Latest news with #CiliCounty
New York Times
19-06-2025
- New York Times
This Chinese Park Inspired ‘Avatar.' Videos Show It Also Drew Piles of Trash.
The towering sandstone pillars in central China that climb into the misty sky are renowned for their beauty, inspiring the alternate universe in the 2009 blockbuster 'Avatar.' But in recent weeks, the national park of Zhangjiajie, the location of those stunning formations topped with pine trees, has become known for a sight far less appealing: mountains of trash. The government in Cili County in Hunan Province, which oversees the park, ordered a huge cleanup effort this month after videos posted by cave explorers of the garbage buildup spread widely. As of Wednesday, 51 metric tons of trash have been removed from two caves, according to the local authorities. Villagers started dumping trash and pig manure in the caves in 2010, the official Xinhua news agency reported, after the county authorities banned the burning of waste. It took several years before the county's trash collection services were able to deal with the amount of waste being disposed of, including from the county's large pig-farming industry. A cave explorer and environmental activist who had posted some of the most widely shared videos said in a message that he was shocked when he saw the piles of manure and trash, which he said was seven or eight stories high. The limestone in the karst caves was stained so black that he initially mistook the waste for coal, he added. He spoke on the condition of being identified only by his online pseudonym, Xiaofugege, because of the sensitivity of environmental issues in China. Local authorities said that of the 200 caves they had inspected, about two-thirds were contaminated, though drinking water in the region was found to be safe. The authorities have also suspended four officials and were investigating 12 livestock farms over the unlawful discharge of wastewater. The authorities have also posted videos of the cleanup, with cranes hoisting trash from the depths of the caves. But these efforts were halted after toxic and flammable gases were detected in the caves, China Newsweek, a state outlet, reported. China has struggled with industrial pollution elsewhere. In 2011, a chemical company dumped 5,000 metric tons of chromium into reservoirs in Yunnan, in China's southwest, killing fish and livestock, and poisoning the drinking water of thousands of people. And for the past several years, the authorities in Bijie city in the southwestern province of Guizhou found that sewage water had contaminated the waterways, and that at least 12 of the surrounding karst caves were also clogged, in some cases with sewage water, others with manure, and still others with construction or household waste.
Malay Mail
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Malay Mail
China tackles decade of pollution at Unesco-listed park that inspired sci-fi film ‘Avatar' after public outcry
HONG KONG, June 13 — China has cleared 51 tonnes of trash from a scenic southern region famed for a craggy peak featured in Hollywood blockbuster Avatar, after videos went viral on social media showing ancient caves used as a rubbish dump. The caves in a national park in the southern province of Hunan were stacked with stinking garbage up to seven or eight storeys high, leading to a build-up of sewage, the videos on Chinese social media and public broadcaster CCTV showed. The Zhangjiajie park is a Unesco heritage site that provided inspiration for the scenery in director James Cameron's 2009 sci-fi film. As much as 51 tonnes of garbage was removed from the Datiankeng and Yangjiapo caves, some of it dating to between 2010 and 2016, administrative officials in Cili county said on an official Wechat account on Sunday. Villagers had dumped waste there after the local government banned incineration and before a new waste collection and treatment service was established, they added. Four officials have been suspended while 12 farms were being investigated for illegal discharge of waste water, they said. Authorities have set up a whistleblower channel for reports of illegal waste dumping. The officials in Cili, home to the caves, said the emergence of 'prominent' ecological and environmental issues spurred them to action against the individuals responsible and related companies. — Reuters
Al Arabiya
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Al Arabiya
China pulls decade of garbage from park that inspired sci-fi film ‘Avatar'
China has cleared 51 tons of trash from a scenic southern region famed for a craggy peak featured in Hollywood blockbuster 'Avatar', after videos went viral on social media showing ancient caves used as a rubbish dump. The caves in a national park in the southern province of Hunan were stacked with stinking garbage up to seven or eight storeys high, leading to a build-up of sewage, the videos on Chinese social media and public broadcaster CCTV showed. The Zhangjiajie park is a UNESCO heritage site that provided inspiration for the scenery in director James Cameron's 2009 sci-fi film. As much as 51 tons of garbage was removed from the Datiankeng and Yangjiapo caves, some of it dating to between 2010 and 2016, administrative officials in Cili county said on an official Wechat account on Sunday. Villagers had dumped waste there after the local government banned incineration and before a new waste collection and treatment service was established, they added. Four officials have been suspended while 12 farms were being investigated for illegal discharge of waste water, they said. Authorities have set up a whistleblower channel for reports of illegal waste dumping. The officials in Cili, home to the caves, said the emergence of 'prominent' ecological and environmental issues spurred them to action against the individuals responsible and related companies.
Reuters
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Reuters
China pulls decade of rubbish from park that inspired sci-fi film 'Avatar'
HONG KONG, June 12 (Reuters) - China has cleared 51 tonnes of trash from a scenic southern region famed for a craggy peak featured in Hollywood blockbuster "Avatar", after videos went viral on social media showing ancient caves used as a rubbish dump. The caves in a national park in the southern province of Hunan were stacked with stinking garbage up to seven or eight storeys high, leading to a build-up of sewage, the videos on Chinese social media and public broadcaster CCTV showed. The Zhangjiajie park is a UNESCO heritage site that provided inspiration for the scenery in director James Cameron's 2009 sci-fi film. As much as 51 tonnes of garbage was removed from the Datiankeng and Yangjiapo caves, some of it dating to between 2010 and 2016, administrative officials in Cili county said on an official Wechat account on Sunday. Villagers had dumped waste there after the local government banned incineration and before a new waste collection and treatment service was established, they added. Four officials have been suspended while 12 farms were being investigated for illegal discharge of waste water, they said. Authorities have set up a whistleblower channel for reports of illegal waste dumping. The officials in Cili, home to the caves, said the emergence of "prominent" ecological and environmental issues spurred them to action against the individuals responsible and related companies.
South China Morning Post
09-06-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
From Avatar to mountain of rubbish: China pulls decade of trash from historic caves
Chinese authorities have cleaned up more than 50 tonnes of rubbish from ancient caves in Zhangjiajie National Forest Park , a stunning site that inspired a location in Avatar, and punished four officials after the cavities became a stinking dumping ground. The clean-up came around two weeks after a viral video showed the state of a natural cave in Zhangjiajie's Cili county in Hunan province that had been used for years by nearby villagers to dump rubbish, resulting in garbage piling up 'as high as seven or eight floors'. 02:23 China's 'Spider-Man' dangles off cliffs to clean up Tianmen Mountain in the city of Zhangjiajie China's 'Spider-Man' dangles off cliffs to clean up Tianmen Mountain in the city of Zhangjiajie Rubbish and sewage built up in the descending cave and spilled to the surface, producing an unbearable stench, local press reported. The circulating video showing the pollution shocked Chinese people around the country. The Zhangjiajie natural reserve is part of a wider scenic area recognised as a Unesco World Heritage site. Dubbed a 'wonderland on Earth', it became a point of national pride and a popular tourist destination after James Cameron was inspired by its towering pillar formations for his 2009 epic film, Avatar. Confirming the findings on May 31, the Cili county government said it had found tonnes of garbage in two ancient caves, including mineral water bottles produced in 2015 which indicated the refuse had been there at least a decade. It said the rubbish was dumped by nearby villagers between 2010 and 2016 when the local government had banned garbage incineration but had not yet created a new garbage collection and treatment service.
