A New Model of Urbanization
New Countryside
Xixian consists of five sections, known as “new cities” to locals, each with its own industrial, residential and modern agricultural areas. In the latter, Xixian is channeling capital from urban areas into transforming its countryside into modern farms.
Wang said that, different from small-scale, household-based agricultural operations and commercial agriculture characterized by large-scale production of crops for sale, the modern agricultural model being developed is a complex industry involving all three of the primary, secondary and tertiary sectors of the economy. Complex farms will not only be able to provide urban residents with grain, vegetables and groceries, but also serve as areas of ecological functions and tourism resorts.
Two wine estates are being built in Xixian that double as tourist destinations. Both have their own vineyards and wineries that operate wine tasting trips. These projects are new trials in making agriculture a modern business. A farm resort showcasing intelligent eco-technologies and a floricultural facility with state-of-art technologies are also under construction.
A Comfortable Lifestyle
The star of Xixian is its “Three-Dimensional City,” an urban development project funded by Vantone Holdings Co., Ltd.
According to Feng Lun, founder and chairman of Vantone, the motto for this project is “a micro city, a good life.” He said the development of this new city is guided by four concepts. First is intensive land use to avoid urban sprawl, with rooftops, for example, serving not only as protection against the elements but also as school playgrounds and parking lots. Secondly, priority for industries with plentiful job opportunities and sustainable development prospects, such as the medical care industry – a medical facility with 2,000 beds will need to hire five times that amount of workers. Then there are environmental aspects of the city, with infrastructure planning and energy-conserving buildings that minimize carbon emissions. Last but not least is the emphasis on residents’ quality of life, including higher personal incomes and improved social order.
Wang said in this planned “3-D city,” many people will live within walking distance of their workplaces and many others will cycle to work. The city design also includes a rail system to encourage more people to use public transportation.
This project is turning from blueprint to reality in Xixian, and in the future, the 20 “vassal cities” around Xi’an will form a circle of living and working centers that residents can reach by public transportation within one hour, significantly reducing the use of private cars.
Pollution Free
With the development of Chinese economy and economic restructuring, companies originally located in China’s eastern costal areas are now heading inland. Xi’an enjoys a competitive edge over other cities in western China with its strong sci & tech and education sectors. It, however, has turned down the relocation requests of energy-intensive and high-pollution industries, preferring to attract companies in the most promising new industries. It is out of this desire that Xixian is building a data industrial park in Fengxi New City.
Liu Yubin, head of Fengxi’s administrative committee, said the park will include data storage, a call center, an Internet data center, a disaster recovery center and a data exchange and sharing platform. The park intends to explore new commercial models and build itself into a national-level data processing center and a national government resources background processing and backup center.
China’s three largest telecom service providers, China Mobile, China Telecom and China Unicom, as well as Shaanxi Broadcast & TV Network and the National Population Data Processing and Backup Center, have committed to open branches in Fengxi New City.
Protecting Environment and Cultural Heritage
Xixian boasts a wealth of cultural heritage from the Western Zhou Dynasty (1046-771 B.C.), Qin Dynasty (221-207 B.C.) and Western Han Dynasty (202 B.C.-9 A.D.), including sites of the ancient Xianyang and Chang’an cities, many of which are located in Qinhan New City.
From the very beginning of Xixian’s planning the Shaanxi provincial government asked the district’s administrative committee to protect cultural heritage under its jurisdiction. Wang Jun said that the legacy of China’s ancient civilization should exist in harmony with modern development as the area explores a new path of urbanization.
To this end, Xixian has pooled a huge amount of money into river management and afforestation projects in Wulingyuan, which is home to many Western Han royal mausoleums. Nearly 70 hectares of pine trees have been planted next to the mausoleum of Emperor Liu Bang, founder of the Western Han Dynasty.
Di Tao, deputy director of the Urban Planning Bureau of Qinhan New City, told China Today about a comprehensive restoration program along the Weihe River, which, covering nearly 270 hectares, has made this section of the Weihe among the most scenic parts of the 818-km river. Qinhan, said Di, intends to protect its historical sites as well as to develop history-themed tourism, finance, trade and modern agriculture as its pillar industries.
