-- The Yellow River, meandering over 5,000 km from west to east, is called the "mother river" of the Chinese nation, as the river basin has nurtured the Chinese civilization.

-- The ecological protection and high-quality development of the Yellow River basin has been regarded by the Chinese government as a long-term project concerning the very rejuvenation of the nation.

-- The river basin is home to 420 million people, accounting for 30 percent of China's total population. From the plateau headwater to the estuary, increasing biodiversity and people's ever-improving living standards have been observed along with the restoration of the great river.

by Xinhua writers Fang Ning, Li Zhanyi, Zhang Wuyue

XINING, June 5 -- Wearing a fluorescent vest and a red armband, Tibetan ranger Sogsog travels deep into the vast Sanjiangyuan (Three River Source) National Park every month, picking up garbage along his way and checking for any signs of unusual activity on the grassland.

The plateau reserve, known as the headwater region of China's three major rivers -- the Yangtze, Yellow and Lancang, is also the hometown of the 33-year-old Tibetan in Golog Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, northwest China's Qinghai Province.

The pilot national park, with a total area of 123,100 square km, covers two prefectures, four counties and 53 villages, and harbors more than 70,000 herdsmen.