Ｃｈａｎｇｄｅ：Ａ Ｈａｒｍｏｎｉｏｕｓ Ｃｉｔｙ ｏｎ ｔｈｅ Ｍｏｖｅ

ＱＩＮＧ　ＪＩＡＮＷＥＩ

CHANGDE is a burgeoning city of poets, green development, and well-educated citizens in Chinas central province of Hunan. This city of 6 million serves as an economic, cultural and transportation center, but careful management has ensured it has also retained fresh air and numerous green spaces. Blessed with three mountains and three rivers, Changde faces Dongting Lake, the second largest fresh water lake in China. The environment has been one of the key issues for the municipal government in recent times, and a fund of over RMB 7 billion (about US $1 billion) has been invested in city infrastructure, environmental protection and the recycling economy. Local authorities have been at pains to fill the citys public areas and roads with vegetation and residents are encouraged to plant trees in their courtyards. As a result, the cityscape is a harmonious blend of natural and manmade features that has earned Changde the moniker “city of gardens.”

The city government has also knocked down unauthorized constructions, closed high-polluting factories and established modern sewage and household garbage treatment plants. These efforts have earned Changde many titles, like the “Clean City of China” in 2002, “National Model of Traffic Management” in 2005 and “National Model of Environmental Protection” in 2007. The citys green image, pleasant atmosphere and cultural heritage have made it a popular touristdestination.

Changdes recorded history as an urban settlement of considerable strategic and political importance can be traced back some 2,200 years, although evidence of human habitation of the area dates back 300,000 years. Traces of village life from 7,000 years ago have been found on Huzhao Mountain, revealing that locals at that time were engaged in agriculture, spinning, fishing, hunting and clay pottery.

A Poetic Heritage

Many great poets and writers completed significant works in Changde, including Qu Yuan, Tao Yuanming, Li Bai, Liu Yuxi and Fan Zhongyan. The city continues to maintain a popular poetic tradition, with more than 100,000 poetry enthusiasts registered in local poetry associations. The Changde (China) Poets Festival was initiated three years ago, but the five-kilometer-long poetry wall is the most public expression of the locals enthusiasm for verse.

Changdes unique wall is actually a flood dike on the Yuanjiang River. Some 1,267 poems are carved here, written by 948 calligraphers in different styles, as well as 43 pieces of fresco. The site has been called the “great wall of poetry” by prominent Taiwan scholar Yu Guangzhong, and it attracts as many as 100,000 tourists a year. Not surprisingly, the wall has also become a gathering place for poetry fans. Performances in a nearby square also enhance local cultural life – some 100 shows and recitals have been held here in the last five years. People also entertain themselves by singing and dancing. Changde Sixian, a well-known local opera form, is listed as one of the ten traditional Chinese folk ßarts, and its beautiful and vibrant melody is beloved by almost every one.

A City of Learning

Changde citizens arent just learned in poetry; since 2003 the municipal government has been encouraging citizens to study political theory, law, computer technology and other skills. Its all part of a sustained drive to make Changde a “study-oriented city.” A series of training sessions have been held for government officials, factory workers, and residents of local villages and communities. The government has also worked to popularize putonghua (literally “the common language,” usually known outside China as Mandarin), as well as various foreign languages. Around 67,000 locals have passed high-level putonghua tests, and a further 23,000 can speak basic conversational English. Some 42,000 have passed mid-level computer tests. The harmonious development of Changdes citizenry and environment has given impetus to the citys economy, the output of which has reached RMB 72.38 billion. This makes Changde the second most economically powerful city in Hunan, and puts it in Chinas list of top 100 cities.

A City of Safety

Changde has pursued a comprehensive set of social programs to maintain a harmonious society in which the citys people can prosper. In the last few years, for example, the government has launched a safe food project and a pilot cooperative medical and health care scheme in rural areas around the city. There are also many volunteers promoting traffic safety and environmental protection. The crime rate has decreased since an all-round public security management system covering the whole city was introduced.

Changdes public resources, like parks, libraries and museums, are open to the public free of charge. A new policy also guarantees people living in new communities well-equipped exercise areas. In the countryside, the government provides prints of the latest movies which farmers can enjoy for free.

As elsewhere in China, the reform of state-owned industries has resulted in a number of workers being laid-off, but the municipal government has instigated aid programs to assist 116,000 unemployed workers to find jobs. Ten local factories in labor-intensive industries enjoy a set of preferential policies giving them employment subsidies, social security subsidies, and tax-exemptions or reductions, in exchange for hiring retrenched former state-employed workers.

A subsistence allowance for urban residents has been increased from RMB 110 in 1998 to toadys RMB 180 per month. The allowance now covers about 123,000 people in the countryside as well as urban areas. A total of RMB 150 million was paid out in 2006. A new social assistance program includes help with medical care, an accommodation allowance, scholarships and legal aid.

All these efforts have led to Changde earning the title of “Most Safe City,” granted by the China City Competitive Strength Research Office, signifying resounding approval of the citys endeavors. The efforts of the citys government and people have made thiscity one of the most pleasant urban centers in China, for residents and visitors alike.

QING JIANWEI is the Deputy Secretary of the CPC Changde MunicipalCommittee and Mayor of Changde.