Jerry’s Cycling Journal
The Restoration of An Fu Chong
Points to a Much Larger Picture
安阜涌蝶变背后的中国宏景

Twenty two years ago, I arrived in China, it would be fair to say that there were many aspects of the country that I disliked but, after just a few months of living here I had made a decision that I wasn't ready to go home, at least not just yet. I wanted more and there was a good reason I wanted more.

二十二年前，我初到中国。可以说，当时我对这个国家的许多方面都并不喜欢。然而，仅仅住了几个月后，我就做出了一个决定：我还不准备回家，至少眼下还不会。我渴望更多，而我渴望更多的原因也十分充分。

I started to travel and I started paying attention to the kinds of things that affect people's lives. On of the most important things I've noticed is that, over the many years I've now lived here, the lives of my friends and the Chinese family that I now have, have all improved and continue to do so. It's not perfect, it probably never will be. The moment China reaches a goal or a milestone towards achieving a goal, it does something that most Western countries don't do - it changes the targets and aims for better, or faster improvements.

我开始四处旅行，并留心那些真正影响人们生活方方面面的事物。其中最令我深有感触的一点是：在我居住这里的这些年里，我的朋友们以及如今已视作家人般的中国亲友们的生活，都得到了显著改善，而且这种改善仍在持续。当然，这并不完美，或许永远也不会完美。但每当中国在实现某个目标或达成某个里程碑时，它总会做出一件大多数西方国家做不到的事——那就是调整目标，向着更佳、更快的改进方向迈进。

However, some of the negative things I'd been told about China were actually true. It was definitely a polluted and dirty country. The river near my home was not a place where kids would happily jump in, there were no pensioners sitting by the riverbank with their fishing rods, there was a pungent smell around it and no one would take a walk along it in the evening. It was obvious to me that the waterways in Chinese cities, and especially Zhongshan, the one I'd chosen to live in, were not something to be proud of.

我之前听人说的关于中国的某些负面情况其实还真不假。当时的污染问题的确挺严重。我家附近那条河，根本不是孩子们会开心地跳进去玩耍的地方；河边也看不到老人们手持钓竿悠闲垂钓的身影；整条河周围弥漫着一股浓烈的臭味，到了傍晚更是没人愿意沿着河岸散步。对我来说，显而易见，早年，中国城市的水系——尤其是我选择定居的中山市——实在没什么值得骄傲的。

Jerry（右二）在坦洲安阜涌旁与中山咸水歌民歌手合影。 廖薇 摄

If we fast forward a few years things started to change and the change was noticeable in many ways. The major river in Zhongshan is the Qijiang River, sometimes known as the Shiqi River and it's now flanked by many kilometres of parkland, there's a bike riding track where I often cycle in the mornings and when I do, I always see people dangling their rods in the water, I see couples and families exercising and I see extensions to the parkland where there are exercise machines, free to the public, there are people singing karaoke and square dancing and, something that's very important for me, there are now coffee shops along the river providing great destinations for short and long bike rides.

如果我们将时间快进几年，会发现许多方面都开始发生变化，而且这种变化十分明显。中山市的主要河流是岐江河——有时也被称为石岐河——如今，这条河流两岸，公园绿地绵延数公里。每天早晨，我都会到那里骑自行车。每次骑行时，总能看到人们垂钓于水中，情侣和家庭结伴出游，还有不断扩大的公园区域，里面摆放着免费向公众开放的健身器材。人们在这里尽情地唱卡拉OK、跳广场舞。对我而言，尤为重要的是，河边如今已出现了多家咖啡馆，为长短途骑行提供了绝佳的休憩与停留之地。

The pungent smells have been almost eradicated; raw sewage and industrial waste no longer enter the waterways and many of them are linked by greenways for pedestrians and cyclists to enjoy. All of these create a much better environment for those people who live near these rivers.There are in fact 13 major waterways and over 1000 inner creeks and tributaries in Zhongshan city. The river area accounts for approximately 8% of its total territory,so it's pretty important that this water quality was improved.

中山市坦洲镇安阜涌，摄于2026年8月。 黄艺杰 摄

刺鼻的气味已基本消散；未经处理的污水与工业废弃物直排水道的现象得到遏制。其中许多水道还通过绿道相连，供行人和骑行者休闲漫步。所有这些举措，为居住在这些河流附近的人们营造了更加美好的环境。须知，中山市有13条外江和1000多条内河涌，河流面积约占全境8%，因此改善水质显得尤为重要。

Now the Chinese leadership has stated that lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets. The Ecological and Environmental Code was enshrined into law just this month but has been an ongoing government policy and strategy for two decades. What it means is that environmental protection is so important it's now part of the Constitution of the People's Republic of China.

中国领导人明确提出“绿水青山就是金山银山”。《中华人民共和国生态环境法典》本月正式施行，但这一理念作为政府长期坚持的政策和战略，其实已推行了二十年之久。这意味着，环境保护的重要性已达到如此程度，以至于它如今已成为《中华人民共和国宪法》的一部分。

Nowhere is this more noticeable than alongside rivers where once putrid, stagnant waterways are now clean and usable.

Just yesterday, I left my home near the Qijiang River and cycled across the beautiful green mountains of Wuguishan and into Tanzhou where I came to a stop at the village of An Fu a total distance of about 43 kilometres. I went there because I'd been told the area had been transformed. Just five years ago, people avoided this river, they wouldn't go near it unless they had no choice and many people living alongside of it gave up their homes.

这一点在河流沿岸尤为明显——曾经污浊、停滞的水域如今已变得清澈洁净，可供使用。

就在昨天，我离开位于岐江河畔的家，骑车穿越了五桂山那片美丽的青山绿野，一路骑行至坦洲，在安阜社区的安阜涌前停了下来——全程约43公里。我前往那里，是因为听说这一带已经焕然一新。仅仅五年前，人们还避之不及，除非万不得已，绝不会靠近这条河流，此前，许多沿河而居的居民甚至不得不搬离家园。

Jerry与安阜涌惠民水岸夜市的摊主交流。  廖薇 摄

Most of the illegal structures have now gone. The riverside underwent a massive reconstruction project to create footpaths and bike tracks, the silt was dredged, the entire system of flood water and sewage drains was torn up and replaced and the people are living a better life—local specialties are growing in the region, a huge crop of guavas has contributed to the regions economy—and most importantly the village has restarted using the rivers as both a transportation corridor, a leisure space and a place of entertainment, there's a night market and a coffee shop beside a colourful bridge. For the first time, I heard the National Intangible Cultural Heritage Saltwater Songs, passed down through the generations and sung while working in the boats to attract suitors. After a 20 year hiatus, Dragon Boat Racing was back in 2025. This year, the village was able to host a massive Dragon Boat Festival，bringing out 360 thousand visitors in total, something that was inconceivable just a few years ago.

大部分违章建筑已被拆除，沿河区域启动了一项大规模的改造工程，新建了步道和自行车道，清除了淤泥，彻底翻新并更换了整个防洪排水系统。如今，当地居民的生活质量显著提升。特色农产品长势喜人，一片规模庞大的番石榴种植园为区域经济作出贡献。更重要的是，村庄重新恢复了对河流的利用：这里既是重要的交通要道，也是休闲娱乐的好去处。一座色彩斑斓的桥梁旁，夜市与咖啡馆相映成趣。我第一次听到了代代相传的国家级非物质文化遗产——“咸水歌”。这些歌曲曾伴随渔民们在船上劳作，用以吸引心仪的对象。 时隔20年，龙舟竞渡活动终于在2025年重返故地。今年端午节，村里更是举办了一场盛大的龙舟赛，累计吸引客流量超36万人次——而就在几年前，这还完全不可想象呢！

The local economy is improving because the water is better, tourism is improving because people want to go there rather than avoid it, the lifestyle of locals is improving as their economy picks up and ancient traditions resurge but, it's not just An Fu, it's not even the city of Zhongshan or the wider region of Guangdong but the entire country is experiencing a metamorphosis in environmental conditions and there are even wider implications, China's contribution to the global ecology is massive but it can be measured through tiny steps such as this restoration of An Fu Chong which points to a much larger picture.

安阜涌惠民水岸夜市。黄艺杰 摄 

当地经济正在提升，因为水质变好了；旅游业也在回暖，人们更愿意前往那里，而非避之不及；随着经济复苏，当地居民的生活方式日益改善，古老传统重新焕发生机。然而，这不仅仅关乎安阜社区，甚至也不仅仅局限于中山市或更广泛的广东省区域——整个中国正经历着一场环境条件的蜕变。这一变化的影响更为深远：中国对全球生态的贡献巨大，而这种贡献正是通过一个个微小的举措逐步实现的，比如安阜涌的修复工程，它所彰显的，正是一个更为宏大的图景。

出品：中山国际传播中心
统筹：谢琼 陈慧 廖薇
出镜/撰文：Jerry Grey
编导：廖薇
视频摄制：黄艺杰
图片：黄艺杰 廖薇
拍摄助理：实习生 蒋臻童
翻译：曾嘉慧 廖薇
英文二审：周欢
视频英文审校：饶梅芳
封面设计：蔡文强
拍摄支持和历史素材提供：中山市坦洲镇