On December 1, the 25th session of the 12th Provincial People's Congress Standing Committee approved the Ordinance on the Protection of Key Greenbelts in Yichang Urban Areas which had been reviewed and passed by Yichang Municipal People's Congress Standing Committee. ?

　　It has been 9 months since the ordinance was drafted in the middle of March. During the period, 24 forums were held to seek opinions from various sides and more than 400 people attended. Over 140 suggestions on amendment were collected and the ordinance witnessed more than 30 modification and improvement. The 33rd, 34th and 35th sessions of the 5th Municipal People's Congress Standing Committee conducted two separate deliberations and one vote on the draft, the second draft and the proposed draft. On September 14, the Municipal Standing Party Committee listened to the report on the progress of the proposed draft by Municipal People's Congress Standing Committee and agreed in principle, and the local legislative work was highly praised for its progress, quality, characteristics and creativity.

　　The ordinance is the first substantive local law enacted by Yichang Municipal People's Congress Standing Committee after its obtaining the local legislative authority on January 1, 2016. The implementation of this ordinance will herald a new era of Yichang’s greenbelts protection. (Reporter Xiao Min, Correspondent Ma Minghe and Zhang Jianhua)