Growing cities, overuse of fertilizers and factory wastewater have degraded China's water supplies to the extent that half the nation's rivers and lakes are severely polluted. China aims to spend $850 billion to improve filthy water supplies over the next decade, but even such huge outlays may do little to reverse damage caused by decades of pollution and overuse in Beijing's push for rapid economic growth. Photo: Fishermen row a boat in the algae-filled Chaohu Lake in Hefei, Anhui province, June 19, 2009. (Photo by Jianan Yu/Reuters)

A giant Rubber Duck created by Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman is towed along Hong Kong's Victoria Habour Thursday, May 2, 2013. Since 2007 the 16.5-meter (54 feet)-tall Rubber Duck has traveled to various cites including Osaka, Sydney, Sao Paulo and Amsterdam. (Photo by Vincent Yu/AP Photo)

In this August 31, 2017, photo, mock fish are displayed to offer to the ancestors during the “Hungry Ghost Festival” in Hong Kong. Countless hungry and restless ghosts are roaming Hong Kong, and the world, to visit their living ancestors, at least according to Chinese convention. In traditional Chinese belief, the seventh month of the lunar year is reserved for the Hungry Ghost festival, or Yu Lan, a raucous celebration marked by feasts and music. (Photo by Kin Cheung/AP Photo)

The Chinese-flagged cargo ship Yu Zhou Qi Hang, which ran aground near Yehliu Geopark as a result of rough weather relating to typhoon Kong-rey, is seen in Yehliu on November 1, 2024. Taiwan on November 1 raced to remove 284 tonnes of oil from the Chinese carrier that ran aground off the island after losing power in rough seas as Typhoon Kong-rey neared. (Photo by I-Hwa Cheng/AFP Photo)

A girl stands against strong wind caused by Typhoon Mangkhut at a pier on the waterfront of Victoria Habour Hong Kong, Sunday, September 16, 2018. Hong Kong and southern China hunkered down as strong winds and heavy rain from Typhoon Mangkhut lash the densely populated coast. The biggest storm of the year left at least 28 dead from landslides and drownings as it sliced through the northern Philippines. (Photo by Vincent Yu/AP Photo)

A woman dressed in a cheongsam interacts gracefully with vibrant fish lanterns at Kwai Chai Hong, a heritage revival alley in Chinatown, on January 09, 2025, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Kwai Chai Hong celebrates the Lunar New Year with an immersive art installation titled Bountiful Blessings, inspired by the idiom “Nian Nian You Yu”, which translates to “Wishing an Abundance Year After Year”, blending traditional fish lanterns with modern lights to inspire abundance and prosperity, inviting visitors to embark on a cultural journey of generosity and abundance for future generations. (Photo by Annice Lyn/Getty Images)

Bride Fan Huixiang (front R), a 25-year-old cancer patient, receives flowers from nurses on her bed before her wedding ceremony at a hospital in Zhengzhou, Henan province November 17, 2014. Fan was diagnosed with late stage adenocarcinoma, a type of cancerous tumor, at her thoracic vertebra this June. She and her 24-year-old husband Yu Haining held their wedding ceremony at the hospital on Monday after five years of relationship, local media reported. (Photo by Reuters/China Daily)

The maid-themed cafe in Hangzhou, China on September 29, 2016. A cafe has been bringing in droves of new customers after hiring young women to dress up in Frech maid costumes while serving diners. Curious coffee- and coffee-lovers are coming from all corners of Hangzhou, capital of East China's Zhejiang Province, to get a taste of the “maid cafe” experience. The business is said to have been opened by a man surnamed Yu and his friends, all whom are natives or graduates of the city. The all-female staff who donned the black and white French maid outfits are also students currenting living or studying in Hangzhou, allowing them to marry their passion for serving with the part-time job. (Photo by AsiaWire)