Erhai Lake in Dali, Southwest China’s Yunnan Province is a place of interest for the younger generation to fully feel the sense of “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” Until mid-January, 1,806 private residences and roadhouses in Dali were demolished within a month, aiming to provide space for the implementation of an ecological restoration project which helps recover the Buffer Zone and the wetland near Erhai Lake. In March 2017, in order to solve the Erhai Lake’s water eutrophication, the government of Dali announced a suspension of the operation of all the roadhouses and restaurants until the project of cleaning Erhai Lake was completed in June 2018. On May 30, 2018, the government of Dali established an ecological restoration project to help recover the Buffer Zone and the wetland near Erhai Lake. Buildings located on the western part of Erhai Lake were completely demolished within 15 meters of the lake, which will be used to restore the lakeside belt. Due to the direct discharge of agriculture, aquaculture and domestic sewage, Erhai Lake used to be overrun with a Cyanobacteria overgrowth problem in 1996, and the problem reappeared in 2003 and 2013. (Photos: Cui Meng/GT)