中国：14亿人口之国的故事：一位总理和一位普通教师
Life is short; only virtue can carry its memory down to distant posterity. The world‑renowned poet William Shakespeare (1564‑1616) expressed this sentiment (Shakespeare, 1594).
Zhu Rongji (1928‑2026), the fifth Premier of the People’s Republic of China (March 1998‑March 2003), passed away two months ago (Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress et al., PRC, 2026). He bid a final farewell to his beloved motherland, having devoted all his passion and painstaking efforts to this vast territory steeped in ancient civilisation. Upon receiving this grievous news, I, an ordinary university teacher, could not calm my mind for a long time and lay awake for several consecutive nights. Scenes of equal, thoughtful exchanges between a premier occupied with heavy state duties and myself, a young novice teacher, kept replaying in my mind.
Ⅰ. A Late‑Night Consultative Phone Call
In the autumn of 1997, I completed a key research project jointly sponsored by the former State Science and Technology Commission of the People’s Republic of China (now the Ministry of Science and Technology) and the China Tibetology Research Center. My sole‑authored academic monograph Population and Environmental Carrying Capacity of the Qinghai‑Tibetan Plateau was published by China Tibetology Press in April of the following year. This work won the First Prize for Monographs in the Social Science Awards granted by the State Ethnic Affairs Commission of the PRC in January 2000 (State Ethnic Affairs Commission, PRC, 2000). The book systematically elaborates a theory of the “ecological compensation mechanism”. Its core arguments are summarised below:
Known as the “Third Pole of the Earth”, the Qinghai‑Tibetan Plateau covers a total area of 3 083 400 km², 83.7 % of which lies within Chinese national territory (Zhang et al., 2021). This plateau nurtures numerous well‑known domestic and transboundary rivers, and its planetary‑scale ecological regulatory functions profoundly shape global climate dynamics (Wang, 1998). Rivers serve as a good illustration of these functions:
Modern scientific research indicates that 69.66 % of vegetated areas across the Qinghai‑Tibetan Plateau contribute to water‑source conservation, and water‑conservation capacity is closely correlated with vegetation density and vegetation type (Wu, 2021). In other words, the plateau’s original forests and grasslands continuously retain and recharge headwaters, giving rise to major rivers such as the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers within China, as well as the transboundary Lancang‑Mekong River system. These watercourses flow down from the plateau, supplying water for farming and transportation to billions of people across mainland China and the Indochina Peninsula and sustaining the prosperity of countless generations. For thousands of years, ethnic groups inhabiting the Qinghai‑Tibetan Plateau – including Tibetans, Qiang, Han and Tu peoples – have safeguarded the high‑altitude ecosystem through traditional cultural beliefs and practices. For instance, Tibetans regard forest‑cloaked mountain ranges as “sacred mountains” and alpine lake waters as “holy waters”. Drawing on this sacred symbolism, local communities impose strict prohibitions against arbitrary deforestation and protect the integrity of native alpine meadows. Such cultural‑ecological institutions are widely observed in western Tibet, particularly in border zones near China, India and Nepal (Zhandui & Fan, 2011).
Regrettably, human perceptions often diverge sharply from objective realities for manifold historical and social reasons. Over many centuries, hundreds of millions of people living in the lower reaches of China’s major rivers recited lines from the great Tang‑dynasty romantic poet Li Bai (701‑762): “The Yellow River comes pouring down from heaven…” (Li, 762). Across millennia, this celebrated poetic imagery inadvertently reinforced a widespread assumption: that river water from natural watercourses could be freely exploited without constraint. Abundant empirical evidence demonstrates that residents of the Qinghai‑Tibetan Plateau have long laboured to conserve plateau forests and grasslands, as exemplified by the “sacred mountain‑holy water” cultural institutions noted above. It follows that some portion of river discharge originating on the plateau represents “materialised human labour” (Marx, 1867). In short, river water is not an entirely gratuitous gift of nature; it cannot be treated as intrinsically free of charge. Extending this reasoning: when downstream populations utilise river water without compensation, they effectively appropriate the fruits of upstream communities’ protective labour without remuneration. For decades, this has constituted “a hidden, scarcely perceptible creditor‑debtor relationship” (Tian, 1999).
To achieve scientifically‑informed rapid development under China’s emerging modern market‑economy system, a dedicated “ecological compensation mechanism” must be established. At its core, residents in river basins’ downstream reaches should provide manpower, material resources and financial support for environmental protection and economic production among upstream communities. Concrete proposals include “levying an environmental‑protection tax for river‑source ecosystems on the Qinghai‑Tibetan Plateau” and “setting up specialised environmental‑resources tribunals” (Wang, 1998). Only through equivalent exchange can economies flourish and societies operate stably and harmoniously. Insufficient investment in source‑region conservation, compounded by excessive deforestation, will inevitably trigger ecological crises. Retrospective research conducted by scholars at the University of Bayreuth in Germany documented that “severe land‑degradation effects stemming from unsustainable rangeland management” repeatedly manifested across the vast plateau, driven inter alia by underinvestment in funding and equipment (Babel et al., 2014). Within China, the gravest tangible consequences of such mismanagement included partial drying‑up of the Yellow River and catastrophic flooding along the Yangtze River (Wang, 1998). Tragically, between June and August 1998, one of the most severe basin‑scale floods of the twentieth century struck large swathes of China. “Affected populations totalled 186 million; 4 150 people lost their lives; 6.85 million houses collapsed; direct economic losses reached 255.09 billion Chinese Yuan [approximately 3.085 billion US dollars]” (Wan, 1998).
The Chinese people united in collective struggle. “We defeated successive flood crests, safeguarded the safety of major rivers, lakes, key reservoirs, major cities and critical railway lines, and protected countless residents’ lives and property” (CPC Central Committee et al., 1998). Disaster‑stricken populations brought flood hazards largely under control and rapidly resumed production afterwards. Local governments dispatched agricultural technicians and mobilised machinery to drain inundated farmland and organise autumn‑harvest operations. Insurance companies processed claim payouts actively, while banks implemented loan‑deferral and interest‑reduction policies for farming households (Zhao, 2023). Through concerted multi‑party efforts, Chinese communities overcame post‑flood adversities and restarted economic development.
Mao Zedong, chief architect of the People’s Republic of China’s first‑generation leadership collective, observed in 1937: “Social practice alone is the criterion of truth.” (Mao, 1937/2009). That harsh real‑world flood disaster served as a bitter natural counter‑example, empirically validating the forward‑looking insights of the ecological‑compensation‑mechanism theory from a negative case perspective. In its painful aftermath, communities and analysts reviewed historical experience to identify root causes. During this period of serious reflection, Ningxia Daily, a provincial‑level official newspaper published in Yinchuan (capital of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region in the upper Yellow‑River basin), ran a full‑page headline article offering positive commentary, entitled “The Earth‑Shaking Theory of the ‘Compensation Mechanism’” (Wu, 2001).
One autumn night in 1998, I had already gone to bed when my landline telephone rang. I got up, dressed, and picked up the receiver. An unfamiliar voice spoke first: “I am very sorry to disturb your rest, Professor Wang. I work for the State Council. May I take a little of your valuable time to consult you on a question?” I became fully alert. After a brief conversation, I learned that the caller had been instructed by a senior leader to acquire a copy of my newly‑published academic monograph. I responded: “I will personally deliver ten copies of my book to the State Council tomorrow morning for your work. I shall call you when I arrive at the main gate.” He replied: “Professor Wang, that will not be appropriate. I will come to your home tomorrow to purchase one copy.” As arranged, he cycled by bicycle to my apartment at Minzu University of China the following afternoon. He declined to enter my dwelling, wishing not to disturb my rest further, and we conversed briefly outside my apartment building.
Only then did I realise he was one of Premier Zhu Rongji’s secretaries. “The leader has instructed us to seek your academic advice,” he reiterated twice. I offered him copies of the book as a gift, but he insisted on paying for one. I urged him: “The book costs only 18.9 Yuan (roughly 2.3 US dollars); I cannot accept payment. Please take two copies, and keep one as a spare.” He hesitated, yet I persisted earnestly: “You have ridden a bicycle for at least an hour under the scorching sun to come here. Even for an ordinary reader, this would be sufficient reason for me to give you the book.” We exchanged polite refusals several times. Finally he said: “Thank you, Professor Wang. We may seek further advice from you in future.” Holding the two volumes, he thanked me repeatedly and cycled away.
Four days later in the afternoon, I received a call with a familiar tone. He said: “Your book brings good news, Professor Wang. The leader said, protecting the ecological environment of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau is of great significance. Only through thorough investigation can one write a good book.” He paused for a moment and then said: “Professor has made significant contributions. I will have to learn more from you.” I immediately felt my cheeks burning hot: “Chief Secretary, I haven’t done enough. I will definitely follow the instructions of the Premier and do more to contribute to the country’s environmental protection. You have been working very hard, so you should take more rest.” After I replied, the two parties exchanged a few more words, and then the call ended.
In the days that followed, I repeatedly reflected on this encounter and pondered two phrases deeply rooted in traditional Chinese culture, learned from my parents and teachers in childhood. The first is “attend to everything personally”, derived from an ancient poetic line: “If a ruler does not attend to affairs in person, the common people will place no trust in him”, from The Book of Songs · Minor Odes · Jie Nanshan [c. 11th‑6th centuries BCE] (Anonymous. c. 11th‑6th centuries BCE). The second is “be ready to learn from those of lower rank”, originating from The Analects of Confucius · Gongye Chang [before 475‑221 BCE] (Disciples of Confucius compiled before 475‑221 BCE). I felt extraordinarily fortunate to witness and experience these treasured traditional cultural virtues firsthand in a real‑life situation.
Ⅱ. An Academic Volume Published with Thoughtful High‑Level Guidance
Human beings, and indeed the whole animal kingdom, cannot survive even briefly without fresh air sustained by global climatic systems. On 8 October 2026, the World Wildlife Fund released its latest report built upon the 1970‑2022 Living Planet Index, stating: “The climate we depend on is regulated by forests, oceans, peatlands and grasslands. And the economy itself rests on these services.” On 1 September 2026, the United Nations Environment Programme issued another major report drawing on decades of global climate‑change datasets: “Record‑breaking heatwaves, deadly floods and extreme weather events signal a rapidly warming planet, which will soon breach the 1.5 °C safe‑warming threshold.” The report emphasised that scaling up climate action can avert climate catastrophes. This includes “surpassing national climate‑plan targets… strong political will, multilateralism and effective policy”, and in particular “prioritising nature‑based cooling interventions”, such as large‑scale afforestation and solar‑energy deployment. Such international action has persisted since the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change entered into force in 1994.
One core dimension of the compensation‑mechanism theory holds that we must simultaneously conserve natural forests and grasslands for water‑source retention and scale up investment in artificial afforestation, grassland restoration, and prevention of livestock overgrazing. The Chinese Academy of Forestry (CAF), a national‑level forest‑research institute based in Beijing, undertakes strategic high‑technology research, major public‑welfare projects and soft‑science studies. In the years of collective reflection following the great floods, one afternoon, while I was drafting an academic paper on afforestation at home, my telephone rang.
“Professor Wang, sorry to disturb your afternoon. I am calling from the Chinese Academy of Forestry. We greatly admire your book Population and Environmental Carrying Capacity of the Qinghai‑Tibetan Plateau. Our institute also researches plateau‑afforestation projects, and we sincerely invite you to write a theoretical article elaborating the compensation‑mechanism theory.” The voice on the line was unfamiliar. I was initially astonished, for I had never held academic exchanges with CAF researchers. As our conversation unfolded, I learned that Jiang Zehui, President of the Chinese Academy of Forestry, had taken note of my monograph.
Ms. Jiang Zehui graduated from the Forestry Department of Anhui Agricultural College in June 1960. Through dedication and hard work, she rose to become a professor of forestry science. Later she joined CAF and went on to strategic advisory and administrative work at higher national‑level policy bodies.CAF President Jiang Zehui “has long paid close attention to desertification, forest and wetland issues”, and has devoted herself to exploring how to “develop extensive forest and wetland ecosystems to provide solid ecological safeguards for national‑territory sustainable development” (Jin & Li, 2017). Over her long career, she served as chief lead researcher for the China Forest Resources Accounting Research Project, was elected Fellow of the International Academy of Wood Science (IAWS), received the IAWS Outstanding Contribution Award, and won the Global Environment Facility’s Global Environmental Leadership Award. She also held the post of Deputy Director of the Population, Resources and Environment Committee under the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (State Forestry Administration, 2013). She is the younger sister of the late Jiang Zemin, the fifth President of the People’s Republic of China (in office March 1993‑March 2003).
The caller continued: “President Jiang has instructed us to solicit more input from external scholars, given our institute’s primary mandate to study afforestation and forest conservation. We hope to maintain ongoing academic dialogue in future.” Shortly afterwards, the editor‑in‑chief of a forestry‑studies journal also contacted me, inviting me to submit a related paper and attend their academic symposium. In subsequent communications, I learned that Premier Zhu Rongji’s secretariat had shared information concerning the compensation‑mechanism theory with President Jiang’s office. Following her direction, CAF researchers promptly reached out to me, launching in‑depth academic exchanges. During that period, CAF increased its research investment to conduct comprehensive, multi‑faceted studies on more effective protection of Qinghai‑Tibetan Plateau forests and grasslands. I duly produced separate papers for both outlets, which were later published in an edited volume and an academic journal, respectively.
Deng Xiaoping, chief architect of China’s reform and opening‑up era, inscribed the name “Encyclopedia of China Publishing House” for this prominent Beijing‑based publishing house. Since 1993, more than 180 titles published by ECPH have secured national honours including the National Book Award, National Dictionary Award and China Book Award (Encyclopedia of China Publishing House, n.d.). Our academic exchanges proceeded continuously among high‑level institutions including the Chinese Academy of Forestry, Minzu University of China and the Encyclopedia of China Publishing House amid society’s inspiring rapid development.
In March 2001, ECPH formally released the four‑volume Encyclopedia of China’s Western Development, totalling three million Chinese characters. To produce this landmark work, an editorial committee was established. Apei Awangjinmei, Vice‑Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, served as General Advisor. Zhu Lilan, Minister of Science and Technology, acted as Committee Director; CAF President Jiang Zehui was one of several Deputy Directors. All twenty‑one editorial‑board members were professors and doctoral supervisors from leading universities in Beijing, Yunnan, Sichuan and elsewhere, including a tenured professor from Erskine College (USA) and a professor from the University of Queensland (Australia). I was honoured to serve as chief editor of this multi‑volume reference work. Throughout the lengthy editorial process, national‑level leaders, ministerial officials and distinguished domestic and international scholars offered comprehensive support and careful guidance across multiple dimensions. This landmark publication supplied abundant theoretical perspectives, policy recommendations, and practical countermeasures for western‑region development and ecological‑environmental protection, and was well‑received by readers. Relevant government departments advanced theoretical research and practical implementation of the compensation‑mechanism theory. On the one hand, scholars put forward innovative related concepts; on the other hand, administrative authorities rolled out concrete policy measures (Wang, 2001).
For example, to tackle flood risks at source, the State Council implemented an unprecedented major strategic decision: to curb soil‑water loss, all commercial logging in state‑owned natural forests across upper reaches of major rivers must be completely halted, and logging equipment such as chainsaws in state‑owned forest farms must be sealed off. Restricted by geographical conditions and past cognitive limitations, mountain‑dwelling farmers in upstream river basins had historically cleared forest for cultivation, gradually degrading local ecosystems. The State Council issued new policy documents requiring mountain farmers to convert steeply sloped farmland back to forest in phased fashion: the historically important “Grain‑for‑Green” policy (State Council, 2007). Under this formal policy, households that retired cultivated land would receive fixed annual grain and cash subsidies for periods of five to eight years, supporting this historic transition from cropland to forest (National Development and Reform Commission, 2015).
Moreover, the State Council set nationwide average grain‑subsidy benchmarks for participating farming households: “For retired farmland in the Yellow‑Hai River basins, 200 jin of grain per mu annually; for retired farmland in the Yangtze‑Huai River basins, 300 jin of grain per mu annually. (One hectare = 15 mu; one kilogram = two jin.)… Subsidised grain shall generally be raw wheat.” (Qianmiao Township People’s Government, 2026). The Yangtze‑Huai river basins lie in China’s warmer south, with high cropland grain yields, while the Yellow‑Hai river basins are situated in the comparatively arid north, with lower grain output. This policy has been continuously implemented since 1999 (Li et al., 2025).
Mao Zedong once emphasised that we must adopt scientific methods to analyse “theoretical and strategic questions” shaped by China’s complex national conditions, whether in wartime or peacetime. “This attitude is the attitude of seeking truth from facts.” (Mao, 1941/2008). In the aftermath of the great floods, I conducted academic field‑research in Gansu Province, located in the upper Yellow‑River basin. Conversations with local officials and scholars revealed important background information: central and local authorities convened multiple meetings to accelerate deployment of the Grain‑for‑Green programme. Senior Tibetan‑ethnic local officials analysed mountain‑region realities in detail and reflected deeply upon the compensation‑mechanism theory, arguing that existing per‑mu grain subsidies ought to be readjusted. After careful deliberation, the central government decided to raise official subsidy standards for Gansu, Shaanxi and comparable regions to 125 kilograms of raw wheat per mu for the initial two implementation years. Upholding the principle of seeking truth from facts, Chinese ethnic communities overcame practical obstacles, rebuilt post‑disaster economies, and gradually achieved renewed development.
Ⅲ. A New Master’s‑Degree Programme in Economics and a Visiting‑Scholar Teaching Assignment in the United States
Encyclopedia of China’s Western Development received favourable reviews from domestic and international audiences alike. One editorial‑board member, Tian Guang, tenured Professor of Economics at Erskine College (founded 1839, South Carolina, USA), taught selections from this work to his undergraduate students (Erskine College, 1839/2026). Faculty and students at this southern‑US higher‑education institution expressed strong interest in the material.
In spring 2002, the college invited me as a short‑term visiting scholar. Professor Tian Guang and I co‑taught an elective course for economics majors entitled Contemporary China’s Reform and Opening‑Up. Tenured Professor Tian expounded on the global significance of China’s western‑region development and bilateral trade between China’s eastern coastal provinces and the United States. My English‑language teaching focused primarily on the Qinghai‑Tibetan Plateau’s population‑environmental‑carrying‑capacity dynamics and the compensation‑mechanism theory. Given the positive reception, Lander University (South Carolina) subsequently also invited us to deliver lectures for economics students. Our courses proved popular among American students, alongside international learners from Canada and Mexico enrolled at both universities. Participants were struck by China’s modern‑development trajectory and the logic of the compensation‑mechanism framework. Afterwards, senior administrators from both American universities separately sent formal thank‑you letters to Rong Shixing, President of Minzu University of China (1999‑2005).
Tracy Robertson Krammer, Dean and Tenured Professor in the Economics Department at Erskine College, together with Tenured Professor Tian Guang, were invited to the Institute of Minority Economics at Minzu University of China in summer 2002 to deliver short lectures for postgraduate students on “Market Economy and Marketing”. Professor Tian led a collaborative‑research project with me. Professor Krammer presented core market‑economy theories and commercial‑operation characteristics of American society. Her lectures were highly illuminating and won unanimous praise from graduate students. Following the teaching sessions, the two visiting professors were invited to deliver talks and conduct field investigations in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region and Gansu Province, both situated within the upper Yellow‑River basin. They gave lectures and undertook site‑visits at institutions including Ningxia University (Yinchuan), Yinlong Co., Ltd.’s sapling‑and‑grass‑seed breeding base (Lanzhou), and a cadre‑training seminar on new international‑economics theories in Maqu County, Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture (Gansu).
For instance, Professor Tracy R. Krammer, visiting China for the first time, observed the innovative scientific‑management methods deployed by Ningxia farmers to combat the Tengger Desert, China’s fourth‑largest desert: semi‑buried straw checkerboard sand barriers, known internationally as “China’s Magic Cube” (Zhang et al., 2025). At the southeastern fringe of the Tengger Desert, along the northern bank of the Yellow River, she observed how Hui‑ethnic farmers deployed these straw‑checkerboard structures to stabilise wind‑driven mobile dunes through grass‑tree planting, securing unobstructed flow of the Yellow River (Qiu et al., 2025). The United Nations Environment Programme honoured this conservation achievement by including it among the Global 500 Roll of Honour for Environmental Achievement in 1987 (Yu, 2025). While touring the vast grasslands of Maqu County on the eastern Qinghai‑Tibetan Plateau, where the Yellow River forms its famous winding “nine‑bend” meanders, she paid close attention to local herders’ traditional effective rotational‑grazing practices: livestock are moved seasonally between summer and winter steppe pastures, granting grassland adequate rest‑recovery periods (Zhang et al., 2024). Tibetan communities maintained lush grasslands that conserved water‑source runoff, feeding tributary flows into the Yellow‑River system and meeting water demands of hundreds of millions of downstream inhabitants. Professor Krammer gained concrete, practical insight into how Chinese communities act wisely and diligently; their labour becomes embedded within the Yellow River’s perpetual flow. This materialised‑labour dimension of river‑system dynamics demonstrates that the compensation‑mechanism theory is far more than abstract textual argument. Meanwhile, lectures delivered by the two American professors opened new intellectual windows for upstream‑river‑basin residents.
In Yinchuan, distinguished Traditional Chinese Medicine professor Bai Anning had several animated exchanges with her new American friend about social work and TCM health preservation, and the two exchanged gifts. Professor Bai presented her overseas confidante with a Chinese silk cheongsam embroidered with vivid red peonies. After returning to Erskine College, Professor Krammer wore this cheongsam proudly on campus. The lifelike red‑peony motifs exuded rich elegance, vividly embodying an oriental cultural ethos that celebrates life with warmth and gentle grace, drawing praise from faculty and students alike. In class, she enthusiastically shared field‑experiences and insights gained in China, adjusting her teaching approach. She lectured on western‑region development, population‑environment interactions and the practical realities of the compensation‑mechanism theory, and guided students to gather data and hold in‑depth discussions on Sino‑US economic‑cultural exchange. Several of those students, who had also taken my own courses, later travelled to China one after another, witnessing China’s modern‑development realities and forming fresh perspectives. Indeed, as nations and peoples grow increasingly interconnected and interdependent, their capacity for mutual inspiration likewise expands. In September 2000, the United Nations Millennium Declaration proclaimed: “A culture of peace and dialogue among all civilizations should be actively promoted.” (UN General Assembly Resolution 55/2, 2000). Such foundational values and cross‑civilisational exchange remain essential to twenty‑first‑century international relations.
The practical outcomes of these academic‑research and exchange activities proved tangible. In 2006, working together with colleagues, we secured approval from the Academic Degrees Committee of the State Council to establish a new master’s‑degree‑authorisation site for “Population, Resources and Environmental Economics” within the School of Economics at Minzu University of China. Formal enrolment of three‑year‑master‑programme students commenced two years later, with successful candidates awarded Master of Economics degrees.
Although Tenured Professor Tian Guang did not deliver teaching for this new master’s programme at Minzu University of China, he and I co‑authored the Chinese‑language monograph Environmental Anthropology, published by Ningxia People’s Publishing House in September 2012 (Wang & Tian, 2012). Three years later, this work received First Prize for Monographs (Ethnic‑Issues Research Category) in the State Ethnic Affairs Commission’s Social‑Science Research Achievement Awards (State Ethnic Affairs Commission, PRC, 2015). We subsequently revised and expanded this work into a 470‑page English‑language volume, China Environmental Anthropology, published by North American Business Press (Seattle, USA) in July 2018 (Wang et al., 2018). This book is held in the collections of the Library of Congress (USA) and numerous universities and research institutes across North America and Europe.
Batch after batch of postgraduates have since graduated with master’s degrees and taken up posts at institutions across China and overseas. Within China, some hold leadership positions in ministerial‑level agencies; some have attained professorial ranks at universities; others completed doctoral studies at American universities and now work and settle abroad. The great Tang‑dynasty poet Bai Juyi (772‑846) wrote the celebrated line: “A noble lord’s students fill the world.” (Bai, 840). Teachers at home and abroad take immense pride in their students.
I never met Premier Zhu Rongji in person, yet this “spiritual communion” felt akin to meeting an admired statesman. In retrospect, I sense his influence enduring, guiding my work step‑by‑step. Looking back, I am deeply moved by senior‑national‑leaders’ concern for education and their pragmatic, down‑to‑decision‑making work style. Laozi (c. 571‑c. 471 BCE), revered ancient Chinese philosopher and founder of Taoism, observed in Tao Te Ching (Chapter Sixty): “Governing a large state is like cooking small fish.” The proverb conveys meanings of careful, nuanced handling, attention to fundamentals, and appropriate measured intervention. The premier of an ancient‑civilisation nation humbly solicited scholarly advice, devised far‑sighted strategies, and advanced economic development across China’s less‑developed western regions. Material things fade with the passage of time, yet spiritual inspiration endures forever.
References：
Anonymous. (c. 11th‑6th centuries BCE). The Book of Songs · Minor Odes · Jie Nanshan. Translated and annotated by Cheng, J.Y. (2025). Shanghai Ancient Books Publishing House.
Babel W, Biermann T, Coners H, et al. (2014). Pasture degradation modifies the water and carbon cycles of the Tibetan Highlands. Biogeosciences Discussions, 11(23), 6633‑6656. https://doi.org/10.5194/bg‑11‑6633‑2014.
Bai, J.Y. (840). Annotated and Collected Poems of Bai Juyi · In Response to the Noble Lord’s Planting Flowers near Green‑Field Hall (six‑volume complete edition). Annotated by Xie, S.W. (2025). Zhonghua Book Company.
CPC Central Committee, State Council, Central Military Commission, PRC. (1998, August 6). Consolatory telegram to flood‑fighting military and civilians nationwide: a comprehensive victory in flood control and disaster relief. In Qiu Y.S. & Liu L.C. (Eds.), Decisive Battle: China’s 1998 Flood‑Fighting and Rescue Campaign (pp. 3‑5). Xinhua Publishing House, 1998.
Disciples of Confucius compiled. (before 475‑221 BCE). The Analects of Confucius · Gongye Chang. Translated and annotated by Yang, B.J. (2024). Zhonghua Book Company.
Encyclopedia of China Publishing House. (n.d.). Corporate profile. http://www.ecph.com.cn/index.php/index/about/qiyejieshao.
Erskine College. (1839/2026). Rise above the ordinary. https://www.erskine.edu/.
Jin, Y. & Li, D.D. (2017, March 11). Jiang Zehui: Twenty‑years of service, no regrets. https://m.bjnews.com.cn/detail/155151518414938.html.
Laozi. (c. 5th century BCE). Tao Te Ching · Chapter 60. Translated and annotated by Zhang, J. & Zhang, S.H. (2021). Zhonghua Book Company.
Li, N., Wang, S.T., Wu, X.N., & Ma, Y. (2025). The diffusion characteristics of China’s policy of converting cultivated land into forest (grassland). Journal of Resources and Ecology, 16(4), 919‑932. ISSN 1674‑764X. https://doi.org/10.5814/j.issn.1674‑764x.2025.04.001.
Li, B. (762). The Collected Poems of Li Bai. Annotated by Liu, X. (2020). China Overseas Chinese Publishing House.
Mao, Z.D. (1937, July/2009). On practice. Selected Works of Mao Zedong, Volume I. People’s Publishing House.
Mao, Z.D. (1941, May 19 / 2008). Reform our study. Selected Works of Mao Zedong, Volume III. People’s Publishing House.
Marx, K. (1867). Das Kapital, Volume I (Chinese translation). People’s Publishing House, 2024.
National Development and Reform Commission, PRC. (2015, August 20). Official responses to Proposals 7647, 1348 and 1996 raised during the Third Session of the 12th National People’s Congress. Beijing.
Qianmiao Township People’s Government, Fengtai County, Anhui Province. (2026, May 26). Grain‑for‑Green subsidy standards. https://www.ft.gov.cn/grassroots/content/1260413695.
Qiu, Y., Zhang, D.H., Yu, J., Li, J.L. & Yang, T. (2025). Comparative modelling of crown width for natural and artificial sand‑fixing shrubs on the southeastern fringe of the Tengger Desert. Biotic Resources, 47(6), 588‑599. ISSN 2096‑3491.
Shakespeare, W. (1594). The Rape of Lucrece (poem).
Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, State Council and Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, et al. PRC. (2026, August 12). Obituary issued by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, the State Council and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference: Comrade Zhu Rongji has passed away.
State Council, PRC. (2007, August 14). Notice of the State Council on improving the Grain‑for‑Green policy (State Council Document [2007] No. 25).
State Ethnic Affairs Commission, PRC. (2000, January 28). First Prize for Monographs in the
Social Science Awards – Population and Environmental Carrying Capacity of the Qinghai‑Tibetan Plateau. Award No. 01‑07‑01.
State Ethnic Affairs Commission, PRC. (2015, August). First Prize for Monographs (Ethnic‑Issues Research Category), Social‑Science Research Achievement Award. Certificate No.: 2015‑ZZ‑A‑010. Beijing.
State Forestry Administration [now National Forestry and Grassland Administration]. (2013, October 23). Jiang Zehui receives the Outstanding Contribution Award of the International Academy of Wood Science. China Green Times.
Tian, J. (1999). Uncovering a hidden and scarcely perceptible creditor‑debtor relationship: Wang Tianjin and his exposition of “compensation mechanism” theory. Ethnic Unity, 11, 18‑20.
United Nations Environment Programme. (2026, September 2). Fight for humanity: avoiding climate catastrophe demands urgent action.
United Nations General Assembly. (2000, September 8). United Nations Millennium Declaration.
Resolution 55/2. https://www.ohchr.org/en/instruments‑mechanisms/instruments/united‑nations‑millennium‑declaration.
Wan, Q.Z. (1998). Report on the 1998 flood disaster. China Flood & Drought Management, 4, 205‑208. ISSN 1673‑9264.
Wang, T.J. & Tian, G. (2012, September). Environmental Anthropology. Ningxia People’s Publishing House.
Wang, T.J. (1998, April). Population and Environmental Carrying Capacity of the Qinghai‑Tibetan Plateau. China Tibetology Press.
Wang, T.J. (Ed.). (2001, March). Encyclopedia of China’s Western Development (4 volumes, 3 million characters). Encyclopedia of China Publishing House.
Wang, T.J., Tian, G., & Ma, Z. F. (2018, July). China Environmental Anthropology. North American Business Press.
World Wildlife Fund. (2026, October 8). Living Planet Report 2026: The Science of Hope. https://assets.worldwildlife.org/www‑prd/documents/2026.LPR.Full_Report.9.23.26.pdf.
Wu, L.Z. (2001, September 6). The earth‑shaking theory of the “compensation mechanism”: an interview with Professor Wang Tianjin, Director of the Institute of Minority Economics at Minzu University of China. Ningxia Daily.
Wu, S.Y. (2021, May). Response of the water conservation function to vegetation dynamics on the Qinghai‑Tibetan Plateau (Master’s thesis). China University of Geosciences (Beijing). https://kns‑cnki‑net‑s.vpn.muc.edu.cn:8118/reader/flowpdf?invoice=
Yu, G.R. (2025). Preface to the special issue marking the 70th anniversary of Shapotou Station. Journal of Desert Research, 45(3), 1‑2.
Zhandui, L. & Fan, Y.B. (2011). A study on traditional ecological and environmental knowledge from Kailash Sacred Landscape (KSL), Xizang. China Tibetology (English Edition), 1, 63‑81. ISSN 1671‑6043.
Zhang, Y.J., Zhao, P. & Jiang, S.X. (2025). Research progress on straw checkerboard sand barriers. Protection Forest Science and Technology, 6, 71‑75. ISSN 1005‑5215. https://qikan‑cqvip‑com.vpn.muc.edu.cn:8118/Qikan/Article/Detail?id=7202049180.
Zhang, Y.L., Li, B.Y., Liu, L.S. & Zheng, D. (2021). Redetermine the region and boundaries of the Qinghai‑Tibetan Plateau. Geographical Research, 40(6), 1543‑1553.
Zhang, Q., Sun, X.M., Pu, Q.S., Yao, B.H., Zhang, Q.& Su, J.H. (2024). Assessing the impact of the grazing‑retirement‑for‑grassland‑restoration project in Maqu County. Chinese Journal of Grassland, 46(3), 47‑59. ISSN 1673‑5021.
Zhao, X.T. (2023). Chapter Ten: Post-disaster reconstruction guided by objective laws. Stories of Flood Fighting in Xinzhan, 1998 (pp. 186 205). Literature and Art Publishing House.
Author: Wang Tinajin, Minzu University of China
Zamir Ahmed Awan is the founder and Chair of the Global Silk Route Research Alliance, a think tank in Islamabad. He studied engineering at Shanghai University in the 1980s, and years later he went back to China as Pakistan's science counsellor in Beijing, from 2010 until 2016, working on science and higher education cooperation between the two countries.…
