Recently, the weatherman on the acclaimed "Phoenix Weather Station" TV show named Fuzhou, Guangzhou, Hangzhou as China's three new "stoves" replacing the old trio of Chongqing, Wuhan and Nanjing.

With Fuzhou topping the list of "stoves", experts attribute the rise in urban districts to the depletion of Fuzhou's green areas.

In recent years, with much of the city under renovation, Fuzhou's green spots have been fighting a losing battle, a defeat further sped up by the increasing scarcity and cost of land due to the rise in real estate prices.

Some developers have encroached massively on green land for building construction.

Ancient trees that have stood the test of time for centuries have been mercilessly cut down due to the public's lack of environmental sensibility.

(China.org.cn by Fan Cong, August 4, 2007)