New district makes a splash as Huzhou focuses on ecosystem

Preserving natural assets creates profitable tourism and attracts more foreign investment

A grand ceremony was hosted in Huzhou, Zhejiang province, on Sunday to mark the launch of South Taihui Lake New District.

The district is an important part in the construction of the Great Bay Area in Zhejiang. The local authority is investing 1 trillion yuan ($145 billion) to make it a world-class location on a par with the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area in southern China.

The new district is designed to show the lake area as a model of harmony between people and nature. Leisure and rural tourism is highlighted in its long-term development plan, according to Huzhou authorities.

Huzhou, in the north of Zhejiang province, has long been dubbed the cradle of China's "Two Mountains" theory - in which clear waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets, comparable to gold and silver mountains of legend.

China has referred to the theory many times, both domestically and overseas, to illustrate the country's determination to improve environmental protection and increase green development efforts.

At the second meeting of the United Nations Environment Assembly in Nairobi, Kenya, in May 2016, the UN Environment Programme published a report, Green is Gold: The Strategy and Actions of China's Ecological Civilization. It examined China's attempts to build an "ecological civilization".

Over years of continuous green endeavors, Huzhou has used a unique way of encouraging farmers to participate in and benefit from rural tourism. This is thanks to the improved environment, which turns villages into scenic areas.

In 2018, the city received a total of 43 million tourists for rural travels, accounting for more than half the total number of tourists it received.

Revenue of rural tourism in the city topped 12 billion yuan last year. This contributed an annual increase of 639 yuan to each farmer, lifting the rural area's living standards.

"We will spare no efforts to make Huzhou a landmark model that pioneers the nation's green development, by transforming and practicing more tangible products and experiences out of the 'Two Mountains' theory," said Ma Xiaohui, Party secretary of Huzhou.

In Deqing county of Huzhou, famous for its scenic B&Bs in the Mogan Mountains, rural tourism has become a main source of income for local farmers. This is thanks to the scenic views there and supportive policies from the local county authorities.

Take Laoling village at the foot of the Mogan Mountains, for example. This small village netted an income of more than 100 million yuan from the B&B sector last year. More than 500,000 tourists flocked there to find a retreat from their busy urban lives.

"Nowadays, tourists and backpackers have an ever-growing appetite for high-quality B&Bs, coupled with a scenic and pollution-free natural environment such as Mogan Mountains," said Deqing local Zheng Liwei, owner of a small inn in the village.

"The beautifying economy, backed by clear waters and lush mountains in Zhejiang, is a pollution-free cash cow transformed from the 'Two Mountains' theory," said Qian Hong, secretary-general of the Tea Farmers' Association in Deqing.

"For the next step, we will focus on development of more varied agricultural products such as teas, and tea-picking activities to further enrich the context of rural tourism," she added.

The well-preserved environment has also played a vital role in luring more foreign investors to launch businesses in the city.

In 2015, Scherdel, a Germany-based leader in the field of technical springs, opened its manufacturing center in Huzhou. Three years on, the company has made two additional investments in Huzhou within a short period.

"It is obvious that we have placed a great emphasis on the Chinese market, but it's not common to see so many additional heavy investments within a short time," said Saskia Metz, general manager of Scherdel in Huzhou.

"Though Huzhou does not rank among the first-tier cities in China, we have introduced over 23 Fortune 500 companies, including IBM, Walmart and General Electric," said a local official who did not want to be named.

He added that a total of 2,219 foreign-funded enterprises have settled in the city over the past decade. Foreign investment has reached $31.79 billion.

He also noted that aside from the increased foreign investment, Huzhou has witnessed a transformation in industrial structure. It has evolved from a city with low-added-value industries into one dominated by high-end industries, such as new energy, information technology and tourism.

"The 'Two Mountains' theory has definitely played a key role in making such transformation a reality," he emphasized.

Statistics show that from January to September in 2018, Huzhou attracted 97 new foreign-invested companies with a total investment of $2.58 billion.