Golden River vs. Green River in China

In the 90’s, China had a saying that their rivers were “rivers of gold”.  They were creating artificial dams and diverting water.  This provided water for the mass migration of citizens to the cities who used it for both agriculture and factory production. Water was the new gold.

Yet, it\’s interesting that the word \”gold\” has been replaced by the word \”green\”.  China now celebrates their “green”rivers.

Here\’s why: many uprisings and riots from the local people started to take place. Routing water to different areas and artificial dams hurt the Earth and local communities, as well as disturbed agriculture production. It disrupted the effectiveness of the community and also its natural beauty. In addition, water sources were becoming more scarce.

So, while gold is very elegant, green has a very loving, warm, nurturing, and nature-based meaning. Now China is realizing they have to “go green” rather than “go gold”.

Keep and support  nature, and it will help your businesses, your villages, and your cities. Nature and your community won\’t only survive but they will thrive.

Go green, not gold.