Water allocation has also achieved better coordination. Since a unified water-management system covering all provincial-level regions along the river was introduced in 1999, the Yellow River has flowed uninterrupted for 27 consecutive years.

　　Over the years, more efficient water use has helped expand irrigated farmland in the river basin to 132 million mu (8.8 million hectares). The basin and downstream irrigation areas produce roughly 89.5 billion kilograms of grain annually, or 13.3 percent of China"s national grain output.

　　YRCC figures also show that water quality in the Yellow River Basin has markedly improved. The proportion of monitoring sections graded Class I to III, indicating good water quality, rose from 59.1 percent in 2016 to 93.2 percent in 2025.

　　The changes are also visible in communities along the river. Lyu"s photographs documenting the Hukou Waterfall"s shifting waterscape have helped boost local tourism. His widely shared photos have helped turn tourism into a pillar industry in a county that was once impoverished.

　　"The Yellow River ecosystem forms an integrated whole," he said. "From headwater conservation in the upper reaches and soil and water conservation in the middle reaches to wetland restoration in the lower reaches, green has become a defining feature of high-quality development in the Yellow River Basin."

　　(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)