to ecological development, conservation and protection.

Photo: Nanfang Daily

By then, the per capita park area will be increased to 18 square meters and the proportion of green travelling will surpass 70%. Also, the proportion of resource utilization of domestic waste will be raised to 85%.

In addition, Guangzhou will make greater efforts to promote green buildings and encourage the construction of green farms via transformation of existing buildings as well as the promotion of low-energy and zero-carbon buildings.

The draft also emphasizes the advancement of integrated development of urban and rural areas, to build a number of beautiful villages with Lingnan characteristics. For example, Chini Zhudong Village in Guangzhou’s Huadu District has introduced a number of bonsai leading enterprises, building an influential cluster of seedlings planting, exhibition and marketing in South China.