Economical and Efficient

by Deng Yaqing

Economical and Efficient

by Deng Yaqing

In an effort to pursue quality growth, some regions are developing in a more ecological fashion

OPENING DAY: Visitors enter the Xixian New Area exhibition hall at the 17th Investment and Trade Forum for Cooperation Between East and West China in Xi’an, Shaanxi Province, on April 6

On the square of Qujiang International Conference and Exhibition Center, folk art performers create a festive atmosphere. Among the streams of spectators were visitors from Southeast Asia, as well as from Africa, South Korea, Japan and Pakistan.

They came to Xi’an, Shaanxi Province, to attend the 17th Investment and Trade Forum for Cooperation Between East and West China (ITFCEW), which ran from April 5 to 9. With more than 3,000 booths, the event managed to attract over 100,000 business people including 4,000 foreign investors from 60 countries and regions.

At the opening ceremony, Lou Qinjian, Governor of Shaanxi Province, expounded on the forum’s theme of ecological cooperation, emphasizing the integrated development of humans, society and nature and illustrated by the development of a new zone: the Xixian New Area.

Xixian New Area

Located between Xi’an, the provincial capital, and Xianyang, the Xixian New Area covers a total planning area of 882 square km. It is strategically positioned to develop hi-tech, advanced equipment manufacturing related to the airport industry, ecological tourism and high-end modern service industries. Each of Xixian’s five sub-districts is distinguished by their development focus.

With Xi’an Xianyang International Airport to the south, the Airport New City is striving to become an important state-level international air transportation hub, a demonstration area for the airport industry in the western region, and a gateway for Xi’an.

“To build a 4G international airport city, the focus should be on promoting an economy around the airport industry. That’s to say, with aviation-related industries as the core, residents can have all their needs met in the city,” said Wang Xuedong, Director of Airport New City Development and Construction Administration Committee.

To this end, the southern part of the Airport New City will be dedicated to developing civil aviation technology and resident-oriented projects. With the two large ecological corridors of the Jinghe River and Beiqinggou Reservoir, the new city will be developed with “maintaining ecological harmony between humans and nature,” which is characterized by leisure tourism and modern agriculture, in mind.

To develop the economy in an ecologically balanced way, creating a hi-tech industry is another indispensable element.

Focusing on the development of information technology, the Internet, new materials and biomedicine, Fengxi New City—in the Xixian New Area—is designated as a sub-center for comprehensive services for the Xi’an area and a strategic base for new-rising industries.

“Information technology ranks second among the seven strategic emerging industries recommended by the State Council. It includes cloud computing, mobile Internet and big data,”said Liu Yubin, Deputy Director of Fengxi New City Administration Committee.

To fully tap the potential of big data, Fengxi New City has allocated 5 square km to set up the first domestic big data processing and services park, which includes three parts—an accumulation area for basic data, a research and development area for data application and a data stacking expansion area.

Fengxi New City will serve five functional purposes, including as an information services industrial area, an information research and development headquarters, an information technological industrial area, a high-end enterprise cluster area and a supporting area for families and communities.

The new city would be constructed with ecological boundaries to prevent urban sprawl, said Wang Jun, Executive Deputy Director of the Shaanxi Xixian New Area Development and Construction Administration. When maintaining economic growth in an innovative and efficient way, the new city would promote urban and rural integration, attaching importance to ecoenvironmental protection.

An ecological economy

With the Qin Mountains running east to west, cities in south Shaanxi have a subtropicalclimate and picturesque landscape. A high dependence on natural resources and a shortage of talent and funds result in slower economic growth in the region compared to the northern half of the province.

MODERN AGRICULTURE: Ginseng fruits grow in a greenhouse in the Yangling Agricultural Hi-tech Industry Demonstration Zone

Roughly 70 percent of counties in south Shaanxi are national-level poverty-stricken counties. To realize sustainable economic growth while preserving its natural environment, some counties are also committed to developing an ecological economy.

In Hanyin County, Ankang City, the Shaanxi Qinyuan Modern Agricultural Park sets up a good example of ecologically balanced economic development for other impoverished regions. The park is characterized by seleniumrich edible fungus production, like pleurotus eryngii, agaricus bisporus, coprinus comatus and straw mushroom.

The waste material in nurturing pleurotus eryngii—a type of edible mushroom—would be distributed to local farmers to produce other edible funguses like straw mushroom to save resources and cut costs. During the harvest season, Shaanxi Qinyuan Edible Fungi Science and Technology Co. Ltd. would purchase these edible funguses back.

With an overall planning area of 2,160mu(144 hectares), the park sticks to a cooperative development model of “leading enterprises, bases and farmers” to extend the industrial chain, like planting bases and instant food production.

“Every year, the park produces 2,000 packages of selenium-rich edible fungus, 22,000 tons of fresh edible fungi and 5,000 tons of selenium-rich organic food,” said Wu Weisheng, Manager of Shaanxi Qinyuan Edible Fungi Science and Technology Co. Ltd. “A total of 1,200 jobs have been created.”

Yangxian, a county on the eastern edge of Hanzhong Basin, is known as “the hometown of the Nipponia Nippon,” a bird species. To develop the ecological economy and protect endangered birds from extinction, the local government has mobilized 70 million yuan ($11.11 million) to build the Yangxian Modern Agricultural Park.

In addition to producing organic fruits and vegetables, the park offers sightseeing, recreational activities and tourist agriculture. With an annual output of 125 million yuan ($19.84 million) and 20,000mu(1,333 hectares) of organic farming, a total of 300 farmers have entered the workforce.

“As early as three years ago, we completely quit using chemical fertilizer in grain production,” said Zhou Yagang, President of Shaanxi Shuangya Oils and Grains Industry and Trade Co. Ltd., which also has a base in the modern agricultural park.

“For one thing, the Nipponia Nippon can only survive in a pollution-free natural environment; for another, organic products can yield more profit,” said Zhou.

dengyaqing@bjreview.com