In ancient Chinese philosphy, there is a teaching that the "contempt of nature will lead to an ill end" and that harmony between ren (man) and da zi ran (nature) is of the utmost importance.China was an agricultural country mostly populated by farmers who appreciated the land around them. Today it is much different. China is a still a quickly developing country and for every new factory that is built another sen lin (forest) is getting cut down. Deforestation and pollution of the shui (water) and qi (air) has caused multiple safety hazards, especiallly in the larger cities where modernization can be best seen. It has become a scary trend with not many signs of slowing down soon.

Due to its extremely large population, China has become the largest emitter of "greenhouse gases" that pollute the air and contribute to rapid climate bianhua (change). Money and the economy are often listed as most important goals of the government, which means environmental concerns are often put aside. This year, China is home to two of the highest polluted cities in the world. China is te zhi (unique) in that in has so much land mass to take care of that it can be very difficult to create policies that can benefit all areas. There are so many issues thus there is no quick fix by laws or environmental conferences. Every person has to do their part. With a population of about 1.34 billion, that is a very difficult task.