Since the completion of the construction of Gezhouba Water Control Project and Three Gorges Water Control Project, Yichang Municipal Government has seized the third opportunity of the development and opening of central and western China and new-type urbanization, to quicken its pace of building Yichang into a modern megacity with “a large size and the charm of high-level development with agreeability and habitability.”
It was written in the Notes of Zhixi Hall by Ouyang Xiu, the County Magistrate of Yiling in the period of the Northern Song Dynasty, in which he presented his explanation of how Yiling-the ancient name of Yichang-got its name, “On reaching here, the Yangtz River grows wider, and flows more quietly and we call this condition Yi; most of the mountains appearing in front of you seem low and in this condition we call Ling.” Through the ages, it has been a land placing people\'s hopes for peace and prosperity. Since the setup of Yiling County in the Western Han Dynasty (206 B.C.- 24 A.D.), Yichang has been a city with 2400 years history.
Dream of Modern Megacity Should Start from Freeing Our Minds
February 6, 2013 will be a historic day in the history of Yichang City, since Hubei Provincial Government approved the master planning and comprehensive design of Yichang urban district construction, which marked the beginning of building Yichang into a modern megacity. According to the master planning, by 2015, we will strive to achieve he goal of building Yichang into a city with 2 million permanent populations in the urban framework of 200 square kilometers; by 2030, a city with 3 million permanent populations in the urban framework of 300 square kilometers.
Would it be necessary for Yichang-a city by the Yangtze River on one side and on the rest three sides embraced by green mountains to build into a modern megacity? How to build it into a modern megacity? Even the city leaders in Yichang can’t promptly give a definite answer to these questions.
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 Yichang, due to its geographic advantages located in the so-called “Gate to Three Gorges as well as Sichuan”, should serve as a connecting link between Chongqing and Wuhan, to play an important role in the development and opening of central and western China.
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 Western Hubei Provice, enjoying geographic advantage, which makes it possible to promote the regional economic and social development as a megacity. Last year, 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.
Given the fact that the gross regional product in Yichang maintained a double-digit growth for the tenth consecutive year, its gross regional product summed to 41 billion US dollars in 2012, which made Yichang as a prefecture-level city ranked, among the cities of the same level, the 2nd in central China and the 4th along the Yangtze River in comparison of the gross regional product. In 2012, the percentage of urbanization in Yichang reached 53.59 percent with an influx of population 100 thousand, and according to the law, the percentage between 50 to 70 percent indicates the high-speed development of a city.
However, at present there still exist quite a few issues to be solved in the old city zone of Yichang. Some of them are urgent including the enormous pressure of transportation and housing, the unreasonably above-standard population density at certain area in the city, the difficulty for people to get to their destination, either by foot or by public transport, and the parking problem as well. Population density at certain area in Yichang has amounted to 60 thousand people per square kms, which is approaching the density in first-tier cities in China like Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou. To reduce the pressure from the old city zone of Yichang, it is urgent to expand the size of Yichang.
In short, the decision to build Yichang into a megacity conforms to the practical need of the region and the trend of development of history.
Except for investment, what else we do we need to learn in the conversion of Yichang into a megacity? Huang Chuping, Municipal Party Secretary of Yichang, notes that we need do solid work under the guidance of scientific planning, but what\'s more, we are in need of breaking the old methods and emancipating our minds.
For this reason, Yichang Government organized a visit to eight cities of three provinces in October last year. Through the investigation, officials in Yichang are now fully convinced that it is myopic to be content with what we had achieved, and there is still a long way to go before realizing the dream of building Yichang into a megacity. In March of this year, another delegation headed by Mr. Huang went to large cities like Shenzhen, Guangzhou and Hong Kong to learn about their development experiences and to attract businesses and investment through promotion of Yichang.
On arriving at the land of Hong Kong, the delegation hastened to the Exhibition Hall of Hong Kong to get to know its urban development history and particularly its way of planning and construction. In addition, they were deeply impressed by Hong Kong\'s convenience and efficiency in its downtown area owing to the perfect layout among subway, shopping places, and facilities for catering and entertainment. “The overall transportation planning of Yichang New District shall learn from Hong Kong\'s considerable experience in covered bridge that is an important means of public transit connecting among complexes. Apart from that, we can also introduce its human-based management practice advocated by Hong Kong Administration into the construction of ancillary facility in Yichang; for instance, the public signs of inclination in slope, the reserved areas for pets pooping.” Such heated discussion as this can be heard on bus afar, in which the preliminary planning and design for the construction in Yichang come into shape.
The advanced concepts of planning in Shenzhen and Hong Kong, along with the international vision both cities have shown in their urban development shall be the valuable experiences in building Yichang into a modern megacity with “a large size and the charm of high-level development with agreeability and habitability.” The members of the delegation also learned much from the famous “special economic zone of special economic zones”-Qianhai New Area in Shenzhen, whose planning with waterfront and ecological features not only attaches much importance to the integration development between industry and city, but also uses land intensively and economically, which can be rated as the embodiment of efficiency, convenience and wisdom.
An eight-minute publicity film in the presentation of Yichang drew many entrepreneurs’ attention from Guangdong and Hong Kong. Xie Junming, the President of Hong Kong Asia Industrial Co., Ltd., said, “It (the film) is not only the megacity dream of Yichang people, but the expansion dream of every entrepreneur here.” “The decision to invest in Yichang is just like investing your future.” Until March 27, ten enterprises or groups including China Resources (Holdings) Co., Ltd, China Everbright International Limited, China Vanke Co.,Ltd, and Country Garden had reached agreement with Yichang Government with investment of 105 billion RMB. With the investment, we can promote the construction of projects in Yichang New District, including urban infrastructure, modern logistics, medical products, clothing processing, etc.
Yang Guoqiang, the president of the board of Country Garden Holdings Company Limited, promised that he would expand his business with at least 10 billion RMB to build a branch company in each district, county and urban area in Yichang, let alone Yichang New District.
The implementation of the megacity dream can help Yichang realize economic leapfrog development.
To Build Yichang into a Megacity Surrounded by Satellite Cities on the Basis of Mountains and Rivers
Due to its over 60% forest coverage, Yichang is honored with the title of National Forest City, which cannot do without Yichang people\'s long-term awareness of forest protection which makes the forestry area throughout the city keep growing for years. In the meantime, as a riverside city, Yichang enjoys the privilege of the Yangtze River of dozens of miles winding through the urban city.Because of its geographic condition, it is suitable for Yichang to build into a city combined by satellite cites. According to the planning, the urban district surrounded by mountains and waters will consists of 13 satellite cities (groups), stretching on both sides of the Yangtze River.
The Goup of four districts including Xiling District, Wujiagang District, Dianjun District and Yiling District will be the main zone of the city in which the beautiful scenery will be highlighted.
The Goup of Three Gorges Dam Areas surrounded by mountains will be composed of two parts: the upper dam is vast and flat man-made reservoir while below the dam is beautiful scenery of the Xiling Gorge.
The Goup of Xiaoting and Baiyang will be a mainly industry base and equally lay stress on ecological protection and protection of the mountains and waters.
The Goup of Longquan, Yaqueling, Anfusi, Gujiadian will be a mainly industry base and equally require greening and environment protection.
The Goup of Honghuatao and Gaobazhou Dam Area will be to protect the existing pastoral scene, appropriately to reconstruct the wetland at Gaobazhou Dam Area and to pay attention to the greening and environment protection between industry parks and residential areas.
In a word, in the “big city” dream of Yichang people, Yichang should be a postmodern city which boasts about its beautiful scenery, clear regional functions and scientific layout for industries, which is surrounded by mountains and waters on both sides of the Yangtze River.
How to build the Yichang New District? On June 24, Hu Zhili, the Head of Dianjun District explained that it would be surrounded by the mountains.
Dianjun District is always regarded as the “backyard garden of Yichang”, simply because of its beautiful scenery and 75 percent of forest coverage.
“In Dianjun District an area of 130 square kilometers is within the scope of planning of Yichang New District, amid which an area of 85 square kilometers consists of ecological landscape like mountains and the Yangtze River, while the rest of 45 square kilometers is designed to be land development and living place,” said Hu pointing at the bottomland of the river bank behind the Government Building of Dianjun District, and added that it would be part of a wetland park in the near future, “An aerial tramway will then be built here to perform the function of transport and tourism after the demolition of the Government Building.”
Last year, the joint design proposal of Wuhan Planning & Design Institute and Netherland Arcadis Planning Company stood out among over 120 proposals from the world\'s top planning agencies, and ultimately won the government award of three million RMB for the Design Scheme of the Ecological Urban Area of Dianjun District. According to the planning, the construction in Dianjun District is designed to be the ecological urban area alongside the Yangtze River, area of economic growth model, and demonstration pilot of national sustainable development.
Despite 13 rivers and streams winding through 7 mountains in Dianjun District, the government tries their best to make the construction of Dianjun District original. To get a full appreciation of how difficult it was to be original, Hu takes an example for the report. We once planned to build a road at the foot of a mountain and it would have been a piece of cake, but for the sake of completeness of the mountain, it turned out that the two-way lane was not in the same level.
Creative ideas like this are gradually turning Dianjun District into a place with beautiful landscape that can compare with that of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River. Whereas Yiling District is trying to be integrated into the main city zone by means of building Development Avenue and Xiaoxita High-tech Industry Park.
Liu Hongfu, the Party Secretary of Yiling District, introduces that East Yiling Development Zone is designed to be an area for living, business, finance and office building; while Xiaoxita High-tech Industry Park will be a bridgehead of industry transformation and upgrading, of many major enterprises and urban function.
And if you pay a visit to Yichang in June, 51 major projects with total investment of 16.7 billion RMB go to operation, not to mention the Yichang New District; for instance, the new Yichang Museum, Exhibition Hall of Planning, Grand Theater, Art Gallery, Music Hall. And projects including Qiuyutai Park, Moji Mountain Park, the rebuilding of East City Avenue, greening massif in urban area are under intense construction. All these indicate that Yichang, the would-be megacity is arising.
Dongshan Development Area-A Successive Case on the Integrity Development of Industry and City
In 1988，Yichang Government initiated the construction of its first urban development zone in Dongshan which was still a desolate place. Twenty-four years after the initiation, great changes have taken place within the 6 square kms area. Resident population has increased from about 10 thousand to 120 thousand. Some well-known enterprises, such as Yichang Humanwell Pharmaceutical Co., LTD, HXF SAW CO., LTD, Parsons Music, Henan Shineway Group, have settled down in Golden Dongshan Market. Thousands of businessmen have settled down in Yichang Jindongshan Market with annual taxation increase from 60 million to 1.4 billion RMB. The bleak suburb has now become busy streets.
The rising of Dongshan Development Zone makes Yichang people understand that only by developing industry and city together can we hope to achieve the goal of co-prosperity of industry and city. Now “the principle” has become the secrets of modern megacity building. “A city without pillar industry or absence of industrial support is just like a building without a foundation and top beams, a city under construction without sufficient funds, mass population without jobs, and market cultivation without allocatable space.” Mr. Ma takes the analogy as an illustration of the significance of integrity and co-prosperity of the industry and city.
According to Ma, it has been estimated that by 2016 six industries with annual output value of 100 billion RMB will come into being, including chemical industry, food and beverage industry, advanced equipment manufacturing industry, advanced material industry, cultural tourism industry and modern logistic industry. Then we will complete the construction of projects such as the world’s largest hydropower base, the national largest production base of phosphorus chemical industry, the national major production base of food and beverage, the production base of biological medicine, the production base of auto, shipping and corollary equipment, the production base of electric wire and cable, the production base of advanced material, and the demonstration base of circular economy.
This year the first car that has ever produced in Yichang-City Ark-comes off the production line at the manufacturing shop of Yichang Branch of Zhongxing Automobile Co., Ltd (ZX AUTO). And as the agreement signed between GAG Group, Yichang Government as well as ZX AUTO indicates, the joint investment project of 10 billion RMB between GAG Group and ZX AUTO will enable the latter to produce 300 thousand finished cars per year, reaching annual output value of 30 billion RMB and leading to the market-driven industry with yearly output value of 180 billion RMB.
In 2012, Yichang witnessed 216 projects with gross investment of 205.7 billion RMB set up, each with investment of no less than 100 million RMB and paid-in investment of 80 billion RMB, a year-on-year increase of 39 percent. According to Yang Meiren, the Head of the Administrative Committee of Hi-tech Development Zone in Yichang, Yichang Government attached much importance to the “effect” of projects they would introduce into; for all the temptation of some major projects that are expected to be tapped source of tax revenue, the total amount of these projects they dismissed for the sake of environment protection in recent years, has exceeded 10 billion RMB.
On the one hand, Yichang Government does its best to attract the high-quality projects, because these projects can give rise to industry transformation and upgrading, and promote the development of strategic emerging industry; on the other, the Government encourages enterprises to innovate, to improve their traditional advantage industries, for the purpose of gaining a large share in the market.
Despite its reputation as one of the pillar industries in Yichang, there was a time when phosphorus chemical industry got to be associated with the “chief culprit”of environment damage for the reason of its low-level mining processing. Faced with the tough situation, Yichang Government took measures, such as restraint on the mining, shaping cooperative relationship between the phosphorus plant and phosphorus chemical enterprise, introduction to allocation market of phosphorus, to stimulate the enterprises to upgrade and transform the industry.
On June 26, the world’s first preparation equipment for the mineral dressing of collophanite is invented by Hubei Yihua Group Ltd., Co, which increases the 20 percent grade of collophanite to 32 percent through concentration and solves the top-level problem in collophanite concentration in the world. With the help of over 60 self-developed patent technologies, the sales proceeds have increased from 500 million RMB five years ago to more than 70 billion RMB the previous year in three chemical industry fields, namely, coal, phosphorus, and salt.
With new technology and new equipment, the concept of circular economy help this company make full use of the phosphorus resource and facilitate the fine phosphorus chemical production to transfer from mining industry and medical industry to food industry and electronic industry.
In addition to phosphorus chemical industry, Yichang Government also shows favor to major projects with high technology content, new industrial level and bright development prospect, since the Govenment will give a boost to the development of strategic emerging industries, such as biology, advanced material, electronic information, new energy, environmental technology, etc. Thanks to the efforts, Yichang is titled with “the National Advanced City in Scientific and Technological Progress” for the sixth consecutive year. And this year, it is awarded the honor-“the National Innovation Pilot City”.
Until now, the total number of brands as “Famous Trademark of China” has reached 19 in Yichng; the number of geographical indication of agricultural products account for one fourth in Hubei. The output of seven kinds of products ranks the first around the globe; that of 5 kinds ranks the first in Asia; that of 10 kinds ranks the first in China.
For the first quarter in 2013, the gross regional product of Yichang increases by 11.6 percent, as against the previous year, which ranks Yichang the first as a prefecture-level city compared with the same level cities in Hubei Province. Whereas the ratio of total energy consumption (tons of standard coal) divided by the gross regional product (10.000 RMB) drops by 6.2%, well above the average among prefecture-level cities in Hubei Province and in China. These two numbers show that Yichang is steadily on the way to the modern megacity.
(By Wei Haoxing, Liu Jie, originally carried out on the front page of China Economic Times on July 15, 2013)