July 18, 2013 is a historic day for the development of Yichang New District. Hubei Provincial Government officially approved of the "Overall Scheme of Yichang New District Construction", and of an area of 220 square kilometers as the planning land for Yichang New District, including 105 square kilometers of construction land (60 square kilometers in the North of the Yangtze River, and 45 square kilometers in the South of the Yangtze River), and about 115 square kilometers of the mountain, river areas and other non-building land, making Yichang New District construction a provincial strategy implemented in Yichang.
As the saying goes, "Reap as you sow". Since October 2013, under the leadership of the municipal government and the support of all districts, relevant departments and citizens, the Development Promotion Office of Yichang New District tries to fully understand the guideline and resolutions of the municipal government, adhere to the concepts of ecology, people\'s livehood and technology according to the requirement of "four first-classes", and stick to the ideas of "putting the project first, prioritizing the environment and then improving the construction speed". Having been working diligently and effectively and also innovative in reform, the construction of Yichang New District has been progressing well. Yichang New District construction is entering the high-speed period!
Yichang New District is an important platform for the construction of a modern megacity. To promote the project construction with fast pace and great security, it is essential to apply the most scientific mechanisms, to deploy the most outstanding team of professionals, and to unite the construction forces in the widest manner.
On April 7, 2013, a construction leading group was established in Yichang New District, with Huang Chuping, the standing committee of the Provincial Committee and Party Secretary, and Ma Xuming, the deputy secretary and the Mayor as the group leaders. The team and the Development Promotion Office have together formed the efficient decision-making and promoting mechanism. The key issues in the progress of the New District construction are coordinated and resolved directly by the top officials of the municipal government.
Over the past one year, Huang Chuping has organized seven leading group meetings, and been to the project sites to participate in the opening ceremonies for five times, visited and researched the New District projects for four times; Ma Xuming held 2 special meetings in the Development Promotion Office, participated in the field researches about 10 times, which shows that the top officials attaches great importance to the construction.
In addition to the efficient promotion mechanism, the construction also needs a good team, in order to get close to the first-class construction quality.
On February 13, 2014, at Taohualing Hotel in Yichang City, a project promotion conference attracted more than 20 entrepreneurs of the first-class building enterprises. They focused on Yichang, listening to the construction plan, observing the projects, visiting the spots, and intended to put the excellent management teams in Yichang to participate in the New District construction.
This is the "three major" new measurements launched by Yichang, namely the "major tenders, major businesses and major contracting". It is playing a positive and important role in speeding up the construction of infrastructures, public buildings, resettlement houses and garden scenery projects in Yichang New District.
A large number of enterprises under the control of the central government, such as CRSCC, CCTEB, Gezhou Dam Group and some other well-known enterprises have invested in Yichang and brought abundant capital, and first-class technology. The projects have been taking roots in the New District and striding forward.
Acquiring the land from households to ensure the project land is the first problem that the Yichang District Development Promotion Office was facing. After a deep research, the office introduced collective land demolitions, coordinating with Wujiagang District, Dianjun District, Xiling District and Yiling District with which agreements had been signed. Thus the enthusiasm of the district governments to take part in the construction of the New District was further improved.
It is these initiatives that promoted the construction of the New District to make constant progresses. According to Zhou Qing, the deputy director of the Development Promotion Office of Yichang New District, Yichang New District had 113 projects under construction in 2013, with a total investment of 80.5 billion RMB yuan, a planned investment of about 25.1 billion RMB yuan, and a completed investment of 20.3 billion RMB yuan. In 2014, the number of projects under construction in Yichang New District is 105, with a total investment of 71.3 billion RMB yuan, an annual planned investment of 28.244 billion RMB yuan, and so far, it has completed an annual investment of 7.344 billion RMB yuan, and a total investment of 22.442 billion RMB yuan.
During the course of about a year, Yichang New District has initiated different projects for six times, with a total investment of 69.32 billion yuan and a total number of 144 projects, completed the collective land appropriation and resettlement of 47,100.245 acres, signed the resettlement agreements with 3,879 households of state-owned land in total, and demolished illegally-built buildings of 270,000 square meters. Shicheng Investment Company, the main financing platform of the New District raised a capital of 14.6 billion RMB yuan. Thus, Yichang New District construction has stepped up to a new level.
Huang Chuping stressed that the New District should adhere to the "four priorities" —road network, public construction, resettlement and ecology to accelerate the construction of Yichang of strength and beauty.
Standing at the crossroad of the Jinlong Road and Heyi Road in the ecological new district in the East of Yichang and looking forward, the blocks of high-rise buildings are erecting among the green mountains. The residential area under construction is the resettlement project of Jiu’an town, being surrounded by trees and with the mountains at its back. Living here is enjoying the life.
This construction idea does not come by accident. Other projects, including large public buildings such as the planning museum and the Olympic Sports Center, are all embodying the idea of man-nature harmony in design. In particular, as the city\'s main road, it should be decorated by greenery, otherwise building a green city will become empty words.
Last year, Wulong Avenue was successfully completed in Dianjun District, which realized the determination of building an ecological road network in Yichang.
Due to the unique topography in Yichang, which is covered mostly by hills, the traditional construction method was abandoned for the sake of ecological consideration. The road was no longer straight, flat, but accorded to the shapes of the mountains, high and low, ups and downs. By this way, the construction cost was reduced and the ecological landscape was remained at best.
If the constructions of projects and road network have brought the ecological elements around people, then the construction of the city\'s major parks has fully manifested the concept of ecological harmony between man and nature.
The first phase of the Mojishan Mountain is about to open, the Dongshan Mountain Park is under construction, Praying for Rain Park which is going through transformation ... these ecological treasures, scattered in districts, have made Yichang a city in mountains and with mountains, blending the city and the natural world harmoniously.
Being suitable for living, business and traveling is the eternal pursuit of Yichang, and improving people\'s livelihood is the ultimate goal of constructing Yichang New District.
Mao Chuanqiang, Director of the Development Promotion Office emphasized that livelihood is the most urgent thing in the New District construction, and required to build a prosperous New District to enable the people to fully enjoy the achievements of reform and opening up as well as the fruit of the New District construction.
During the construction of the resettlement housing, Yichang New District firmly established the "five willing" concepts, namely be willing to use high-quality land, willing to use the land with good basic conditions, willing to use the land with good matching conditions, willing to use the land that won\'t be acquired for a second time, willing to use the usable land in the overall urban plan, in order to promote the resettlement housing construction speed, making people enjoy happiness as soon as possible."Health is of great importance for people. We must build first-class hospitals and solve the problems of high expenses and low quality of the hospitals." Mayor Ma Xuming said at the special meeting about the New District.
To this end, the Yichang New District chooses the land which has convenient transportation network, reasonable location and enough size to build a modern hospital after repeated researches. For the hospital, it will be equipped with the first-rate medical facilities and employees, in order to turn the Yichang New District a place that has the perfect medical system, abundant medical resources, and can bring happiness to the people as well.
Now Yichang has already had the ecological environment to be a tourist site and the livable social security to live in, but how should we do to make Yichang to be a suitable place for industrial development? The answer is to make the industry stronger for supporting the construction of a mega-city.
Yichang now is in the restructuring and development period, which has the urgent need to optimize the industrial structure and adjust the allocation of resources. As a result, it is essential to develop itself in the scientific and sustainable manner, and the modern service industry led by science and technology are undoubtedly great choices for the Yichang New District.
Yichang has made great progress in its industrial development in July. The Jiangnan eco-town started construction; nearly ten Fortune Globe 500 and China top 500 technology companies settled into Yichang Ecological Wisdom City; the new landmark of West Hubei Province and East Chongqing City—the Central Business District project as well as the old city reconstruction project with 8 billion investment – the reconstruction of shantytowns in Huancheng South Road was signed to be built. These new developments in modern services industry will bring new opportunities for the leapfrog developments of Yichang.
However, the signing of these projects is just the first step to strengthen the industry. In order to achieve a comprehensive industrial restructuring, the supporting services should be improved. To this end, the Yichang New District follows the trend and learns the experience of Shanghai Free Trade Zone actively for making itself a pilot zone of the reform of Yichang.
The government emphasizes institutional innovation, strengthens coordination and further clarifies the ideas, objectives and duties of the New District construction for optimizing the management system of development and construction; establishes a sound system of investment cooperation and actively accepts the industrial transfer of Shanghai Free Trade Zone and "Yangtze River Delta" for attracting investment; improves the government service system, simplifies the approval process and improves efficiency for using more efficient and quick government services to accelerate industrial development.
More and more technological and ecological industries gathered in the Yichang New District because of these effective measures, promoting the healthy and orderly development of the new city.
The building of the Yichang New District is a systematic project that has far-reaching significance, needing the combined intelligence and efforts of different parties. As a result, we should attract all the social forces to participate in the project so that everyone can make their contributions to the building of a mega-city.
For this reason, the Yichang New District adheres to build the new district with joint efforts of the municipal and district governments as well as all the people. With regard to financing, land requisition and demolishing, the district governments and the municipal-level financing platforms play the dominant roles and emphasize the introduction and management of the talents in the following departments such as planning, land, housing and investment and discusses the implementation of a variety of incentive systems to promote the project construction.
In order to enough people to support and participate in the construction process, a big discussion on the spirit of the Yichang New District has been in full swing. Builders from around the world have sent e-mails and letters to express their understanding about the unique spirit inherent in the Yichang New District and put forward varied suggestions. Currently, more than 400 manuscripts have been received.
It is understood that the Construction Promotion Office of the Yichang New District has carried out a number of similar activities since 2013, including "My Suggestion for the New District," "Spirits Collection of the New District", "Take a Picture for the New District" and "New District in My Eyes". Meanwhile, the district has published more than sixty articles in the various media of all levels and three special issues named "Yichang New District", organized special publicity on pages for six times, set up the official Weibo and WeChat platforms and helped to hold activities of visiting of all levels for 35 times.
There is no doubt that the building of the Yichang New District will help Yichang move forward to a bright future.(Correspondent: Xin Quxuan)
Big Events of Yichang New District
■ On December 28, 2012, the 3rd session of 5th Yichang Municipal Committee of CPC stressed that the Yichang New District is an important platform for Yichang to promote the construction of a modern mega-city. Early in 2013, the construction of the Yichang New District was written into the work report of the provincial government and officially became a provincial strategy.
■ On March 21, 2013, the Construction Promotion Office of the Yichang New District was formally established and began to fulfill its duties of co-ordination, planning, supervision and assessment under the leadership of the municipal government, the municipal Party committee and the leading group of the new district construction. Six project groundbreaking ceremonies were held with a total of 144 projects and 69.3265 billion yuan investment.
■On April 12, 2013, Li Hongzhong, Secretary of the Hubei Provincial Party Committee, Wang Guosheng, Governor of Hubei Province and other leaders listened to the progress report of the planning and construction of the Yichang New District, and highly appreciated and approved of the plan named “Yichang New District Conceptual Plan and Overall Design of Yichang”.
■ On April 23, 2013, Huang Chuping, Secretary of the Yichang Municipal Committee of CPC held the first plenary meeting of the leading group of the new district construction. Until now, seven working meetings have been held, resolving a number of problems that have hindered the development of the new district and promoting its fast and safe development.
■ On July 18, 2013, the provincial government officially approved of the overall construction plan of the Yichang New District. The planning area of the district is 220 square kilometers, including 105 square kilometers land for construction(60 square kilometers in Jiangbei, 45 square kilometers in Jiangnan), and 115 square kilometers non-construction land for keeping the mountains and river systems.
■On August 15, 2013, Wujiagang district government signed a lump-sum contract with the municipal investment company for urban construction on rural collective-owned land expropriation under the coordination of the Construction Promotion Office of the Yichang New District. Subsequently, Dianjun, Xiling, and Yiling district governments successively signed lump-sum contracts with the municipal investment company for urban construction. The lump-sum mode first introduced by the office plays a positive role in accelerating the expropriation on rural collective-owned land.
■On October 28 to 29, 2013, Wang Xiaodong, executive vice governor of Hubei Province inspected East Railway Station of Yichang New District. He required that the government should ensure both the quality and speed of the project construction, in order to make more contributions to the better development of the province. Huang Chuping, Secretary of the Yichang Municipal Committee of CPC participated in the survey and research.
■On February 13,2014, the Yichang New District held the promotion meeting, attracting nearly 20 central enterprises and well-known companies to attend and find business opportunities of the district.
■In July, 2014, Dianjun Eco-town, Eco-industry Wisdom New City, Binjiang Project of Central Business District and Shantytowns Reconstruction Project of Huancheng Southern Road were decided to be built in the Yichang New District, which will have a big influence on the restructuring and development, industrial structure optimization and development of modern services industry of Yichang.