Asked to comment on the luxury government buildings to be found in coastal areas, she said: "An official's capability is not measured by his or her offices or cars."

Having worked in Qinghai for more than 35 years, Song has a vision for its future.

Despite the province's need for an economic boost, she has made it clear that protection of the ecology is a top priority for the province, where the Yangtze, Lancang/Mekong and Yellow rivers all have their sources.

"The protection of Qinghai's ecology is vital to the sustainable growth of China and even Asia. We have to take care of the nation's overall interests even at the cost of local interests."

In 2005, Qinghai authorities launched a 7.5-billion-yuan project to protect the 318,000-sq-km area covering the headwater of the three rivers. A year later, they banned mine exploration in the region, and stopped putting targets on industrialization and assessing local officials' performance based on GDP figures.

The effort has paid off. Some once vanished wetlands have reappeared, while previously dried-up lakes are again full of water.

In Song's vision, Qinghai's industrial growth will be stem from the Qaidam Basin, a 240,000-sq-km area dubbed "China's treasury bowl" for its rich mine resources.

The province will foster a "circular economy" in the area and minimize disruption to the environment, she said.

But there are no plans to risk losing what the province already has in the pursuit of economic growth, she said.

"The ideal future for Qinghai should be nice mountains, nice water and nice people."

(China Daily March 15, 2008)