Updated on December 11, 2024.

“[…] Economic development cannot be achieved at the cost of destroying the environment. The ecological environment itself is the economy. All environmental protection efforts will be rewarded” – Xi Jinping, President of Republic of China

ON MOUNT MOGAN & XIAOMEI MOUNTAIN: ‘TWO MOUNTAINS’ THEORY

Bircan ÜNVER*, LMGlobal.Org

This essay is written in support of International Mountain Day Day 2024, based on in-person visits to these two mountains #MountainMatters #IMD2024 | 11 December

• 80 percent Forests are home to more than 80 percent of all terrestrial species of animals, plants and insects.
• 2.6 billion people depend directly on agriculture for a living.
• Around 1.6 billion people depend on forests for their livelihoods
  Source: UNDP

[LMGlobal.Org] Whenever a forest fire or cutting thousands if not millions of trees for the sole purpose of profit for a few, or whenever and wherever is a forest fire, my heart burns and I despair not being able to stop neither of them…  Those are the times when I kind of lost my hopes in humanity’s  better and sustainable future. Because that kind of deliberate and sustained violent practices against ecological system on the global levels, have been cutting short of our life span on the planet as a human race at large while cutting off tens of millions of trees, wiping out all forms of lives and plants, or polluting and causing drying of all forms of water sources, along with causing a great decrease for clean air. Consequently, we also cut off and shorten both human life span along with the life-span of the planet Earth at large!

This is why I have been having difficulty comprehending humankind’s never-ending greed, which is as if each generation’s executive powers and their surroundings act as if the entire world has begun with them and will end with them!

What we’ve been witnessing over the decades and decades if not centuries, is an extreme level of megalomania and egocentrism by one or a max to five percent of the world population. 

It is very true, as stated by Gandhi and some others, that the core issue is not the shortage of resources in the world but the extreme level of constant greed by a few destructive actions against local communities or the wider population in the name of economic developments. 

In this context, I don’t understand in general why most transnational corporations don’t act responsibly in the context that they only care and focus on selling a product or controlling the market, but there are no measures are taken to protect the environment, our water resources, oceans, forests, and mountains from those waste of used products . This has begun a global sustained irresponsible act both by the producers of goods, whether local, national, or global, along with by consumers/individuals from young to adults in most cases.

I have seen signs, “Please don’t leave trash here,” in the skirts of the mountains by the roadside whereas trash was mounting in contrast to what was read on the sign.. 

Solely profit centered economic development which disregards environment should not be at the expense of local people, nor should sacrificing its environment and ecosystem.

In this line, despite of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals for SDG-6, SDG-7, SDG-11 and SDG-15, near to last 10 years, things have not improved but have gone far worse despite the UN’s 193 member states signed the 2030 Development Agenda, and supposedly supporting and promoting it on the national levels and through SDG-17, on the  global levels as well.

While wars are going on as I am writing this essay, conflicts have been sustained over the years and in some cases, over the decades, and keep triggering one after another on the one hand, and on the other, even if there is no war, bombing, killing babies, children, women, and the elderly, all sections of the society without even respect for the Article #1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, “Right To Live,” there have not been sufficiently allocated resources to early peace education which could embraced  environmental protection and ecological civilization. As in majority on the global levels, especially by the policymakers and governments in general, attention and awareness have not been channeled towards raising responsible young generations and respect to all through our actions to all things in life, around and nature.

In this backdrop, the 2024 International Day of Mountain is dedicated to the “Mountain solutions for a sustainable future – innovation, adaptation, and youth” concept. 

Yet, this might be the utmost challenge to achieve once a year through the #IMD.

I consider that respect for nature, the environment, and the life of others must be taught and learned from an early age, as early as possible, perhaps starting on at three years, and onward as a life-long learning. 

The founder of the Republic of Türkiye, Mustafa Keaml Atatürk (1881-1938) was one of the rare both environmentalist and human advancement-centered leaders in the world that we would expect that by the 21st Century, it would be a global trend by now! But something has gone wrong too far, as I’ve observed in my brief time on this planet. 

Most of us are well aware that doing good things for peoples in any given nation at large may take decades, if not centuries, but destroying or undoing those might be done in the blink of an eye!

Despite of on the constant egocentric and irresponsible destruction against to our ecosystem, my perception has changed, and hope has been revitalized during my recent brief visit to Hozhou, Deqing, and Hangzhou as the first formal part of my travel to China, and the second part of it to Beijing for a cultural visit was informal part of visit that was altogether from November 24 to December 7, 2024.

I was invited by Prof. Yang Jianchu at the Huzhou Normal University, Dean of the Institution of ‘Two Mountains’ Theory, who was initially the Light Millennium Global Organization’s speaker at the 2024 Water For Peace panel for the World Water Day (03/24/2024). Then, it was the first time I had heard the following quote, “Lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets,” by the President of China, Xi Jinping. 

Prof. Yang was determined to make sure that I understand the inspiration source of the “Two Mountains Theory” or its concept. In this line, a visit to Mount Mogan (Moganshan) in Deqing  County, Huzhou, Zhejiang Province, China was made on the 28th of November. It is 200 km from Shanghai. It is part of the Moganshan National Park, and at its base is the small town of Moganshan. The mountain, with its magnificent beauty and vast panoramic view back-to-back lined up with a series of summit of the mountains, which are almost untouched, was a mesmerizing experience and excitement. If time would be allowed, I would love to stay the full day there. 

Mostly, visitors were domestic tourists, who were respectful and did not see any plastic bags, empty cans, bottles, or dropped off paper on any parts of the mountain’s grounds that we walked through. We were very lucky that it was a bright sunny day and it was not cold at all on the date we visited there (11/28/2024). Mount Mogan is defined with its four famous features such as coolness, grassiness, clearness, and tranquility, and is famous for its bamboo trees, spring water, and clouds. It is to the South of the Lower Reaches of the Yangtze River. Therefore, it is described as the No. 1 Mountain and one of the four best summer resorts in China. 

In this context, Mount Mogan was also a place of the founder of the Republic of China, Mao Zedong’s summer home (also known as Chairman Mao, 26 December 1893 – 9 September 1976), which we visited his home there as well along with several domestic tourist groups, consisted of two floors and very modest as if an ordinary people’s summer house. The Mao Summer House illustrates the utmost importance to Mount Mogan, not only by Mao himself but by all the top-ranking officials over the decades according to the exhibited photographs and documents there. Besides Mao’s summer house in the mountain, the opposition leader Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek’s house is also located there (October 31 October 1887 – 5 April 1975), where he lived with his wife, which we visited it as well.

In the midway towards to the top of the mountain, there are a few wonderful viewing points on the snake shaped upward roads of the mountain, but there was not a restaurant or coffee shop or lined-up motels/hotels around it, perhaps, for the protective purpose of its environment.

One of the center viewing points, where I ran with a group of majority women, were dancing against the summit of the mountain, which I thought was very poetic. That is also a frequent scene, which I have seen similar scenes including in Hangzhou and Beijing.

What impressed me the most was that although there were a few hotels at two-three of the summits or skirts of the mountains, they were built both in Chinese architecture and also with a design in harmony with their environment. Besides those hotels, which were embedded with nature, the majority and vast panoramic view of the mountain was as if it had not been touched since the times of Mao Zedong. 

After seeing it firsthand, I understand clearly that Mount Mogan has been the main source and inspiration for the “Two Mountains” Theory that was introduced by the President of China in 2012 in the Yucun Village by stating the following, “Lucid Waters and Lush Mountains are the invaluable assets.”  Apparently, this quote has become a vision, policy, and goal of the country that aligns with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, which I have heard of it frequently and seen the most throughout my two weeks of travel, mainly in two major provinces in China on several occasions and in different mediums and forms, including over the lake in Yucun Village, at the Wetland Museum in Hangzhou, in a short documentary, at the wall of Prof. Yang’s office and many other places.

The second mountain of the “Two Mountains” Theory is grounded based on the Xiaomei Mountain, which is located on the shore of Taihu Lake. We had a morning walk with Mr. Junzhan. It did not seem like a mountain to me. However, we went to its summit and spent some time taking photos, then returned, which all took less than an hour. The roads to the mountain which we walked on were a part of the villa hotels. The hotel resort is at the skirt of the mountain, which overlooks the third largest lake in the country with a wonderful panoramic view. To see this mountain first, then Mount Mogan, we had to move every or every other day from one city hotel to another one. 

Going back to the Yucun Village from Huzhou’s Anji county, which was so quiet, so peaceful, and so beautiful, surrounded by high hill green mountains. It was honored as one of the “Best Tourism Villages” at the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) General Assembly in Madrid on Dec. 2, 2021.  “The Best Tourism Villages initiative by the UNWTO is aimed at advancing the role of tourism in safeguarding rural villages and their landscapes, natural and cultural diversity, and values and activities, including local gastronomy.” Source: Regional China Daily

The village has a library dedicated to the Youth with over 10 thousand books and a Zero Carbon Footprint, where initially, the concept of the “Two Mountains” Theory and “Environmental Protection” were introduced and initiated by the President of China in 2012. 

According to News.Cn, “In 2003, Xi initiated a program that saw Zhejiang select 1,000 principal villages to take the lead in a new approach that balanced growth and rural green restoration. These villages were exemplars for the province’s 10,000 villages. In 2018, the project won the Champions of the Earth award, the United Nations‘ highest environmental honor.”

It was a unique experience to see both the Yucun Village, along with an exhibited and lighted up a model that illustrates the province’s 10,000 exemplars villages.

My brief, at the same time, productive recent visit to China gave me hope that there are inspiring and people-centered and environment protection models towards ecological civilizations. It also has provided a clear illustration for me of the utmost importance of the political will and determination in such towards positive changes and mobilizing not solely a village or province but also as a whole nation.

In connection with environmental protection and ecological civilization, Yucun Village, Mount Mogan, and Xiaomei Mountain are not the sole examples based on what I have observed. I am also most impressed with the bright blue sky in Beijing. I was very lucky that throughout my two weeks of visits, mainly only on the second day’s morning in Huzhou, it was rainy. Except for a little dry cold, the weather was beautiful, and clean air in Beijing for the seven days that I stayed there.

On December 2, we went with Mr. Junzhan to 798 District in Beijing, which was previously all industrial complexes that were responsible for the terrible pollution of the city, which I have been told. Then, the government forced them to move out far away from Beijing to mid of the country, then transformed the 798 District into an Art Center with full of galleries, art centers, and artist studios. Mr. Junzhan told me that during the last couple of years, the air quality has gotten better and better each year, which also has illustrated in a much smaller yet Yucun Village’s impacts in a huge way that has set out a role model for the country starting in 2012, and onward. 

Based on the initial invitation by Prof. Yang and the purpose of the invitation and gained observations along with shared basic knowledge, on behalf of LMGlobal.Org; I am excited to announce that we have signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Institution of ‘Two Mountain’ Theory at Huzhou Normal University in Huzhou on November 27, 2024, towards collaborations for awareness to “Environmental Protection” and “Ecological Civilizations” based on the guidance of the United Nations related programs and visions. 

In conclusion, the dedication theme of the 2024 International Day of Mountain Day, “Mountain solutions for a sustainable future – innovation, adaptation, and youth” concept, has already been put into practice in multiple levels and layers in China since 2015, and onward based on the established program and policies, along with academic programs for students and researchers including NGOs targeting four million youth to engage with the environmental protection programs, which are all very exciting and a great support of the UN’s International Mountain Day, and a unique example for the entire governments of the world. 

A Happy International Mountains Day… 

– We visited the Yucun Village in Huzhou with Prof. Yang Jianchu and Mr. Wayne Junzhan, along with the translator and Prof. Yang’s assistant on the 25th of November, 2024, 

[*] Bircan Ünver was appointed as a Special Advisor for the Institute of ‘Two Mountains’ Theory by Prof. Yang Jianchu, Secretary General of the Institution at the Huzhou Normal University on November 27, 2024.

Photos: Bircan Ünver & Arthur at Huzhou University

WHY WE CELEBRATE THE DAY?
The International Mountain Day has its roots in 1992 when the adoption of Chapter 13 of Agenda 21 “Managing Fragile Ecosystems: Sustainable Mountain Development” at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development put a milestone in the history of mountain development. The increasing attention to the importance of mountains led the United Nations General Assembly to declare 2002 as International Year of Mountains. Since 2003, the International Mountain Day has been observed every year on December 11th to create awareness about the importance of mountains to life, to highlight the opportunities and constraints in mountain development, and to build alliances that will bring positive change to mountain peoples and environments around the world. The United Nations General Assembly declared the year 2022 as International Year of Sustainable Mountain Development to place the sustainability and resilience of mountain ecosystems and communities at the heart of international processes, policies, and investments within the framework of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Whether you’re a business, NGO, journalist, government, city, civil society organization, or individual, take advantage of this opportunity to call for action!
Source: Internationaldays.org

https://www.un.org/en/observances/mountain-day

https://www.fao.org/international-mountain-day/en

https://www.internationaldays.org/december/international-mountain-day

https://www.fao.org/resources/videos/international-day-of-mountains/en

©2024, Bircan Ünver, The Light Millennium, Charitable Global Human Advancement Organization