Sanming City, a major collective forest area in east China's Fujian Province, is stepping up its efforts to reform the collective forest tenure system to promote green development and increase local farmers' incomes.
By 2025, China aims to form a collective forest tenure system with clear ownership, unified responsibilities and rights, strict protection, orderly circulation and effective supervision, according to a government plan issued last year.
As early as 2021, Sanming issued China's first forest carbon credit stamp to the village committee of Changkou Village, in a move to use market mechanisms to reduce carbon emissions.
Forest carbon credits are permits for companies to emit a certain amount of carbon dioxide. They are converted from added forest areas and the amount of carbon they can capture. Farmers who own forests areas can have these credits, and they can sell them to companies that need to offset their carbon emissions. Essentially, companies buy these credits as an investment in forestry to balance out their own carbon footprint.
"During large events, various forms of transportation and energy use lead to carbon emissions. To offset this, companies purchase forest carbon credit stamps to achieve carbon neutrality," said Wu Hui, deputy director of the municipal Forestry Bureau of Sanming.
The first forest carbon credit stamp was sold for 140,000 yuan (19,544 U.S. dollars), and each villager received a share of the profit. So far, Sanming has launched 49 forestry carbon credit projects, offsetting 1.12 million tons of carbon.
In addition, trading these ecological products has turned good environmental practices into real income, further encouraging more people in Sanming to plant and protect forests.
"After years of protecting our environment, we're now starting to see the financial rewards. We all feel that we should keep taking care of our ecosystem, and make our efforts more rewarding," said Zhang Linshun, a local official.
At the rural property-rights exchange center in Fujian's Shaxian County, online auctions are held for forest rights and carbon credits. Earlier this year, the 20-year management rights for a 1,035-acre bamboo forest in Heshan Village started bidding at 600,000 yuan (83,761 U.S. dollars) and were sold for 1.03 million yuan (143,790 U.S. dollars).
"Over 99 percent of these transactions are now conducted through online auctions. The market and investors determine the value of these assets. This is very different from traditional village transactions. As the market grows, both buyers and sellers will see greater increases in asset value and sale prices," said Wang Zhongyuan, deputy general manager of the center.
As of August 8 this year, the exchange center has completed 3,091 transactions, with a value of 2.11 billion yuan (about 294.6 million U.S. dollars).
Sanming City in Fujian upgrades collective forest tenure system
Many vibrant activities were held across China on Tuesday to celebrate the 40th Teachers' Day, which falls on Sept. 10, honoring the contributions of teachers to students' personal development and their role in shaping the overall education system.
In Hangzhou, capital city of east China's Zhejiang Province, landmark buildings were lit up at night with warm wishes, expressing sincere gratitude to teachers.
A school in Bishan District of southwest China's Chongqing Municipality held a special ceremony to welcome new teachers, who vowed to abide by the instructors' code and ethics during an oath-taking session.
In Nanchang, capital city of east China's Jiangxi Province, outstanding teachers were commended for their efforts in fostering student development and improving their academic skills.
Students in Lanzhou, capital city of northwest China's Gansu Province, showed their gratitude to the teachers' hard work with various forms of performances, including a live drama on stage.
Meanwhile, Majiang County in southwest China's Guizhou Province kicked off an art festival featuring music and dance performances to mark the special day.
In interviews with China Global Television Network (CGTN), people from various professions recalled their fondest school memories, sharing the important roles teachers played in shaping their lives.
"When I was in the second year of high school, my grades dropped. My Chinese teacher encouraged me, saying that 'Even if you're not one of the best, you're still unique.' I've remembered his words till this day," said Yu Kangna who works as a nurse at a hospital in Deqing County of Zhejiang.
"I've always been poor at math, but my math teacher didn't give up on me. He offered me and others extra tutoring and told us to believe in myself. He told us that girls don't necessarily perform poorly in math and we can be as good as boys," said Yue Ziyi, a student at Jimei University in east China's Xiamen.
Others expressed gratitude to their teachers for nurturing them and acting as guardians.
"My most memorable teacher is my head teacher in high school. He treated every student with loads of patience. He believes every one of us is capable of learning," said Wang Chaobo, a worker at the gas production branch of the Daqing Oilfield, one of China's largest oil production bases in the northeastern Heilongjiang Province.
"To Teacher Li, thanks you. Thank you for protecting me when I was young and for making me feel that I was no different from other students. I wish you good health," said Qu Zimo, a badminton player and also a member of the Chinese delegation for the Paris Paralympics.
Over the past decades, China has built the world's largest high-standard education system, covering pre-school, compulsory, senior high, higher education, adult education, and special education.
The country now boasts nearly 19 million full-time teachers, double the number in 1985 when the first Teachers' Day was celebrated.
China celebrates 40th Teachers' Day with vibrant activities
