Bold Ideas for New Businesses

You can find Liu Yahuai’s hopes and ambitions reflected throughout the region. Near Liu’s village is Bailu Town, with a population of over 10,000. Most of its residents are farmers and miners who formerly worked in the nearby mines. After the earthquake, the town decided to adjust its economic development model by kick-starting its tourism. Its people opted for a unique and bold approach: they see the reconstruction project as an opportunity to reshape their town as tourist resort in French style in memory of a French missionary who lived there in the late 19th century.

The newly built town is quiet, intimate and romantic, with outdoor cafes along the riverbank. Local officials predict that a thriving tourism industry would double the GDP of Bailu. It is no accident that the areas that had relied on traditional agriculture and industries are being re-oriented, steering their economic growth model towards tourism, culture, education and other “green” industries. They take this reconstruction opportunity to build a new sustainable and environmentally-friendly development pattern.

Shuimo Town, just a few kilometers from the quake epicenter, is a case in point. The 20,000-plus population of this small town is a diverse mix of Tibetan, Qiang, Hui, Yi and Han ethnic groups. After the earthquake, locals rebuilt the old town area according to traditional architectural style and relocated most industries outside. Moreover, construction of a university campus that will accommodate 10,000 students is expected to reach completion by September this year.

Rong Jingjing, a 23-year-old tour guide in Shuimo, still has scars on her body from her earthquake injuries. She told China Today: “Shuimo Town now gets about 4,000 tourists a day; and the figure can climb to 10,000 on weekends.” Rong originally lived in a nearby town, but moved to Shuimo when she took the tour guide job, and she enjoys introducing the legacy and the charms of the town to visitors. She’s clearly pleased with her current life: “In the past the street was messy, and water and air polluted, but the situation is definitely better now. On top of that, I earn more and my family has moved to a better house. Why on earth would I want to leave?” The local government plans to triple or even quadruple local incomes and has set tourism, culture and education as the pillars supporting the growth of local GDP.

Moving Forward

As you travel the winding road from Shuimo Town to Yingxiu Town, the earthquake epicenter, the devastation inflicted by that awful event is still evident on all sides. But when you reach Yingxiu, prepare to marvel at the transformation: a thriving new town has risen next to the site of the old one that was completely wiped out by the tremor. Traditional architectural decorations remain a feature of the new houses, which fit in perfectly with the surrounding natural environment. Now Yingxiu houses about 6,000 residents and the reconstruction project has cost nearly RMB 1.4 billion. Standing adjacent in bleak contrast are ruins of the old town, preserved as a memorial to the dead and also a reminder of the indomitable spirit and unbending will of the survivors. Thanks to this spirit, the support of fellow-Chinese, efforts by local officials and people alike as well as help from the international community, Yingxiu is overcoming one challenge after another and is moving forward.

In the earthquake-stricken areas, there are countless reborn towns and counties like Yingxiu. Beichuan, among the worst-hit, has been transformed into a brand new county of about 70,000 residents. The Beichuan reconstruction plan is a thoroughly thought-through design: the new buildings still feature typical local architectural style; there is an industrial park, and a new middle school catering for more than 5,000 students has been built. A balance has been struck through a combination of sustainable economic development and respect for tradition and environment. Now the average GDP growth of the 39 earthquake-hit counties is one percent higher than that of the province as a whole. Moreover, the efforts made in environment protection make people in those areas very optimistic about their future. During the past three years Wenchuan has built itself a substantial foundation for a sustainable recovery. Pressing ahead in the coming years, it has to bear in mind that no opportunity should be missed, there should be no relaxing of effort, and that a better future is possible. For that there is no better guarantee than the perseverance and resilience of the Sichuan people. The future is in their hands.