The protection of rivers and lakes was also placed high on Xi's agenda during his inspection trips.

During a visit to Erhai Lake, Yunnan province, in 2015, he inspected wetlands and listened to reports of efforts to protect the lake, whose water quality has been affected by tourism industry development, especially guesthouses and restaurants.

Xi told officials that developing the economy must not come at the cost of ecology and the environment, adding that protection work requires long-term and persistent efforts.

This visit marked the start of a far-reaching cleanup drive to improve the water quality of the wetlands at this scenic spot, with local authorities allocating at least 4.5 billion yuan ($671.4 million) to treat sewage and tackle other pollutants.

The pollution and deteriorating ecological conditions on the Yangtze River were also among Xi's major concerns.

In April 2018, he made a two-day fact-finding trip to Hubei and Hunan provinces, during which he visited a chemical plant and the Three Gorges Dam, before taking a boat trip downstream on the river and visiting a national nature reserve beside the waterway.

Xi told officials on the trip, "We can never allow the ecology and environment of the Yangtze River to continue worsening in our generation, and we must leave behind a clean and beautiful Yangtze for future generations."

Chen, the former fisherwoman from Ma'anshan, said it felt as if the sky was falling down when the fishing community was told that the ban had been put in place.

"Most of us were illiterate and knew nothing apart from fishing," she said.

However, with the support of government subsidies, those fishing in the Yangtze hung up their nets, before being relocated to new homes.

Chen started a labor service company with eight other former fishing families. She also took on work that included sanitizing the Yangtze and greening its banks.

Her husband, after initially struggling to land a new job, now protects species from illegal fishing.

"It is easier for the fishermen to work near the river, as they have developed emotional attachments to the Yangtze," Chen said.