Rudong county in Nantong, East China's Jiangsu province, has strengthened efforts to construct beautiful bays in recent years.

As one of the largest coastal counties in the province, Rudong boasts a coastline and marine area that respectively account for one-eleventh and one-eighth of its total land area.

Xiaoyangkou bay area features a 15-kilometer coastline and 60,000 mu (4,000 hectares) of tidal flats. Throughout the year, over 450,000 migratory birds, including the critically-endangered spoon-billed sandpiper, rest in this area.

Local authorities have actively promoted the pilot construction of a provincial level "Beautiful Bay" project in this area.

In April, a national-level green cycling event took place at the Xiaoyangkou Tourism Resort, during which more than 200 cycling enthusiasts and environmental volunteers gathered to explore the beautiful bay and advocate for green and low-carbon travel.

In addition, the county has carried out initiatives such as cleaning floating debris in marine areas and beach litter to further improve the water quality in the nearshore waters.

In 2022, the Xiaoyangkou bay area was selected as one of the first five provincial-level "Beautiful Bay" demonstration areas in Jiangsu province.

Migratory birds rest at Xiaoyangkou bay area in Rudong. [Photo/ntjoy.com]