Chongqingexpat News in Chongqing, China

2008-06-17 17:21

Travel in Chonqing safe and pleasant

　　(CQNEWS) Yesterday, Chongqing Municipal Government convened a meeting on reviving the tourism market of Chongqing.

　　Although the infrastructures in the scenic areas haven�t been impacted by the Wenchuan earthquake so much as travelers think it is, people still believe it is dangerous to travel in Chongqing. As a result, both travelers and tourism income decreased greatly compared to the same period of last year.

　　In order to boost the market, both foreign and domestic markets are to be explored with great efforts. The newly developed and recovered international airlines will be of help.

　　Within the year, 20 five-star yachts, 30 five-star hotels and 40 excellent scenery spots will be developed, and enlargement on business attracting and enhancement on traveling service will also be carried on.

(Source: english.cqnews.net)

2008-06-17 17:20

1.6 bln yuan for 8 cultural facilities in 5 years

　　(CQNEWS) The new public cultural facility construction plan has started, and 8 major cultural facilities, costing 1.6 billion yuan, will have met the public by 2012, according to the information released by Chongqing administrations of culture, radio, film and television yesterday.

　　The 8 cultural projects are: Chongqing Museum of Natural History, Chongqing Women Garden (a women culture center), Chongqing Mass Art Museum (relocation), Chongqing Youth League Cadre Training Center & Activity Ground, Chongqing Special Education, Culture & Sports Center for the Disabled, Chongqing Olympic Center Stadium, Three Gorges Migrant Memorial (in Wanzhou District) and Chongqing International Circus City.

(Source: english.cqnews.net)

　　(CQNEWS) Officials with Chongqing Development and Reform Commission, Chongqing Foreign Trade and Economic Relations Commission and North New Zone introduced Chongqing to Germany enterprises yesterday.

　　Chongqing has established economy and trade relations with more than 180 countries and regions, attracting 38 enterprises of the World Top 500 to invest and operate business in Chongqing. The total sum of import and export of foreign trade reached 7.44 billion $ in 2007. It is assumed that the industrial sales value will reach 900 billion yuan and the economic radiation hinterland will cover more that 300 million people by 2010. More preferential policies will be put forward to attract investment.

　　Officials from Germany said that Germany had made sound cooperation with Chongqing and will make more investment and cooperation in Chongqing.

Aiming to achieve balanced development of the urban and rural areas and accelerated urbanization，authorities in Chongqing，a municipality with the largest area in China，have recently put forward the �one circle� and �two wings� strategy.

According to the strategy，23 districts and counties of this 82,400-sq km municipality will form a one-hour economic circle with Chongqing central city as its center，while the southeastern and northeastern regions，which are comparatively far away from the central city，will form the two wings.

The Chongqing municipal government and the municipal committee of the Communist Party of China jointly held three special meeting in April，June and August to map out a development plan and concrete targets for this strategy。

According to the plan，the one-hour economic circle，which covers an area of about 28,700 sq km，is expected to become an important economic powerhouse in China�s western region and the upper reaches of the Yangtze River。

The plan envisages that an all-around well-off society，or xiaokang society，will be realized in the area by 2015，five years ahead of the previous schedule。

The area�s gross domestic product(GDP)in 2020 will triple the figures of 2005，with per capita GDP reaching 77,300 yuan，while the area�s major economic indices will reach the standards of the eastern regions of the country。

Urbanization will be accelerates in the process，with urban population accounting for 80 percent of the 22 million people in the one-circle area.

The northeastern region，as one of the two wings，is to be built into an ecological shield along the upper reaches of the Yangtze River，with its economy focusing on forestry，agriculture，tourism and industries with local characteristics。

By 2020， the region�s total GDP will reach 300 billion yuan，will per capita GDP hitting 43,000 yuan ，while the major economic and social development indices in the region will catch up with the national average。

As about 2.3 million residents are to be relocated to the one-circle area。the total population of the northeastern region will come down to 7 million.

The southeastern region，located in the Wuling Mountain area，will focus on the development of ecological tourism。It is predicted that the region�s GDP will reach 90 billion yuan and per capita GDP will hit 45,000 yuan by 2020。With about 400,000 residents moving to the one-circle area。the population of the region will be reduced to about 2 million。In addition，the forest coverage in the region is expected to surpass 50 percent by 2020。

According to Wang Yang，secretary of the Chongqing Committee of the Communist Party of China，the implementation of the �one-circle�and �two wings�strategy aims to promote harmonious development by enhancing urbanization。

�At present，the imbalance between the urban and rural economies is one of the biggest problems that Chongqing has to tackle for its rapid and healthy development，�he pointed out。

Chongqing city has the largest urban area in West China and the largest rural area among the nation�s four municipalities。The central government proposed that Chongqing should further expand the scale of its urban economy and drive rural economic development through urbanization。

The one-hour economic circle strategy is a positive echo of the central government�s proposal，the Chongqing committee secretary said。

�Compared with other municipalities in China，the scale of Chongqing�s urbanization is inadequate，� he noted。

Even in the proposed 28,700sq km one-hour economic circle，urban residents account for only60 percent of the total population。

According to Wang， the one-hour economic circle refers to an area where people can get to the central city through such means of transportation as highways，railways and waterways。

One of the targets of the strategy is to help more farmers find jobs and live in the cities and townships。

�Our goal is to break the limits between the cities and the countryside，helping both farmers and urban residents jointly enjoy the benefits of Chongqing�s economic development，�said Wang。

It is expected that the one-hour economic circle area will have more than 20million urban residents in the next 10 to 15 years，accounting for 75percent of the area�s total population。The area�s GDP at the time will constitute 80 percent of the municipality�s total。

Improving transportation facilities is one of the important components of the implementation of the strategy。

According to Zhou Tao，an expert with the Chongqing Urban Transportation Planning Research Institute，the best way to solve Chongqing�s transportation problem is to develop a comprehensive system consisting of highways，expressways，railways and subways。

The municipality is now stepping up the construction of a 120-km outer ring expressway to encompass most of the areas within the one-hour economic circle。

In addition，more railways will be built to connect the existing railroads。Within the railway network，express trains will be deployed for faster transportation within the area。

�With improving transportation facilities，it is possible for people to live in the suburbs and work in the central city，�Zhou said。

For example，it takes an hour�s drive to get from Yongchuan to the central city at present。With the construction of the high-speed railway system，the commute will be reduced 30 minutes，he added。

Envisaging the transportation problems to be faced by the central city，which is expected to have a population of more than 10 million in the years to come，Zhou suggests that priority should be given to such public transportation means as buses and trains。

The transportation facilities of the Chongqing Jiangbei Airport will also be improved。

According to the Chongqing Airport Group，the airport is now planning to build a long-distance bus station。

At present，passengers traveling from the airport to the neighboring counties have to avail of buses in the central city. With the completion of the bus station，they can get to their destinations through direct bus services。

The passenger volume in the airport is expected to surpass 8 million this year。To enlarge its capacity，Jiangbei Airport will build a second runway，becoming the first airport in West China to have two runways。

The formation of the largest city group in West China，the blurring of distinctions between the city and the countryside，and the emergence of new industrial bases-these will be the direct outcome of the implementation of a new economic strategy in Chongqing，the newest municipality in China。

�Chongqing will spend 15 years to forge a one-hour economic circle，developing into the largest city group in West China，�announced Wang Yang，secretary of the Communist Party of China，at a recent work conference。

The one-hour economic circle，an area where people can get to the central city，as well as the districts and counties of Changshou， Hechuan， Fuling， Yongchuan， Jiangjin， Wansheng， Bishan，Qijiang， Rongchang， Nanchuan， Dazu， Tongnan， Tongliang and Wulong。

Urban population is expected to grow by about 10 million within the next 10 to 15 years in the area，which is projected to contribute more than 80percent of the municipality�s total gross domestic product (GDP)。

The one-hour economic circle is one part of the strategy. Another important part is the development of the �two wings� - the northeastern and south-eastern regions - which are relatively less-developed areas of the municipality。

The two schemes are complementary to each other because one of the most important targets of the strategy is ensuring that the development of the one-hour economic circle makes good use of the natural and labor resources of the regions under the �two wings� and the one-hour circle area bears the responsibility of helping the two-wings regions in poverty relief。

Under the coordination of the municipal government，the one-hour circle should absorb more labor forces from the two-wing regions by creating more job opportunities。

As more residents are relocated to the developed areas of Chongqing，the two-wing regions will be relived of the burden of farmland shortage and limited job opportunities。

In the one-hour economic circle area, about 100 towns will be expanded or built up newly to receive immigrants from the northeastern and southeastern regions. These towns will be located along the highways, railways and navigable rivers.

Some districts and counties in the one-hour economic circle have already begun to absorb laborers and immigrants from the two-wing regions.

For example, Beibei District in the central city ahs recently launched the Wushan Industrial Park to receive laborers from the northeastern region。

The development of the one hour economic circle means huge business opportunities because a number of new industrial zones and parks are planned in the area，according to WangQing, head of the Chongqing Development and Reform Commission�s development planning department.

He said a central industrial zone will be formed in the central city，focusing on the modern service industry and other high value-added industries。

The northern industrial zone will be built in the north of the central city，with an emphasis on such industries as automobiles，electronics and bio-pharmaceuticals。

The eastern industrial zone，with the Chayuan New District as the center，will focus on the development of equipment of the convention and exhibition industries。

The southern industrial zone，with Yudong as the center，will be a base for the production of motorcycles and spares parts。

Finally，the western industrial zone in the Xiyong and Xipeng areas will be a hi-tech industrial base mainly engaged in software development and outsourcing, and the production of chips and instruments。

In addition，four other industrial belts will be built along the Chongqing-Wuhan，Chongqing-Chengdu，Chongqing-Suinging and Chongqing-Hunan railways。

With the construction of the industrial clusters will be formed in Chongqing，featuring automobile and motorcycle production，natural gas and petrochemicals，new materials，and the high technology and food industries。

Wang Qing predicts that about 1 trillion yuan will be invested in the one-hour economic circle between now and the year 2010。

(CQNEWS) The leading group of non-state-run bank research organization and the member companies of non-state-operated enterprises would make an investigation in the countryside of the establishment of the first rural village bank in Chongqing, said Chongqing Federation of Industry and Commerce a few days ago.

Setting up rural village banks will be of great help to solve the problem of raising funds in the countryside, which has retarded the progress of the agricultural industrialization in Chongqing for a long time.

�Farmers are in bad need of small loans, but banks ignore these pretty loans.� said Wu Xiaoguang, a member of Chognqing People�s Political Consultative Conference.

At present the banking institutions are becoming less in the countryside and especially in the Three Gorges Reservoir areas, which aggravates the difficulty of fund raising in the rural areas.

Wu suggested that Chognqing should carry out an investigation on financial service in the countryside and plan to set up rural village banks.

The president of Hongkong HSBC, when visiting Chongqing on September 23, said that Hongkong HSBC will operate rural banking service in Chongqing if there is an opportunity.

(CQNEWS) The ancient Dachang Town in Wushan County of Chongqing Municipality was reopened to tourists and about 1,800 tourists from home and abroad visited the removed town on October 1, the National Day of China.

The former ancient town was removed from the riverside of the Daning to the present higher place, which is about 5 kilometers away from the original site, for the rising water level of the Three Gorges Reservoir.

(CQNEWS) The retail sales of consume goods in Chongqing Municipality during the week-long National Day holiday were 2.269 billion yuan with an increase of 35.2 percent year-on-year, the monitoring statistics by Chongqing Commercial Commission showed yesterday

The retails sales were boosted as Chongqing people consumed in more ways, such as traveling, luxury commodities and so on.

The increasing traffic facilities stimulate automobile consumption in Chongqing during the week-long holiday. A total of 256 luxury private cars by a local automobile manufacturer were sold at the price of 41.684 million yuan.

Sales of home appliances and food, two of consumer�s favorites, rose at different level in Chongqing. The supply of some digital household electronic appliances and kitchen appliances even could not meet the demand, said the commission.

(CQNEWS) Two bombs appeared in Chongqing section of Jialing River on September 26 when the water level fell.

�A total of six bombs have been discovered up to now�, one staff member of the river police station said.

Two biggest bombs of the six, about 50 centimeters in length and 15 kilograms in weight, are inferred from their appearance that they are two unexploded bombs left by the Japanese invaders in the 1940s.

(CQNEWS) The job training classes for fashion design, computer repair and other professional skills are playing an active role in transferring farming labor into factory labor in Yongchuan District, Chongqing Municipality.

With the economy development in Yongchuan District, factories have provided more jobs for the local farmers, who are eager to be trained to master a kind of professional skill.

It is reported that the district government has organized over 10,000 farmers to receive professional training from January to August this year and 90% of them are working in factories.

(CQNEWS) Feng Qiaoxing, a 16-year retarded girl from the Yuzhong District, Chongqing Municipality, got 5 gold medals of gymnasium yesterday in the 2007 Shanghai Special Olympics.

Affected by Father�s heavy drinking, Feng was diagnosed as middle-level retarded child at her five. Four years later, her mother died in a traffic accident.

Hard childhood did not cover Feng�s great dancing and singing talent. When studying in a professional school in Chongqing, Feng had mastered only 200 characters while she could dance perfectly to music.

Feng�s advantage in dance aroused great attention of Chongqing Handicapped Association. After special training and practice, she got good scores in a series of special games.

China's Largest Non-state-operated Airline Company to Set up Chongqing Branch

CQNEWS: Shenzhen Airlines will set up its 7th branch in Chongqing Municipality in the near future and put at least 9 planes for service in the coming 3 years, a vice president of the company said when he investigated in the city.

Shenzhen Airlines, the largest non-state-operated enterprise in China, has 47 civil planes and 3 Boeing 747 goods aircrafts serving in some 130 routes at home and abroad.

It is said the Chongqing branch will be the most important base in middle and west China. In addition, the 5th air route will be opened for passengers in Chongqing market.

A professional person explained that on one hand, Chongqing's bright future in air transport industry attracts the Shenzhen Airlines; on the other hand, the company, being famous for its good service and competitive ticket price, will be a challenge to the Chongqing market.

CQNEWS: The tourism income of Chongqing Municipality rose by 46.6 percent over the last year to hit 2.256 billion yuan (RMB) during the week-long National Day holiday, according to the news released by the Chongqing tourism authorities.

Statistics shows that more than 7 million people chose Chongqing as their tourist destination, among whom about 20,000 came from foreign countries. The Three Gorges and revolutionary scenic spots in the main districts of Chongqing are extremely popular among them.

In addition, exchanging tourist destinations for people in urban and rural areas became a feature of Chongqing's tourism industry in the National Day holiday. Urban people went to villages to enjoy rural life while their rural counterparts went shopping in downtown areas.

Chongqing News