Yichang, a city owing its birth to waters, its flourish to electricity, has become worldwide famous as a base of hydropower. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in 2013, it has grasped every possible opportunity to become a provincial sub-central city, a regional central city in the middle and upper reaches of the Yangtze River, as well as an international hydropower and tourism city. In the upcoming 5 years, efforts will be made to make Yichang a modern megacity which is going to be economically powerful and environmentally beautiful.

　　In late November, the reporters of “China Dream，A Journey Across Hubei” conducted a large series of interviews on the subject of China Dream in 17 cities and city-level prefectures in Hubei Province. Everywhere in Yichang, our reporters could feel the local’s happiness and dreams in this new era.

　　It is the local’s China Dream to make Yichang a megacity.

　　Yichang, the Base of Hydropower, Strides Forward to be a Megacity

　　Yichang is a blessed city. Gezhouba Water Control Project and world-renowned Three Gorges Project have boosted the development of Yichang’s economy as well as its population. The population in Yichang has risen from 170,000 to 1,280,000, which has made great strides from a small city to a megacity.

　　In June, 2012, at the Tenth National Party Congress of Hubei Province, it was put forward that Yichang would gain support to quicken its pace to become a provincial sub-central city, a regional central city in the middle and upper reaches of the Yangtze River, as well as an international hydropower and tourism city, so as to become a megacity. At the crucial historical moment, Yichang people took the chance and made another big step towards its dream.

　　In December, 2012, at the Third Plenum of the Fifth Yichang Municipal Party Committee, resolutions were made upon major issues like the connotation, concept and procedure of building a modern megacity. Economically Powerful and Environmentally Beautiful is then regarded as the core connotation of building Yichang as a megacity.

　　Huang Chuping, Member of Standing Committee of Hubei Provincial Committee of CPC, Secretary of Yichang Municipal Committee of CPC, drew the blueprint of Economically Powerful and Environmentally Beautiful in a signed paper as following: first, strive to be a megacity in area and population, and to reach an urban area of 200 km? with a resident population of 2,000,000 at the end of the 12th Five-year Plan, and an urban area of 300km?  with a resident population of 3,000,000 by 2020. Second, strive to form a powerful industrial base, powerful urban functions and strong comprehensive strength, and make sure Yichang will stay in top three among cities of comparable importance in central region of China and do the best to be NO.1. Third, make Yichang a business hotspot and pleasant city. Fourth, establish an image of attractive city to demonstrate the beauty of Yichang’s nature, history and culture, and modernization, thus to build a beautiful Yichang City

　　Ecological New District Makes Yichang Extraordinary.

　　On November 22, at the construction site of the Yichang Miaozui Yangtze River Bridge in Dianjun District, the giant steel framework, which is dozens of meters high and deeply buried in the mountains of the concrete, is used for holding the bridge anchoring structure of the stayed-cables. The staff of the Construction Headquarters said that, Miaozui Yangtze River Bridge would connect main urban area in Yichang City, Pinghu Peninsula of Xiling District and Dianjun District. Hence, the construction of Ecological New District in Dianjun District, which is located in the Northern mountainous area of Yangtze River, will step into a new stage.

　　Yichang is a mountain city, and the environmental capacity in main urban area tends to saturate in recent years. The maximum population density has reached 60,000 people per square kilometer, exceeding that of Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and other first-tier cities.

　　City expansion becomes the top priority in building Yichang.

　　Yichang’s beauty lies in its wonderful landscape. In overall plan of this city, Yichang is a new megacity with one river and two banks, surrounded by mountains and water, while the construction of each district has a clear regional orientation.

　　Hu Zhili, the Chief Executive of Dianjun District, described the Ecological New District as “the city surrounded by mountains”. Dianjun District is the "City Garden" of Yichang City, with the forest coverage of 75%. The construction of the New District is to integrate the mountains, water and city and fully embody the feature and charm of the ecological city.

　　The characteristic in Yiling District is “mountains in the city”, so the natural mountain landscape should be fully preserved and integrated while developing the new urban district. In the future, Yichang New District will be formed by this kind of 13 satellite cities on the banks of the Yangtze River.

　　The construction of Miaozui Yangtze River Bridge was started in November 2012, which initiated the construction of Dianjun New District. On March 21 of 2013, Huang Chuping in Wujiagang District announced that the first-approved 51 construction projects in building Yichang New District officially started, turning the blueprint planning of Yichang New District into practice.

　　The Aggregation of Industries Holds up the Pleasant City

　　The primary purpose of developing a city is to improve people\'s cultural and material life. The Yichang Municipal Party Committee and Municipal Government of Yichang put forward that the goal of constructing a megacity is not simply the expansion of the city. People’s livelihood should also be improved. The fruit of development should be better shared by all the people who have taken part in the co-construction of a pleasant Yichang.

　　Economic strength is the foundation to increase people’s Well-being Index and realize the dream to be a megacity. Where does our confidence come from?

　　He Tao, an employee of the New District Promotion Office in Yichang, said, “The development of Yichang’s industries relies on the maximization of industries’ cluster advantages.” By 2016, Yichang will be built as the largest hydropower energy base in the world, the largest phosphorous chemical production base in China, an important food and beverage production base, a biomedicine production base, an advanced equipment manufacturing base, an advanced material production base, and a world famous and first-class tourist destination in China. According to the plan to enhance the aggregation capacity of industries of Yichang, by 2016, the annual output value of six industries will exceed 100 billion yuan and the total output value of Yichang will break 500 billion yuan.

　　The data doubles, which signifies that the economic strength doubles.  The economic strength can ensure people\'s livelihood.

　　Yichang ranked second in Hubei Province with a total output value of 126.94 billion yuan and a growth rate of 11.3% in the first two quarters of this year. Meanwhile, Yichang is promoting "Five Livelihood Projects", which includes “to double the income of urban and rural residents, to encourage nation-wide entrepreneurship, to innovate social management, to promote afforestation and beautification of the city and to build Yichang to be a city with good food security.”

　　In 2012, Yichang achieved the goal of “the growth rate of income surpassing that of GDP”. The disposable income of urban and rural residents reached 18700 yuan, and the per-capita net income of rural residents reached 8043 yuan, an increase of 14 percent than that of the previous year.

　　Happiness is a kind of feeling. When people\'s feeling of happiness resonates with the dream of a building Yichang into a megacity, the dream of building a happy Yichang can be realized.