The latest spoof, widely reported in the press (Reuters, AP, SCMP and even Xinhua) tells the story of Laoshou mountain in Fumin County (southwest China), location of an old quarry. The local authorities spend 470,000 RMB (€ 47,000) to paint the mountainside green. Needless to say the money could have been better spent by actually planting trees.
Maybe the technology was imported (at a cheap price) from Beijing where some years ago grass was painted green to look …. greener. After media hoopla, denials etc. it was quickly stopped and forgotten.