Yiyang City -- Modern and Developing

By YI FAN

A night view of Yiyang.

LION-shaped Yiyang City is to the south of Dongting Lake in north-central Hunan Province. The Zijiang River runs through the city from west to east, dividing it into two, and emptying into Dongting Lake. The Zishui Highway Bridge links the areas north and south of the river. In ancient times the Zijiang River was called Yishui. As at that time any place situated on the northern bank of a river was referred to as yang, and Yiyang was on the northern bank of what was then the Yishui River, hence its name.

From a Small Town to a Modern City

Yiyang's history can be traced back 2,000 years to the Qin Dynasty (221-207 B.C.). Situated at the junction of Xuefeng Mountain and the Dongting Lake Plain, Yiyang is at the juncture of Zijiang River, Dongting Lake and the Yangtze River. Its well-developed water transport once earned it a reputation equal to that of Xiangtan City, earning it the epithet "silver city." As industry developed, water transport was gradually superseded by land communications, and Yiyang's age of prosperity ended.

The first enterprise to enter Yiyang High-tech Park -- Sinosoft South Information Co., Ltd.

During the 1970-1980s, when China operated under a predominantly planned economy, Yiyang was no different from any other city. When the market economy came into force, however, the weaknesses in Yiyang's local economy became obvious, especially when compared to the provincial capital Changsha. Right through to the 1990s, Yiyang people were obliged to go to Changsha to purchase their daily necessities. Frequent floods in the 1990s exacerbated Yiyang's economic situation, as its inhabitants were preoccupied with flood fighting, while other areas began to introduce external investment.

The people of Yiyang resolved their problem of a weak heavy industrial base by industrializing their rich agricultural resources. Large numbers of leading enterprises emerged, paving the way for Yiyang's development.

By the year 2000, 40 square kilometers of urban area had been developed in Yiyang, housing a population of 380,000. Its GDP amounted to 4.7 billion yuan, with an annual growth of 10 percent. The adoption of reform and opening up enabled traditional industries to realize sustained development and new industries to spring up as ecological construction steadily developed. Yiyang's extending railways and expressways, towering skyscrapers, and beautiful parks testify to its rapid development.

After Premier Zhu Rongji's inspection tour of the Dongting Lake area in 2002, he set a goal whereby the lake would regain its former 4,350-sq-km area of water and have several large cities built around it. From a small town, Yiyang may thus gain city status. In order to make full use of this opportunity, the city government has taken positive action to accelerate the urbanization process, and plans to spend one million yuan on city construction.

In the near future, Yiyang will expand to 120 square kilometers -- 2.5 times its current area, and house a population of over one million. Its urbanization level will reach 48 percent, higher than the national average, and it will become a modern environmentally friendly city.

Emerging High-tech Enterprises

Taohuajiang River Hongshan Bamboo Sea.

At the outset of the 21st century -- predicted to be a high-tech era - the provincial government foresaw the potential for high-tech industry. After carrying out detailed surveys, it allocated one square kilometer south of Chaoyang Road on which to build Yiyang High-tech Park. Formerly the site of a village, this area retains its natural beauty, and is an ideal living environment for high-tech talents.

Yiyang continued to invest in infrastructure construction, even during the years when the most severe flooding took place. This is evident in the building of Huilongshan Road, beautification of Taohualun Road, and widening of Kangfu Road. The Changsha-Yiyang Expressway and Shimen-Changsha Railway were also linked up. In addition, a golf course and a high-level sports center were built, Chaoyang International Experimental School opened, and a five-star hotel project was started.

In order to create an ideal environment for high-tech enterprises, Yiyang municipal Party committee and municipal government have formulated ten conditions for the establishment of high-tech parks, eight of which take the form of preferential policies. In addition, a special development and construction leading group, headed by the Party committee secretary and the mayor, has been set up, along with special management organizations. Major municipal leaders and leading cadres in the development zone have contributed to the planning, public relations, and management of these enterprises.

Taking a rest in a farming household.

Li Jiang, secretary of Yiyang Party committee, went to Beijing several times in an effort to convince Dr. Liu Jun to establish his Sinosoft South Information Co., Ltd., in Yiyang. When Dr. Liu came to see Yiyang for himself, he immediately wanted to make it the site for his company. Similarly, after Yiyang mayor Cai Lifeng's tenth visit to Changsha, academician Xia Jiahui finally acceded to his recommendation. The development zone takes care of its enterprises' every need, and provides first-class service.

Years of hard work have thus been duly rewarded. Currently, three pillar high-tech industries have been formed in the Yiyang High-tech Park, including software development, bio-gene engineering research and development, and new-energy material research and development. Most of the park's 12 enterprises are prominent in the high-tech field, some associated with the State Project 863, and others with the Torch Program. The park is home to a large number of high-tech enterprises such as American Silicon Valley TSP, Tsinghua Unisplendour Group, and Top. In 2001 its output value was one billion yuan, producing revenue of 47 million yuan.

A Green Thoroughfare

Water conservancy project over the Zijiang River.

On being interviewed, Li Jiang, secretary of Yiyang Party committee, said, "In the 21st century, competition between cities and areas is on an environmental level." A good environment attracts key production elements, which in turn bring economic development.

Yiyang attached great importance to the resolution of a series of problems arising from backward infrastructure in its downtown areas. It also accelerated the building of development zones, small cities and towns. A number of key projects such as Longzhou South Road, Yingbin West Road, and a sports center are currently under construction. Within a few years, Yiyang will take on a new look.

Communications and transport have undergone considerable progress, and a modern three-dimensional communications frame has been established wherein land and water transport radiate in all directions. The Changsha-Shimen and Luoyang-Zhanjiang railways run through the city from south to north, and it is only a 35-minute drive to Changsha along the Changsha-Yiyang Expressway. With four trunk highways as its framework, two vertical and two horizontal, a highway network has been established, linking up all parts of the city.

The increased input into telecommunication projects and acceleration of postal service reforms has gradually strengthened telecommunication capabilities. An optical fiber transmission network covers cities above county-level, and 80 percent of rural areas. China's first three-functional business network, integrating image, information, and language, has been established here, and online education, medical services and E-commerce are also steadily developing.

In the past several years, Yiyang has adhered to the principle of realistically complying with the demands of the market economy, and gone all out to optimize its soft environment. A first-class growth environment has now been created for investors and entrepreneurs, which has boosted development of Yiyang's economy.

In order to take full advantage of Yiyang's geographic location, the Yiyang municipal Party committee and municipal government have made great efforts to provide a convenient, green thoroughfare based on transparent, stable policies, and standardized, efficient operations.

Six Laurels

Yiyang high-tech development zone.

Yiyang has a long history and rich resources. There are currently 20 major mineral resources, 562,700 hectares of forestland, 245,400 hectares of cultivated land, 139,900 hectares of water areas, and 82,000 hectares of grassland in Yiyang. Suitable for the cultivation of numerous types of crops, it is a key national production base for commodity grain, cotton, aquatic products, agricultural products and by-products. This has won Yiyang the following laurels.

A Cultural Town

Yiyang is famous for its beautiful mountains and lakes and numerous notable personages. The later include Qu Yuan, a great poet of the Warring States Period (475-221 B.C.), official Tao Peng, celebrated modern writer Zhou Libo, overseas Chinese leader Zhang Guoji, and badminton star Gong Zhichao.

Yiyang welcomes its visitors with rich folklore: flower-drum opera, the land-boat -- a folk dance performed by a girl gliding about in a cloth boat and a man making rowing motions with an oar, singing a racy ditty as they dance -- and dragon and lion dances.

Home of Bamboo Art

Yiyang's 200 million bamboo plants cover an area of 1.4 million mu (1 mu = 1/15 hectare), bringing an annual output value of one billion yuan. Its history of bamboo can be traced back 600 years to the Zhizheng period during the reign of Emperor Shundi of the Yuan Dynasty. The 1999 China Bamboo Culture Festival made Yiyang bamboo products famous throughout the world.

Yiyang bamboo handicrafts are in popular demand for their choice materials and excellent workmanship. Bamboo summer sleeping mats are woven from dark green strips of bamboo, which several years later turn orange or reddish brown. During the heat of high summer, these mats are the best choice for a comfortable sleep. Today, what was formerly a tribute to emperors can be found in ordinary households. Bamboo mats are also sold to over 20 countries and regions.

Home of Nonferrous Metals

There are 140 mineral deposits in Yiyang, and of its 20 main mineral resources, reserves of stibium, wolfram, vanadium and bone coal are top in the province. Apart from rich manganese, stibium, wolfram, bone coal, pyrite and limestone resources, Yiyang abounds in staple building materials. Its stibium reserve constitutes 23 percent of the national total.

Home of Ramie and Reed

Changsha-Yiyang Expressway.

Ramie, a fibrous plant widely used since ancient times, is noted for its long, pliable and tough fiber, that has a high moisture absorbency and capacity for heat dissipation. Yiyang's 500,000-mu (1 mu = 1/15 hectare) ramie output is 50,000 tons -- one third of the national total, and one fifth of the world's total.

Yiyang's 430,000 mu of reeds have an annual 300,000-tons output -- 50 percent of the national total.

Land of Fish and Rice

Yiyang's 2.15 million-mu water area is home to 114 fish species, including 30 commercial types of fish, and rare species such as whitebait, eel, and Chinese sturgeon.

The manys rivers and lakes in Nanxian County, Yuanjiang City, and eastern Heshan District in northeast Yiyang are habitat of the snakehead and mandarin fish, crucian carp, soft-shelled turtle, tortoise, river crab and freshwater shrimp. Datong Lake, covering an area of 124,000 mu, is Hunan's biggest aquatic product-breeding inland lake.

In its development from a small town to a modern city, Yiyang has witnessed enormous changes, and is about to embark on a new chapter of development.