Zhangjiagang in Suzhou, East China's Jiangsu province plants 288.4 hectares of forest in 2020. [Photo by Li Wenhong/zjgonline.com.cn]

Zhangjiagang, a county level city in Suzhou, East China's Jiangsu province, planted 288.4 hectares of forest last year, increasing its forest coverage rate to 20.06 percent, according to a local news report.

Last year, the city made it a priority to restore the ecological environment of the Yangtze River, making extensive efforts to protect it and banning large-scale development near the river in an effort to build an ecological green corridor along the Yangtze River.

In 2019, the city invested 3.76 billion yuan ($572.65 million) into a project to improve the local environment. A large number of illegal wharves along river shores were demolished and the riverbanks were cleaned up, resulting in a huge improvement in the water quality of the city's rivers and lakes.

Additionally, the city carried out afforestation work along its roads, with 66.66 hectares of forests planted along its highways and expressways last year. Efforts were also made to green its villages and town to improve the environment, as well as living conditions in rural areas.