In Search of Green China

by Ma Tianjie

The world cannot address its pressing environmental problems without China. But can China be relied upon as a steadfast steward of nature, as its leaders have claimed in recent years?

Prominent environmental campaigner and reporter Ma Tianjie gets to the heart of China's remarkable ecological transformation to answer this question. He takes us on a journey through the country's thirty-year struggle to clean up its rivers, clear its air and stabilize carbon emissions, drawing out the complex political impulses that have helped and hindered progress. Anchoring his storytelling in some of China's major environmental challenges - from Beijing's 'airpocalypse' to the cancer villages of the Huai River basin, he shows how the ideas and actions of few extraordinary individuals were critical in changing China from a heavily polluted country to a place where environmental issues are high on the agenda. The complex ecological tapestry Ma paints illuminates the key ideas, experiences and influences that have shaped China's environmental consciousness and will continue to frame the search for green China well into the twenty-first century.

Genres: China, Environment, Economics, Nonfiction

272 pages, Paperback

Published May 5, 2025

Reviews

[Faye · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ch5 and 6 on smog and 'peak carbon' were probably the most interesting to me. The rest felt a little ahistorical/too narrative-based, without the kind of prose that I would enjoy from a more creative non-fiction piece. Useful insight into the key actors in Chinese environmental activism, but largely without the kind of broader political economic framing that would have situated these actions within the broader context of Chinese domestic politics.

However, those two chapters gave a really interesting insight into how holistic China's approach to reducing smog is - they've recognised that genuine pollution reduction requires comprehensive investment into replacements as well, i.e. where some of the push to subsidise green energies seems to come from. At times I wonder if it takes too optimistic of a view of the motives of Chinese elite leaders, but generally a good account of competing interests at local, provincial, national levels (and what drives these differences).

[Isaac Davies · Rating 4 out of 5]

Always grateful for chinese politics broken down for a anglosphere audience!

Tianjie certainly delivered with giving me more questions than answers through his tales of green tension in a productivst CCP China. The two mountains theory was uplifting for the possibility of a Green China.

I felt like he could have offered more simple and direct opinions though. Yet he was intent on showcasing the complexitity of interplay of actors within the CCP, corporations, general public, NGO's, US etc. The formating and pace sometimes became jumpy and could have maybe benefited from another edit to make it more digestable.

Nitpicks asside it was a fascinating exploration. The contradiction of a collaborative effort from the authoritarian country is hard for a westerner to make sense of.

[D.S.G. Burke · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a smart, engaging look at how environmental issues slowly but meaningfully took hold in China. A rare combination of great reporting with real insight, tracing the people, policies, and turning points that pushed pollution and climate concerns onto the national agenda. Clear-eyed and informative, this is a must-read for anyone trying to understand China’s recent environmental journey.

[Feng · Rating 4 out of 5]

A valuable addition to the English publications on the history of China's environmental policies in recent decades, with nuance and balance.

[NS 2025+ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great piece of journalism, I agree with a lot of the author's nuanced thoughts on China's green future and appreciated the interviews/quotes from all of the different players in this issue.