A six-member delegation led by HU Wei, deputy director of the IHB, visited Kweichow Moutai Group, on January 12, 2022. (Credit: IHB)

A six-member delegation led by HU Wei, deputy director of the Institute of Hydrobiology (IHB) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, visited Kweichow Moutai Group, China's iconic high-end white spirit maker, to have an extensive communication on the ecological protection of the Chishui River, on January 12, 2022.    

The two sides discussed and exchanged views on the evaluation of the water ecological health of the Chishui River, water quality monitoring and early warning, deep purification of tail water, and watershed ecological restoration.    

“IHB has been working on the ecological protection and restoration of the Chishui River, and our proposal to strengthen the protection of the Chishui River has been highly valued by the state. As a large enterprise with social responsibility, Maotai Group attaches great importance to the protection of the Chishui River. We are willing to work with Maotai Group to write a new chapter in the ecological protection of the Chishui River,”said Hu.    

The Chishui River is the last undammed tributary of the upper Yangtze River, which provides important habitats and breeding grounds for many rare and endemic fishes. It is not only a place for implementing the philosophy that clean waters and green mountains are just as valuable as gold and silver, but also a pioneering demonstration area for the national strategy for a 10-year fishing ban in the Yangtze River.    

“We hope this exchange will lead to a deeper cooperation in the areas of water ecology monitoring and early warning for the Chishui River, the structure and function of the water microorganisms, water environmental carrying capacity, and watershed ecological restoration,”said DING Xiongjun, chairman of Kweichow Moutai.    

The meeting agreed to accelerate the implementation of the strategic cooperation agreement between IHB and Maotai Group.   

After the symposium, deputy director Hu and his delegation visited the institute’s field station in Maotai Town. The station is for conserving rare and endemic fishes of the upper Yangtze River and monitoring river ecosystem in the Chishui River. 

HU Wei and his delegation visited the institute’s field station in Maotai Town. (Credit: IHB)