February 6 will be a historic day in the history of Yichang City, since Hubei provincial government approved the master planning and comprehensive design of urban district construction, which marked the beginning of building Yichang into a modern megacity. The building process was in full swing and 51 projects with total investment of over 27 billion US dollars were launched in the meantime on March 21. Yichang, a future modern megacity, where is it going and what will it be like? How large will it be? How large its population will be? The answers to these questions are what all people related to Yichang at home and abroad are concerned about at present when Yichang is experiencing its significant development. As it is shown at the thematic exhibition of urban district construction planning and design of Yichang as a future modern megacity, once completed, the size of the future urban district of Yichang will be three times bigger than it is, with an area of 300 square kilometers and a population of 3 million.
　　Liu Xiaohua, chief engineer of Planning Bureau of Yichang City, introduces that transformation of Yichang into a modern megacity is an objective course and inevitable choice to respond for economic and social development. As there are only two mega cities including Chongqing and Wuhan in the upper and middle reaches of the Yangtze River of over 1000km; generally, the radius of influence of the mega city can reach two or three hundred kilometers, and he observes that Yichang, due to its geographic advantages, should serve as a connecting link between Chongqing and Wuhan, which can play an important role in this middle area. It is no exaggeration to say that the prosperity of Yichang may drive the development of the entire Yangtze valley.
　　The map of Hubei Province shows that in the triangular distribution of the three cities of Wuhan, Yichang and Xiangyang, Yichang takes the prominent position in wet Hubei Province, enjoying geographic advantage, which makes it possible to promote the regional economic and social development as a megacity. In 2011, the provincial party committee and government held a meeting in Yichang on construction of the pattern of “Wuhan as the center and Yichang and Xiangyang as two sub-central cities”. Furthermore, at the 10th Party Congress of Hubei Province it was instructed that Yichang be transformed into modern megacity as a provincial sub-central/ regional central city in the upper and middle reaches of the Yangtze River that is abundant of hydraulic energy and tourism resources.
　　A brief retrospect of the development history of its urban area shows that, in recent years, Yichang has experienced rapid development in both its total population and gross regional product: at present, its urban population amounts to 1.28 million, and last year, its gross regional product summed to 40 billion US dollars, which made Yichang as a prefecture-level city ranked, among the cities of the same level, the 63rd in China, the 2nd in central China and the 4th along the Yangtze River in comparison of the regional gross product. In the light of the law that the percentage of urbanization between 50% to 70% indicates the high-speed development of a city, which requires its functional development keep pace with constant growth of all kinds of demands in production and daily life.
　　According to master planning and design, the new urban area of Yichang will be patterned in the mode of “13 units on both banks of the Yangtze”. As Xia Wenhan, director of Yichang Urban Planning Bureau explained, the existing urban district will not be thoroughly reconstructed; and construction of the future city will be based on scientific concept of modern urbanization and adequate deliberate approval. The master planning shows the size and population of the future urban district in each stage in the future. Exactly, the long-term plan aims at the coverage of 500 km2 and a regular population of 5 million.
　　In the future, the urban district surrounded by mountains and waters will consist of 13 independent satellite cities, stretching 220 square kilometers on both sides of the Yangtze River, each featured with specific functions and resources respectively, including natural landscapes of maintains and waters and other tourism attractions, hydraulic project constructions, eco-environmental protection, industrial development and so on, as in the future will make Yichang an environmental-friendly city with maintains, waters and picturesque urban landscapes which enjoys rich historical and cultural charms.
　　About construction of the new urban district, the overseas Yichang people eagerly give their online suggestions on a variety of aspects including future employment, financial and industrial support, which show their great concern for the promising future of the mother city.
　　As Jiang Zhengxiong, head of Yichang Municipal Development and Reform Commission introduces, the industrial base includes six major enterprises of which the product exceeds 16 billion US dollars, including chemicals, food and beverage, advanced equipment manufacturing, advanced materials, cultural tourism and modern logistics. By 2016, the expected output of each industry is as follows: about 30 billion US dollars of chemical industry with major enterprises including Hubei Yihua Group and Hubei Xingfa Group and industrial parks, such as Yichang Hi-tech Zone, about 25 billion US dollars of food and beverage industry with Daohuaxiang Group, Zhijiang Liquor Group and Yichang Xiao’s Tea Group as major enterprises; over 25 billion US dollars of advanced equipment manufacturing industry based on manufacture of automobile parts, ship and its equipment, precision machinery and wires and cables; over 16 billion US dollars of advanced material industry of new construction materials and inorganic nonmetallic materials; over 16 billion US dollars of cultural tourism industry based on scenic spots, such as the Three Gorges, the Three Gorges Project, the Three Gorges Tribe Scenic Spot and the Qingjiang River Gallery Scenic Resort, also on more cultural products and media, cartoon and creative designing; over 16 billion US dollars of modern logistics industry based on 9 logistics parks such as the Three Gorges Logistics Park. Director of Yichang Municipal Finance Bureau, Wang Jinjian said, in construction of the future city, “many effective ways can be employed to solve the problem of financing through city management, such as BOT, TOT, BET and so on.”
　　So far, 7 investment and finance companies engaged in urban construction and investment and property investment have been established, based on which a diversified investment and financing platform operating system in the integrated mode of the government playing the leading role, enterprises as the main body and social individuals and collectives participating on the operation basis of market. During March 17 to 27, in succession, the relevant official departments and institutions has made pitches for construction of the new urban district in Beijing and Hong Kong, which was rewarded with investment agreements worth about 35 billion US dollars with 22 large enterprise groups, such as China Resources, China Poly Group Corporation, China Communications Construction Company, China State Construction Engineering Corporation, Sinoenergy Corporation and China Everybright International limited. A number of projects have attracted the investors, such the central business district, the public service center, the hyper-channel linking the both banks of the Yangtze River, the overall district development and the core landscape project. The entrepreneurs are looking forward to the opportunities of investment. For example, CSG Holding Co., Ltd. Plans to invest over 400 million more US dollars this year on the basis of over 650 million US dollars invested last year; Chengtong Industrial Investment Company, an influential state-owned enterprise, has signed an investment agreement worth over 30 billion US dollars with Yichang.
　　The construction of the new urban district will highlight the development based on its own characteristics, which requires the efforts of all people in the urban area. As introduced by Chen Yingyi, director of Yichang Municipal Housing Administration Bureau, resettlement housing project has been launched prior to the other construction projects, and more than 17,000 apartments for resettlement and indemnification of 1.78 million m2 will be built this year. In the past months, in each district resettlement and relocation went smoothly through effective communication and proper policies.
　　Zhao Hui, a doctor of Medicine and a native in Yichang holds his idea that in Yichang, where lie the famous hydraulic projects in the world, Gezhouba Water Control Project and Three Gorges Project, a world-class hydropower museum should be established to demonstrate the most important characteristics of Yichang; meanwhile, efforts should also be made for exploration and display of various folk cultures like Qu Yuan Culture, Wang Zhaojun Culture and ethnic culture of Tujia minority as much as that made for economic construction. It is expectable for all Yichang people to pursue their “Yichang Dream”.
　　Just as Huang Chuping, a member of provincial standing party committee and secretary of Yichang municipal party committee pointed out, future Yichang as a megacity will demonstrate its image with a large size and its charm of high-level development with agreeability and habitability.