Closer Look: Guangdong Officials Wisely Came Clean on Soil Pollution

On July 10, land and resources officials in the southern province of Guangdong gave the local people's congress a report on a survey of soil pollution in the Pearl River Delta region. This was the first time in China such information was made public.

The report was astonishing. It said that 28 percent of the soil in the delta region was affected by heavy metal pollution. Equally astonishing to the public was the decision to release the data.