The International Communication of China’s “Two Mountains” Concept from Local Practice to Global Narrative

Abstract

The idea that “lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets”, commonly referred to as the “Two Mountains” concept, has become one of the best-known expressions of China’s ecological civilization agenda. First specified in Yucun Village, Zhejiang Province, the concept conveys the mutually-reinforcing relationship between environmental protection and economic development. Although the concept has attracted increasing attention worldwide, existing work has mainly concentrated on policy discourse and macro-level communication strategies. Less attention has been paid to the role of grassroots participants. Taking Yucun as the example, this article examines how the concept moves from local practice into international discourse. As a result, this article proposes a three-layer communication mechanism, consisting of policy-level discourse, the diffusion of rural development practices, and farmer-centered storytelling. Specifically, this article argues that farmers are not only recipients of ecological transformation but also important narrators engaging in the transformation, helping turn national ecological discourse into concrete and emotionally meaningful forms. In this way, the study demonstrates the comprehensive approach of how a local ecological practice is developed into a broader global narrative through communication across multiple levels.