By LIU HUANZHI & LI MENG

Southern Yingcheng New District by night.

YINGCHENG City in central Hubei Province covers an area of 1,100 square kilometers and has a population of 630,000. The discovery of Neolithic sites dating back 4,000 years in its Menbanwan and Silonghe districts are testimony to the city's long and glorious history.

Yingcheng is abundant in gypsum, rock salt and hot spring resources, all of which have added impetus to the local economy. Its high purity rock salt deposits near the earth's surface are easy to exploit, and there are total reserves of 28 billion tons. This makes Yingcheng a key salt chemical base in Hubei, and with a salt output that ranks first in the province. Yingcheng salt is sold to Guangxi, Guizhou, Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning, Henan, Anhui, Jiangxi, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan, and exported to Japan and Malaysia.

Yingcheng was one of the first places in China to discover and exploit gypsum -- a key mineral used for sculpting, building, agriculture, pharmaceuticals, and the chemical and food sectors. The city's proven gypsum reserves amount to 1.6 billion tons. The proportion of this earmarked for fiber plaster accounts for 82 percent of the national total, and ranks first in Asia. Yingcheng's plaster and plaster products are sold to 21 provinces and autonomous regions across China, and exported to Europe, the U.S., Japan, and Southeast Asia.

The chemical industry -- a boost to the Yingcheng economy.

Tangchi Town in the western part of Yingcheng teems with geothermal resources. Its hot springs maintain a temperature of 70 degrees Centigrade throughout the year. They contain over 20 minerals, including magnesium, calcium and potassium.

Yingcheng's abundant natural resources and convenient location have led to the establishment of more than 4,900 enterprises, engaged in salt chemiscals, plaster building materials, machinery, and the food processing business. The local economy is burgeoning. In 2001 its GDP was 6.8 billion yuan, and its industrial and agricultural output value was 12.3 billion yuan. Its revenue earnings amounted to 300 million yuan. The city's comprehensive economic strength and economic performance place it among the provincial top ten.

Yingcheng has the largest plaster production base, and salt and alkali plants in China. It is also home to the famous Golden Eagle brand motorcycle. Its salt chemical products, grain and oil products, and motorcycles are sold to 25 provinces across China, and its lime-preserved eggs and plaster artworks are exported to Europe, the U.S., Japan and southeast Asia. Yingcheng's Huangtan brand soy sauce is designated for use in the Great Hall of People, and its Guihua refined salt and Yulan gypsum powder have won provincial and ministerial prizes.

In order to keep step with the world economy, Yingcheng has opened wider. Domestic and overseas transnational enterprises alike have set up businesses in the city.

In tandem with developing an economy that has local characteristics, Yingcheng has gone all out to consolidate and advance other institutions in its community, such as basic education, sports, science and technology, and communications. During an inspection tour in 1992 President Jiang Zeming praised Yingcheng as being "well constructed and efficiently managed."

A thriving multi-polar economy.

Yingcheng is just 80 kilometers from Wuhan, via the No.107 National Highway and the Wuhan-Yichang Road. It is on the route along which gas and electricity will be conveyed from western to eastern China. The city's developed land and water transportation, such as the Wuhan-Danjiangkou Railway, the Wuhan-Shiyan Expressway, the Hanshui and Dafushui rivers, links it to all regions of China, and the adjacent Tianhe International Airport gives it international access.

Yingcheng has none of the dust and hubbub associated with most mining cities, but instead the ambient esthetic serenity associated with south China. To the east of Yingcheng is the Shaoxiangtai Forest Park, the Duangang Reservoir is to its north, the Tangchi Hot Springs are to its west, and the Wenfeng Pagoda is to its south. The city has 42 percent green coverage, and the per capita green area is 17.3 square meters. Various species of tree have been planted across the city, making it green throughout the year. Traffic along the city's broad, tree-lined streets is busy but orderly, and residential blocks, dotted with small squares, are fully equipped.

Yingcheng, with all its natural and historical gifts, is making ever-greater achievements in the new era.