This story of transformation is being repeated across other parts of Daye. The same model of ecological restoration, which turns abandoned industrial land into an engine for sustainable development, is also taking root in Pingshan village.

A huge quarry near Pingshan has also been rehabilitated and redeveloped by fertilizer producer Hubei Bohai Bio Holding Group.

According to He Jianjun, general manager of Pingfeng Resources Development Co, the redeveloper of the quarry, the rehabilitation of the 31-hectare site began in August 2018.

The scars of decades of mining had left the mountainside ravaged with its slopes soaring at terrifying angles, some sections plunging almost vertically, he said. The area was pitted with holes and littered with rocks.

In the process of reducing the height of the slope from 250 meters to 80 meters, 10 small polluting enterprises were shut down. After the project was completed at the end of 2020 and passed government acceptance inspection in June 2023, the land became flat and spacious, with rows of trees and lush lawns.

"What was once abandoned wasteland has been turned into valuable industrial land," he said.

According to local authorities, Daye has shut down over 500 mines and tailings ponds, and remediated more than 70 mining sites since 2012. Almost 99.8 percent of its historical abandoned mines have been rehabilitated.

Through investment attraction, He said Bohai Bio was brought in for economic development. With a total investment of 560 million yuan, the company built a fertilizer production base that covers 18.5 hectares with an annual production capacity of 800,000 tons.

The location of the quarry offers strategic advantages. "Establishing our production base here not only provides proximity to freight railway lines and stations, but the convenient transportation network also ensures strong support for our raw material transport and product sales," said Wang Hu, an executive from Bohai Bio.

Surrounding cities in Hubei are home to numerous phosphorus ore producers that can supply the nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium required for the company's products, Wang said. Industrial by-products, such as ammonium sulfate from Daye's industrial sector, also serve as key raw materials.

For the local community, the changes have been significant. Hu Xiaosheng, Pingshan's Party chief, has witnessed the transformation firsthand. According to him, mining activities near Pingshan began in the 1970s and 80s, leading to the rapid establishment of gravel yards and lime factories that turned the area into a small industrial hub. At its peak, the nearest of these facilities stood just 500 meters from the village.

The Party chief said the dust in the air back then was unbearable.

Today, the contrast could not be starker. Following the rehabilitation of the land and the arrival of the fertilizer producer, the village has been reborn. "It feels like being in a garden when walking through the village now," Hu said.

The economic revival has been just as profound. The fertilizer company provides stable jobs for 20 to 30 villagers, which marks a dramatic shift for a community once defined by subsistence farming and polluting industries.

His words echoed those of Zuo, the villager from Songwan. Standing on a road where he once choked on dust, Zuo looked up at the solar panels glinting on the hillside and smiled.

"The project has brought us a good environment and jobs," he said. "Life will definitely get better and better from here."

Contact the writers at houliqiang@chinadaily.com.cn