"Thanks to voluntary river cleaning activities organized by teachers, the river on campus is clearer than ever before. Even the birds took notice and started nesting nearby," said Wang Jianjun, a teacher and volunteer at Zhejiang International Maritime College, in an interview on Nov 24.

The river, 350 meters in length, was previously a severely polluted mess. A few years ago, over 50 teachers at the college, including Wang, thought that they had had enough and then voluntarily established a river cleaning team.

"At first, we would spend one or two days a week cleaning the river, but now we just need to inspect it regularly," added Wang.

Selfless efforts such as this are what lead to Zhoushan receiving the title of National Civilized City.

Jin Jie, another teacher and volunteer at the college, said that many teachers and students have got into the habit of picking up litter and overall keeping the campus cleaner.

Tong Yi, a student at the college, was honored as one of Zhoushan's best volunteers in 2018. Tong always volunteers with his schoolmates on weekends, carrying out voluntary activities and helping those who are in need.

Zhejiang International Maritime College, located in Zhoushan, Zhejiang province, is a public vocational school dominated by navigation related disciplines.

Zhoushan has been improving public services, city management and environmental protection in recent years in its quest to become a National Civilized City.