Yantai Bajiao Bay Selected as an Outstanding Case of Beautiful Bay: How an Industrial Powerhouse?Achieved Ecological Transformation

Under the bright spring sun, gentle waves lap against the golden sandy beach along Bajiao Bay in Yantai, where leisurely strolling visitors enjoy the breathtaking panoramic seascape merging seamlessly with the sky.

As the industrial powerhouse of Yantai, the Yantai Huang-Bohai New Area is home to over 3,600 industrial enterprises, contributing nearly a quarter of the city’s GDP. Today, along the shores of Bajiao Bay, it is free from chemical odors, machinery noise, and industrial leaks and spills. The area’s pristine environment and robust ecology have become a hallmark for local industrial development. 

Remarkably, Bajiao Bay in Yantai has been selected as one of the second batch of Outstanding Cases of Beautiful Bays by China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment, delivering an impressive achievement in balancing industrial growth with ecological conservation. But, how did this once-barren saline-alkali wasteland 40 years ago undergo such a spectacular ecological transformation?

Rectifying Inflowing Rivers at the Source??

At low tide, Yantai’s Bajiao Bay buzzes with various activity as plump seafood is carried ashore by gentle waves. Residents armed with rakes, bamboo baskets, and buckets to gather razor clams and sea intestines, reveling in the joy of a bountiful harvest as beachcombers.

Forty years ago, Bajiao Bay was a barren saline-alkali wasteland. In 1984, the Yantai Economic and Technological Development Zone was established along its shores, followed by the establishment of the Yantai Huang-Bohai New Area in 2021. As urban development accelerated, environmental challenges emerged. “The Baiyin River flows into Bajiao Bay right here,” recalled Luan Hexing, a local who grew up by the bay, pointing to the river-sea confluence. “When I was a child, this area was covered with densely packed aquaculture nets and foam buoys, and its surface was a murky dark brown hue.

As inflowing rivers are closely linked to bays, the water quality of these rivers directly determines the environmental quality of the bay. To restore Bagua Bay’s ecological vitality, the Yantai Huang-Bohai New Area had to start by rectifying the rivers discharging into the sea. The New Area took decisive action to advance the demolition of marine aquaculture projects, cumulatively dismantling over 10,000 hectares of nearshore aquaculture zones. Strict control is exercised over the approval process for sea use, and coastal reclamation and bay-filling are prohibited. Additionally, over 6,000 foam buoys in marine aquaculture have been rectified. Demolition is just the first step; transformation is the key. The New Area has successively carried out comprehensive environmental governance and renovation of inflowing rivers, such as the Jia River, Huangjin River, and Baiyin River, including dredging sediment and widening river channels.

Today, Luan Hexing, now working at the Subdistrict Emergency Management Office, patrols the Baiyin River daily. Strolling through Baiyin River Park, the air is filled with continuous birdsong as the river winds like a satin ribbon — clear, sparkling, and murmuring gently into the sea. “There are more fish now, and seagulls and egrets often come to perch,” Luan says with a smile. “Seeing the water clear and the riverbanks turn green makes every patrol a joy.”

The large number of seafood species settling down in Bajiao Bay is a vivid demonstration of the continuous optimization of its marine environment,” said Wang Sen, Head of the Environmental Management Section at the Huang-Bohai New Area Branch of Yantai Ecology and Environment Bureau in Shandong Province. “Nowadays, the ambient air quality in the Huang-Bohai New Area stably meets the national second-class standard; the compliance rate of water quality targets for key rivers flowing the sea is 100%, the compliance rate of groundwater quality targets is 100%, the proportion of nearshore sea areas with excellent and good water quality reaches 100%, and the safe utilization rate of construction land is 100%.”

Safeguarding the “Gatekeeper”: Classified Management of Sewage Discharge Outlets

As sea-entering sewage discharge outlets serve as a final “gatekeeper” for land-based pollutants entering the ocean, it is crucial to strengthen their oversight for building beautiful bays and safeguarding marine ecological security.

In 2020, Yantai became a pilot city for rectifying sea-entering sewage discharge outlets for the Bohai Sea, launching a comprehensive campaign to monitor, trace the source, and rectify outflows. With a high concentration of industrial enterprises, the Huang-Bohai New Area faces complex outfall types, including industrial, urban, rural, and port sources, managed by multiple regulatory authorities. The intertwined discharges of stormwater, aquaculture tailwater, and domestic sewage have created a prominent issue of mixed sewage flows. Therefore, it is urgent to gain a clear understanding of the number and distribution of sewage outlets and implement unified management. 

The investigation posed enormous challenges. “While drones enhance efficiency, some outfalls were hidden beneath culverts and ditches, completely out of camera range. So, we had to manually inspect each one along the shoreline,” recalled Liu Gengxin from the Environmental Management Section at the Huang-Bohai New Area Branch of Yantai Ecology and Environment Bureau. “In remote fields and mudflats where vehicles couldn’t access, we had to trek on foot.” 

Following the comprehensive survey, scientific classification-based rectification began promptly. Staff traced pollution sources through outfalls to accurately identify pollutant types and responsible entities. Based on outfall characteristics and their impact on marine ecosystems, a three-tier management system of key, general, and simplified categories was implemented. Specifically, all key outfalls, such as industrial discharge outfalls and sewage treatment facility outfalls, were equipped with 24/7 online monitoring devices, supplemented by intensified manual inspections.

To support the city’s pilot work, Yantai Bajiao Bay, in the process of creating a beautiful bay, combined its actual conditions and pioneer a refined grading and classification management system for sea-entering sewage discharge outfalls nationwide. It innovatively implemented tiered management of discharge outfalls, adopting a three-tier management system of key, general, and simplified to eliminate completely regulatory blind spots. It also innovatively carried out categorized management of approval procedures to compress handling processes. It innovatively developed a full-coverage supervision model, featuring a “one platform, one grid, one client” full-coverage model. “Since the new model was implemented, Yantai Bajiao Bay has rectified 302 discharge outfalls with a rectification rate of 100%, and set up 150 outfall identification signs with a setup rate of 100%,” said Liu Gengxin.

Precision Management of Coastal Zones: Balancing Development and Ecology

Azure waters and silver beaches are not only invaluable ecological assets but also key resources for driving cultural and tourism development.

In recent years, the Huang-Bohai New Area has vigorously advanced its cultural and tourism industry, upgrading service facilities along Bajiao Bay. The area has created a series of internet-famous landmarks and 74 ecological leisure plazas along the coast, while hosting events, such as beach music festivals, offshore sailing regattas, and bay-circuit marathons, attracting massive tourists. However, the issue of marine litter brought about by the increase in tourists cannot be overlooked. If not promptly cleaned up, the litter would be swept into the sea by the tides.

To safeguard its blue bays, the New Area established a Coastal Zone Planning and Supervision Office, leveraging a four-tiered coordination mechanism across municipal, district, town/subdistrict, and village/community levels to implement precision management of coastal environments. This approach aims to strike the optimal balance between development and ecological protection, ensuring Bajiao Bay’s enduring beauty and vitality.

The recognition of Bajiao Bay as an Outstanding Case of Beautiful Bay has set new requirements for the New Area’s industrial upgrading and high-quality development.

To further consolidate the achievements in building beautiful bays, the New Area has implemented a “one bay, one strategy” marine ecological protection and long-term management mechanism to continuously improve the environmental quality of coastal waters. It strictly enforces the Bay Chief System, continues the Beach Cleanup Initiative, and strengthens the cleanup of floating litter on beaches, shorelines, and sea surfaces to enhance the quality of coastal public spaces. Meanwhile, while strengthening the inheritance of marine civilizations, such as marine folklore and fishermen’s culture, the area is expected to develop marine cultural scenic spots and industries with Yantai’s local characteristics to elevate the cultural quality of coastal engagement. On the basis of meeting environmental standards, enterprises are encouraged to carry out in-depth pollution control to further reduce pollutant emissions and continuously improve the ecological environment of the bay.

Photo Reported by YMG All-Media Journalist Yi Yulin