Shenxianju, a national 5A scenic spot in Xianju county, Taizou. [Photo/WeChat account: tzfb001] 

Taizhou in East China's Zhejiang province saw a notable improvement in its environment during the 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20) period, according to local media reports.

The city had been rated as an excellent city in the provincial assessment for ecology for seven years in a row.

In 2017, it was appraised by the State Council, China's cabinet, for it significant progress in air and water quality in key areas.

From 2015 to 2020, the rating for the surface water in Taizou jumped from "light to moderate pollution" to "good". It was listed among the 25 cities without black and smelly water bodies across the nation.

In addition, Taizhou also ranks high nationwide in terms of air quality during the five-year period. In 2020, the city's average concentration of PM2.5 was 22 micrograms per cubic meter, the lowest in history.

The strong results are largely due to the strict enforcement of regulations related to environment protection by local authorities.

A total of 6,037 penalties for environmental violations were imposed in Taizhou during the 13th Five-Year Plan period, with fines totaling 515 million yuan ($79.23 million). In addition, more than 20,000 polluting enterprises were urged to suspend their operations over this period.