Onset of winter adds striking beauty to Xiaoyi River

In early winter, the riverside scenery along the Xiaoyi River in Baoding, Hebei province, has become increasingly beautiful. Its banks are decorated with colorful trees and bordered by farm fields.

As one of the rivers that feed Baiyangdian Lake in Xiong'an New Area, the largest freshwater wetland in northern China, the Xiaoyi River has become ever cleaner in recent years. Water quality reached Grade II for the first nine months this year. Grade I is the best level in the country's five-tier quality system for surface water.