NANNING, Nov. 24 (Xinhua) -- When Huang Caiman started steering boats on the Lijiang River in the 1970s, factories nearby began pouring polluted water into the now-iconic river.

"Tonnes of polluted water were discharged into the river every day in the 1970s," said Huang, 55. "The water I saw was just horrible."

Now, 40 years after China implemented its reform and opening-up policy, the river has returned to its original glory thanks to government efforts.

Lijiang River, where clean water flows between picturesque karst mountains, is located in Guilin, a prime tourist destination in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. It winds through four of Guilin's counties and has always been hailed as one of the most beautiful rivers in China.

Guilin was selected as one of the 24 cities in China to open its local tourism market to foreign visitors in 1973, with visitors coming in awe of the river. So far, more than 160 prominent government officials from across the world have visited the river, including former U.S. President Bill Clinton.

Huang became a boatman on the river when tourism started to boom, as China opened its doors to the outside world. At the same time, factories were built up along the river, which discharged 175,000 tonnes of polluted water into the river on a daily basis, threatening the local environment.

In 1980, about 1.8 million tourists came to visit Guilin. As more visitors came, the number of restaurants along the river increased.

"Because tourist numbers increased every year, the wooden boats we steered were replaced with diesel-powered cruisers," Huang recalled.

These factors all put the river in crisis.

"Waste water from the restaurants went directly into the river, and pollutants discharged by residents living by the river also tainted the water," Huang said. "You could literally see plastic bags floating in the water."

The water became so bad that it was rated among the lowest levels on the country's water quality rating system.

Realizing the need to clean up the river, local authorities took a variety of actions.

In recent years, the local government has closed all the fish restaurants along the river and built a park instead. Residents were relocated to other areas and more than 60 factories were closed.

The government also launched its "Toilet Revolution," transforming all dry toilets in villages by the river.

"There were more than 10 dry toilets in our village in the past, which discharged all the waste into Lijiang River," said Qin Shexiu, a resident of Tanziping Village. "Now we have all switched to flush toilets, and the waste is properly treated by a water treating facility here."

Huang Caiman's diesel-power cruiser was also upgraded to a low-emission vehicle with government help.

"We used to cook in the cruiser and dump all the leftovers into the river," Huang said. "All of this is so yesterday."

These days, Lijiang River is nothing but clean, with water grass flowing and egrets flying. For the past three years, the river's water quality has met the national standard.

"I'm so glad to see the clean water and beautiful environment again," Huang said.