chinese president xi jinping said the "well-measured use of natural resources is the key to ecological conservation," during the opening ceremony of the international horticultural exhibition in 2019.
the sentence was a quote from "comprehensive mirror in aid of governance," a pioneering reference work in chinese historiography by sima guang (1019-1086) of the northern song dynasty (960-1127).
the quotation shows china's ancient wisdom regarding the balance between nature and humans. the idea of the well-measured use of natural resources has taken on new meaning in china today.