Polishing a Gem

by+Gong+Haiying

Shangluo City in Shaanxi Province lies at the southern foot of the Qinling Mountains， hailed as Chinas National Central Park which divides the country into northern and southern halves. It was comparatively underdeveloped economically due to its geographical location： stuck between the water source reserve for a project of diverting water from south to north and the Qinling Mountains Forest Vegetation Reserve. This is a major reason it remained one of the most poverty-stricken areas in the country， with about 1 percent of Chinas impoverished population. All seven of its counties， Shangzhou， Luonan， Danfeng， Shangnan， Shanyang， Zhenan， and Zhashui， are national major targets for poverty alleviation.

Despite its richly-endowed mineral resources， Shangluo was notorious for over 100 mine dumps， accounting for 1 percent of Chinas total. In 2009， the local government committed to centralizing all its power to develop a recycling economy by establishing an economic district for the recycling industry. The dream came true in 2013 when the city was included among the first group of pilot cities for Chinas recycling economy， becoming a pace car for practical recycling development.

With an aim for green， recycling， and low-carbon development， the municipal government of Shangluo has reshaped industrial patterns long supported by agriculture by elevating sophisticated materials， green food， and bio-pharmaceuticals to dominant trades， along with the fast-growing emerging industries such as new-energy automobiles， electronic information， and intelligent manufacturing.

Today， Shangluo has shaken off its status as one of the poorest areas in the province as well as the country： It takes pride in its position as one of the most rapidly-developed regions with a thriving economy. During the 12th Five-Year Plan period （2010-2015）， the city witnessed annual GDP growth of 12.9 percent， with an annual average growth point of 2.7 for five years in a row， higher than the province as a whole.

Urbanization is investible along the journey of modernization； and Shangluo took it as a breakthrough for progress， socially and economically. In 2013， the municipal government put forth a new idea of building Shangluo into a central city with “one body with two wings.” As designed， by 2020， the city will relocate 800，000 people – one third of the citys total population – to urban areas， which will expand from 26 to 120 square kilometers. Its total output value will be 100 billion yuan， and its fiscal revenue， 8.5 billion yuan， both accounting for over 65 percent of the citys total. The per capita disposable income of its urban citizens will reach 68，000 yuan， and the per capita net income of rural residents will exceed 20，000 yuan， both doubling todays figures.