The first pilot city of water-saving society in China is ().

The first pilot city of water-saving society in China is Zhangye.

Located in the Badain Jaran Desert in the middle of Hexi Corridor and the southern edge of Fanggeli Desert, Zhangye City has actively explored the road of water-saving society and built a water-saving economic model through the optimal allocation of water resources and the reform of water rights system in the past year.

The pilot area has achieved the balance of production, living and ecological water use, and the commercialization of water resources has achieved good water-saving effects. The practice of Zhangye City has been highly affirmed by the Ministry of Water Resources, the Gansu Provincial Party Committee and the provincial government. Their practice has also accumulated experience for the next step to establish a water-saving society in Gansu and even the whole country.

Zhangye is a typical water-deficient area. The water consumption here directly affects the relationship and distribution of economic and ecological water use in the middle and lower reaches, as well as the evolution trend of the ecosystem in the middle and lower reaches, especially the rise and fall of Ejina Oasis in Inner Mongolia, so it is called the "regulator" of ecological water use in Heihe River Basin.

In the reform, Zhang Ye has formulated a series of complete systems such as water resources management, water fee collection, water right transaction and water conservancy project management, and established the "Farmers' Water Users Association" to participate in water resources management. The members of the association are elected by farmers. "Farmers' Water Users Association" distributes water rights to farmers, sells water tickets to farmers, manages supporting water conservancy facilities and handles disputes over farmers' water use transactions.