Eco-friendly living in Huzhou

Huzhou Sheraton Hotel stands in the middle of Moon Bay. [Photos Provided to China Daily]

Ecological city home to bamboo, lakes, mountains and ancient attractions

As China's economy continues to develop, people focus more on improving their living standards. In Huzhou, a city in the northern part of East China's Zhejiang province, residents enjoy a good living environment.

As the nation's first ecological sample city, Huzhou is home to several eco-friendly towns and regions.

The city has more than 50 percent forest coverage and provides more than 60 percent of Taihu Lake's water.

Dai Biaoyuan, a poet from the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), wrote that "among the beautiful places I have visited in East China, Huzhou is the best place for living".

The city has several tourism attractions including Taihu Lake, bamboo's hometown Anji, the ancient town of Nanxun and mountain and wetland scenery.

Nanxun ancient town is ranked among China's top 10 charming and famous towns.

The area's Mogan Mountain is one of the four most popular summer resorts around China. And Xiazhuhu Lake Wetlands are the biggest wetlands south of the Yangtze River.

The area also boasts ancient and ecological attractions including Shili Gingko Corridor, Chinese alligators and Chinese bamboo county in Anji - the country's first ecological county.

Huzhou has been focusing on improving the city's ecological environment since 2003.

Moon Bay presents the city's achievements from 10 years of ecological development efforts.

Located on the south banks of Taihu Lake, Moon Bay is a popular place to enjoy the natural surroundings. The bay is nestled among trees and reeds that sway in the breeze while boats sail by on the water.

The landmark Huzhou Sheraton Hotel stands in the middle of the bay and represents a large moon.

When night falls, colored lights from the hotel shine onto the lake, with more than 1,000 combinations. The hotel, its reflection and Taihu Lake combine to create the city's most popular attraction.

Anji is the only county in China that was granted the UN Habitat Scroll of Honor. More than 75 percent of the county is covered with bamboo or trees. The 1,668-sq-km county has more than 667 sq km of bamboo gardens.

The Oscar-winning movie Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was filmed in the bamboo gardens in Anji.

Anji has more than 300 types of bamboos, which are developed into numerous products including food, furniture, socks and beverages.

Anji is home to Asia's largest pumped storage power station - Tianhuangping Pumped Storage Power Station.

The station uses the mountainous area's natural advantages to generate power with water.

During the night, when electricity consumption is low, the power station pumps up water from the bottom of the mountain with spare electricity and stores the water in the reservoir at the top of the mountain.

During daytime, the water in the reservoir is rushed down from the top to generate power for the city.

The operation mode reduces energy and environment costs, according to the power station's chief engineer.