August 15, 2025, marks the 20th anniversary of Chinese President Xi Jinping's concept that "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets," a principle first proposed in 2005 when he was Party secretary of Zhejiang province. This concept has guided China's ecological and economic development, transforming polluted mining hubs into eco-tourism destinations and barren lands into green landscapes. Under Xi's leadership, China has made historic advances in ecological conservation and green development, promoting coordinated efforts to reduce carbon emissions, pollution, and boost sustainable economic growth. Notable examples include the Saihanba forest region's restoration and the transformation of abandoned coal mines into clean energy hubs. International experts, including WWF's Tanya Steele, U.S. scholar Clifford Cobb, Ethiopian specialists, and former UN official Erik Solheim, have praised China's model as a practical approach to tackling climate change and land degradation. China is also emerging as a global leader in clean technology, becoming the world's first "electrostate" by rapidly expanding solar power capacity, notably installing more solar power in April 2025 than Australia's entire historical total. The National Ecological Day commemorates these achievements and China's ongoing commitment to ecological civilization and green prosperity.