--- title: China Daily - TIME - Partner Content - Banknote vista becomes a haven with no price tag description: Banknote vista becomes a haven with no price tag canonical: https://time.com/branded-content/china-daily/banknote-vista-becomes-a-haven-with-no-price-tag/ article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2026-09-01T08:03:42.370Z article:modified_time: 2026-09-01T08:03:17.516Z article:section: Paid Partner Content og:title: China Daily - TIME - Partner Content - Banknote vista becomes a haven with no price tag og:description: Banknote vista becomes a haven with no price tag og:url: https://time.com/branded-content/china-daily/banknote-vista-becomes-a-haven-with-no-price-tag/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd112bc9ccb840447/6a9686198210d8b376476503/1._Banknote_vista_becomes_a_haven_with_no_price_tag.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1575 og:image:height: 886 og:image:alt: TIME og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: China Daily - TIME - Partner Content - Banknote vista becomes a haven with no price tag twitter:description: Banknote vista becomes a haven with no price tag twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd112bc9ccb840447/6a9686198210d8b376476503/1._Banknote_vista_becomes_a_haven_with_no_price_tag.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Banknote vista becomes a haven with no price tag > Sponsored content. 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They are at time.com/newsletters and are separate from a paid subscription.  _Visitors cruise the Lijiang River aboard electric rafts in Guilin, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region. HUANG SHENGLIN / FOR CHINA DAILY_ By HOU LIQIANG For decades the serene karst mountains along the Lijiang River, the landscape depicted on the back of China’s 20-yuan banknote, were offset by a noisy, polluting reality. Petrol-powered tourist rafts roared down the water spewing black exhaust, and unsightly overhead power lines crisscrossed the river like scratches on a canvas. Today the roar has been replaced by a low hum, the power lines are gone, and the iconic view in Xingping township of the city of Guilin in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region has been fully restored. Through a sweeping low-carbon transition led by local authorities and China Southern Power Grid, the Lijiang River Scenic Area has managed to tie environmental protection directly to local economic growth. By fully electrifying transport, building modern charging infrastructure, and switching nearby communities to 100% green power, the region has created a blueprint for sustainable eco-tourism. The most immediate shift is on the river itself. Between 2023 and 2024 the scenic area completed a project converting all 1,000 of its sightseeing rafts, including 500 at two key wharves in Xingping, from petrol-driven to electric-power driven. The transition halved noise levels from a deafening 120 decibels and greatly improved safety and maneuverability for operators. “Petrol engines used to produce loud noise and black smoke, and fuel leaks threatened the river,” said Mo Jianbin, who has operated rafts at Chaobanshan Wharf for 14 years. “Now the electric rafts have reverse gear, making docking and navigation much safer.” The environmental gains have delivered economic benefits, too. Petrol-driven rafts previously incurred fuel costs of up to 2.4 yuan (35 cents) a mile, borne by the operators themselves. Now the energy cost for each raft has fallen to 0.8 yuan a mile, and it is covered by the Lijiang River Scenic Area’s management company, Mo said. With a better visitor experience and more tourists, Mo said, his annual income, which was once 30,000 yuan, has more than doubled. Powering a fleet of 1,000 electric vessels required an equally modern onshore grid. China Southern Power Grid responded by setting up a 15-minute charging network across Xingping township, including specialized facilities directly opposite Chaobanshan Wharf capable of fully charging raft batteries in two to three hours. Just a stone’s throw away is the Egendi station, Guilin’s first integrated power plant combining solar generation with electric vehicle charging. The station, built despite extreme space constraints along the protected riverbank, features a photovoltaic canopy with 45 solar panels. It generates 80 kilowatt-hours of solar power a day, has served more than 16,000 vehicles and is calculated to have cut carbon emissions by almost 3,300 short tons. The station’s construction along the Lijiang River was a remarkable achievement, said Ni Chengjie, an executive with the grid’s branch in Xingping. It is one of only five such plants built by China Southern Power Grid in Xingping, he said, which collectively create a 15-minute charging network in the township. The final piece of the puzzle lay across the river in Dahebei, an island-like village of 300 households inside the core scenic zone. The village sits along the most scenic stretch of the Lijiang River. Yet this idyllic location, for all its beauty, once made power supply to Dahebei highly unreliable. Electricity once had to be carried across the river by way of overhead lines from Xingping, with utility poles strung along the water’s edge disrupting the beauty of the view. “Tourists once had to retouch their photos before sharing them online, carefully removing power poles and overhead wires that marred the view,” said Zhang Qiaomu, head of the Xingping power supply station. Long transmission distances, frequent faults and unstable voltage were even more practical headaches, he said. In 2021 a joint initiative set out to remove the overhead lines entirely and turn Dahebei into a zero-carbon community. Because installing solar panels on the island would have ruined the pristine views, China Southern Power Grid routed green electricity directly through an upgraded grid network. The transition required cultural change. Villagers who had cooked with firewood for generations were hesitant about switching to electric appliances. To build trust, the power grid ran a two-year program allowing residents to try green electricity at standard rates. For the village, the green transition has meant more than just a change in its energy mix — it has brought a fundamental shift in its development philosophy. “Many people advocate low-carbon travel,” said Tang Cunxue, a village official. “When they come to the island and see green electricity in use, with a beautiful environment to match, they feel more relaxed, and word spreads.” The village’s homestays have also undergone a qualitative shift. With a healthier ecosystem, more people visit the village with their families for extended stays. In 2019 about 140,000 to 150,000 tourists came to the village. In 2024, following the adoption of green electricity, that figure rose to about 1 million, and last year to more than 1.2 million. 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