Sharing the Load

by+Yao+Dongqin

Excavators fill the parking lots along the “canal core zone” –the most important new area in Tongzhou District， Beijing， where construction sites have lined up one after another. Eye-catching ads predicting the “New Center of Beijing，” “Next Oriental Manhattan，” and “Urban Sub-Center” provide a glimpse into hopes for the future of this tract of land. Tongzhou， historically a vital communication hub in eastern Beijing as well as an important center for water transportation and storage， has now attracted growing attention because the Beijing municipal government announced that its administrative bodies will be moved there.

“Sub-Center” Dreams

Tongzhou has become talk of the town. People are discussing the future shape of Beijing， its industrial transformation， and its population distribution. According to the 2004 General Plan of Urban Beijing， Tongzhou will become a major new district closest to downtown Beijing. In 2012， urban managers introduced the strategy of focusing on Tongzhou and constructing a fully-functional sub-center.” Today， Tongzhou remains the sole officially-designated sub-center of Beijing.

The year 2014 witnessed the coordinated development of Beijing， Tianjin， and Hebei as a cluster elevated to a major national strategy. As Beijings only administrative district connecting Tianjin and Hebei， Tongzhou shoulders heavy responsibility as“bridgehead” for such development.

This summer， as Tongzhou became Beijings subsidiary administrative center， the millennium-old city once again allowed more space for imagination. As the official website of Tongzhou government declares，“The sub-center bears the weight of the future of Beijing.”

Lucheng Town in Tongzhou across the Chaobai River from Yanjiao Town in Sanhe City， Hebei Province， marks the end of the eastern extension of Changan Avenue in Beijing. It is the future site of Beijings municipal government office building. Today， 17 involved villages will be relocated， the first group of which include six such as Haojiafu and Xinantun.

Workers are tearing down buildings on the vast expanse of level land north of Haojiafu， a stop on Subway Line 6. “This spot has remained vacant for about 10 years，”remarked an informed source. “They have been planning to move the governmental offices here.”

The end of 2014 brought the opening of the second phase of Subway Line 6， which extends to Lucheng， the last stop in Tongzhou. The subway servicing Lucheng is considered a crucial piece of the mission and a cornerstone for relocation. “Weve been told that the municipal government would be moved to Tongzhou， but relocating to downtown Tongzhou seems impossible because its already so crowded，”continues the source. “The only possibility is Lucheng in the suburbs.”Sleepy Township to Commercial Hub

Xiao Qian from Hebei has lived in Tongzhou for over 10 years. When he first arrived， it wasnt much more than a quiet township. “I only slept here for a few hours and then went to downtown Beijing，” he remarks. “Tongzhou hardly felt alive and I saw no consumption. I felt it starting to stir on my way back and forth to work， but its pace has been more rapid in recent years. Last year， for instance， a Wanda Plaza opened. Construction of a theme park has begun.”

As planned， the core zone along the canal will feature top-class commercial blocks serving administration， business， commerce and trade， and cultural creativity needs， attracting domestic and international commercial giants.

As shown in an April 2014 research report by RET， a leading Chinese commercial real estate firm， Beijings commercial property investment numbers in 2014 would double the figure of 2013， most of which would target the districts of Tongzhou and Fengtai. The areas to be developed in Tongzhou measure 520，000 square meters， accounting for one third of the total investment in Beijing.

Tongzhous new role as a sub-center ignited a fire storm in the housing market there. According to reports， by June 24， 2015， a total of 1，165 units in commercial residential buildings were purchased that month， breaking all records from the previous two years. Today， 7，616 units are on the market， the lowest number in the last six years.

Strengthening Public Services

When some are eager to move in， others want to move elsewhere： Public services such as education and medical services have shown room for improvement.

Mr. Wang， who works in downtown Beijing， bought a Tongzhou house adjacent to Subway Line 6. His hometown of Tangshan City， Hebei， is only a two-hour drive away. Nevertheless， he has plans to buy another house in Chaoyang District in downtown Beijing because in Tongzhou he could hardly find a satisfactory school for his kindergartener.

According to Beijing Public Service Development Report 2014-2015 issued on June 23， 2015， by the Beijing branch of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences， Tongzhou ranks last in public services ratings of all districts of Beijing. Infrastructural enhancement of public services has become the focus of the governance of Tongzhou over the past few years.

“Famous schools such as Shijia Hutong Primary School， Beijing Elementary School， No.2 Experimental Primary School， Yucai School， Fuxue Primary School， and Beijing No.5 Middle School will establish branches in Tongzhou，” illustrates Yue Peng， district mayor of Tongzhou. “At the same time， we are working hard to create our own quality schools such as Luhe Middle School and Yunhe （Canal） Primary School as well as more high-end elementary and middle schools.”

Many famous institutions of higher learning stationed in downtown Beijing have opened subsidiaries in Tongzhou. Renmin University of China， for example， chose Lucheng Town for its eastern campus， which will be completed in January 2017. Construction of the new campus of Beijing Film Academy in Songzhuang Town will be finished by November 2017. Moreover， construction of the Tongzhou campus of Beijing No.5 Middle School will commence in October 2015 and be completed by May 2017.

Also on Tongzhous agenda for major construction in 2015 are other projects such as the Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine， a maternal and child care center， a service center for public health， and a nursing home for senior citizens.

Not only is Tongzhou now set on improving its public services， but along with Tianjin and Hebei， it has long been innovating methods to mobilize its market power to the synergistic development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region.

Zhang Zhanbin， director of the Economic Department of the National School of Administration， believes that fundamental public services represent a basic element needed to accelerate the redistribution of resources amongst the three places. “From my perspective， the top priority should be given to following market rules and shrinking gaps in public services，” he explains，“which might alleviate pressure on Beijing and promote coordinated development in the region.”

Transportation remains a bottleneck for such development. Solving transportation problems is one of the first major tasks to be accomplished. Considering the endgoal of economic integration of Beijing， Tianjin and Hebei， Tongzhous transportation infrastructure is crucial – not only to link to downtown Beijing but also Tianjin and Hebei.

As planned， a new Beijing East Railway Station will be built in Tongzhou and provide an intercity railway linking Beijing and Tangshan， Hebei， which is predicted to become an artery of the comprehensive transportation system according to the blueprint for the integration of Beijing， Tianjin and Hebei， which seeks to connect Beijing to the major cities of Hebei Province.

Tongzhou， at the crossroads between Beijing， Tianjin， and Hebei， shoulders the responsibility of serving as a test ground for massive integration.