Ｇｒｅｅｎ Ｓａｎｍｉｎｇ：Ｃｉｔｙ ｏｆ Ｈｉｓｔｏｒｉｃａｌ Ｃｈａｒｍ

ＹＩ　ＦＡＮ

THE beautiful garden city of Sanming in southwest Fujian Province covers an area of 22,900 sq km and has a population of 2.68 million. Regarded as an ecological paradise, Sanmings location and 76.8 percent forest coverage make it an ideal area for wood industry cooperation between Taiwan and the Chinese mainland.

Sanming has a long, fascinating history. It was established as a county at the beginning of the Jin Dynasty (265-420), 1,740 years ago. Its Wanshou Cliff, unearthed in the year 2000, takes the areas history of human habitation back an incredible 180,000 years. The Qingliu man fossils discovered in Sanmings Nine Dragon Cave bear close relation to those of the Zuozhen man found in Taiwan. This is yet another indication of Taiwans and the Chinese mainlands common origins.

This scenic area has many illustrious sons. It is the birthplace of prominent Song Dynasty (960-1279) sages Yang Shi and Luo Congyan, and of outstanding calligraphers Huang Shen and Yi Bingshou of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). The 800-year-old camphor tree planted by the distinguished philosopher Zhu Xi (1130-1200) still stands in his former Sanming residence.

Having been one of the starting points of the Red Armys Long March, the distinguished revolutionaries Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai and Zhu De also enjoyed Sanmings sheltering forests.

Enlightenment, probity and civilization are the citys keynotes. Sanming is today an economic heartland on the western banks of the Taiwan Straits, and a key area of green industry. This garden city is also Fujian Provinces principal tourist resort. The Taining Geopark has been described by UNESCO experts as “rare on the earth,” and Sanmings Taoyuan and Yuhua Caves draw speleologists from all over China. This ancestral home of the Hakka people, with its reclining Buddha, spa and abundant forests combines the wonders of nature and the fascination of ancient traditional culture. The citys geopark and its 34 national and 59 provincial level tourist attractions are considerable assets to Fujian Provinces thriving tourist industry.

Economic Vanguard on the Western Bank of the Taiwan Straits

A total of RMB 490 million has been invested in construction of Shaxian Airport, just 19 km away from Sanming City. Its purpose is to make Sanming the hub of a complex transport network. Shaxian will take on routes that link it to Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Xian and other big cities, as well as chartered flights to Hong Kong and Macao. The airport is expected to take the local economy into top gear. A network of expressways between Fuzhou and Yinchuan, Quanzhou and Sanming and Jianning and Taining that will ease the flow of traffic to Chinas interior is also scheduled. The city is all set to become an economic vanguard and logistics center on the western bank of the Taiwan Straits.

From its position on the front line, Sanming also acts as the base, pivot and main underpinning of the western Straits economic zone. As Ye Jige, secretary of Sanming municipal Party Committee, says: “Sanming plays a crucial role in boosting inland economic development and linking coastal cities. Our aim is to become the growth pole and central city of commerce on the western banks of the Taiwan Straits.”

Sanming undoubtedly has enormous advantages, by virtue of its rich natural resources and advanced manufacturing. As Fujian Provinces main industrial base, the city accommodates the largest provincial iron and steel, fertilizer and chemical fiber industries. Mayor Liu Daoqi believes that the city should maximize its manufacturing and forest industry potential on the basis of its flourishing industrial clusters and excellent infrastructure. Sanmings metallurgy and mining industries are also gathering momentum, and its abundant herbal resources make it strong in pharmaceuticals, particularly in the fields of traditional Chinese medicine and health care products.

As the main crop-producing area of Fujian Province, Sanming yields one-third of the provinces grain. Its output of fruit and mushrooms is top in the province; its fertile land is also suited to high-quality tobacco planting. An agricultural cluster has taken shape in Sanming, and large numbers of competitive product brands are being generated.

The citys advanced power grid is yet another guarantee of its economic development. Sanming is the site of northwest Fujian Provinces first 500kV transformer substation which, along with its 220kV and 110kV substations, forms a main power grid connecting the western Taiwan Straits with central China.

City of Taiwan-Mainland Forestry Cooperation

Woodlands occupy around 1.9 million hectares – 82.5 percent – of Sanmings total area. Its forestry resources account for one-third of that of the entire province. Sanming is one of the few cities in China whose live trees are in excess of 100 million cubic meters. This gives it 13.9 percent more forest cover than any other area of the province and 60.3 percent more than anywhere else in the entire country.

A typical forestry collective, Sanmings per capita timberland area is 10-fold that of its cultivated land. As forestry is the foremost type of local production, 80 percent of forestry possession rights belong to the village collective and various individuals. The Sanming government, having ironed out problems in the forest property rights and interests system, can now guarantee sustainable development and hence further benefits to Sanming residents.

Sanming established the countrys sole cross-Straits forestry cooperation program upon obtaining State Forestry Administration approval on June 14, 2005. This innovative program, which works on the basis of the six functional areas of wood product processing, pharmaceutical research, food processing, nursery stock, tourism and technology development, will gradually establish Sanming as a forestry demonstration base and a major cross-Straits cooperative channel.

Years of efforts have taken Sanmings forestry and related industry production value to a respective first and second ranking in Fujian Province. Its wood and bamboo output accounts for one-third of that of the entire province. A forestry processing base comprising five industrial systems, including papermaking, forestry, chemicals, food processing, furniture manufacture and logistics, has already taken shape. Forestry benefits constitute one-third of local farmers net income.

The Sanming Forestry Expo is held annually from November 6 to 9. Over the past two years 192 foreign capital projects involving foreign capital equivalent to RMB 33 billion have been signed, 126 of which are currently under construction. This has increased Sanmings annual production value by RMB 2 billion. At the citys third Expo, 223 projects were signed representing RMB 18.549 billion in investment.

Sweet City Life

Sanming is a city of immigrants where people from all parts of the country live harmoniously.

It was not until the mid-1950s, when more than 80 heavy industry factories were set up in Sanming that it became an industrial city, according to Hong Huatang, deputy director of the local public relations department. At that time hundreds of thousands of people moved en masse to the then small town. They have devoted themselves to the citys development ever since.

Today, Sanming City broadly consists of the two districts of Meilie and Sanyuan. Surrounded by mountains, the city stands on the banks of the Shaxi River.

Local inhabitants are in the habit of walking to the riverside park to take morning exercise. Senior citizen Lei daily plays Chinese chess and practices taiji with his friends along the riverbank. He left his hometown 40 years ago to work at the Sanming Cement Plant. At that time there were just a handful of houses in this small town and only one pontoon across the river. The city has since developed almost beyond recognition. Modern buildings are being constructed and it has seven newly built bridges. The cement plant where Lei worked was shut down due to the pollution it caused, but its workers were appropriately compensated. Mr. Lei is satisfied with his current situation and lives happily and comfortably on his pension.

Owing to Sanmings location in a mountainous area and its large rural population, the local government gives priority to “Socialist Rural Reconstruction.” It has formulated five major projects geared to improving farmers lives.

The government has also pledged to resolve ten specific issues affecting the lives of farmers, among them accessible drinking water, electricity, and roads. As 76 percent of Sanmings population lives in rural areas, local government work focuses on improving the lot of its farmers. Its aim is to industrialize with a view to the market; this will promote construction of a new countryside and sustain increases in incomes. Sanmings level of rural labor force training ranks high in Fujian Province.

The Sanming local governments ultimate goal is to develop social welfare and the social security system. It aims to increase incomes and broaden employment channels in tandem with its new achievements in various fields. Sanming was in 2006 named a “National Advanced City in Civilization.” The citys fine ecological environment has increased its citizens average life expectancy to 73 years.

As the city develops ever more rapidly, its people enjoy an even better life.