Subsidies and direct action have helped to alleviate problems caused by water loss and soil erosion. Li Hongyang reports from Changting, Fujian, with Hu Meidong in Fuzhou.

The people of Changting county, in the eastern province of Fujian, used to live hard lives in the mountainous area that was plagued by water loss and soil erosion.

However, the county has recently had success in solving the problems.

So much so that the measures employed were included in a compendium of typical cases for the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, aka COP 15, held in Kunming, Yunnan province, in October.

Changting's residents have found a green path to riches by expending large amounts of time, energy and money to overcome their problems.