24 bijiespecial TUESDAY, APRIL 24, 2012 CHINA DAILY Municipal Party chief: We are moving forward at ‘Bijie speed’

By ZHAO KAI in Bijie, Guizhou province [email protected]

Life has improved markedly for citizens of Bijie thanks to its rapid development, said Qin Rupei, Party chief of the city, which is located in Guizhou province. “We are trying to make everything better as soon as we can,” Qin said. The city’s development has quickened its pace in recent years, and Qin terms this phe- nomenon “Bijie speed”. The city is known for its role as the country’s automobile assembly base, and the economy here is expected to be further boosted by pref- erential policies that the State Council intro- duced this year. City leaders are making a push to further accelerate economic growth. To carry out this strategy, all enterprises and departments in the city are doubling their efforts. During the 2012 Spring Festival holiday, some 63 coal mining companies in Bijie’s Qix- ingguan district kept working instead of taking a break. One local cement company broke a new sales record when it moved 4,000 tons over the PHOTOS BY ZHU XINGXIN / CHINA DAILY Spring Festival vacation, and Qin praised the Li Zhanshu (right), Party chief of Guizhou province, presents a plaque to Shao Qiwei, head of the National Tourism Administration, to show thanks to the government’s concern company as “the city’s industry model”. and support for the provincial tourism industry. According to the company’s general manag- er, who declined to be named, their long-term goal is to achieve 1.2 million tons in annual sales this year. The preferential policies issued this year by Province pins hopes on tourism the central government were not limited to the city and were designed to encourage the growth of Guizhou province as a whole. How- By CUI JIA Guizhou is one of China’s most ever, Qin said that the fact Bijie was mentioned in Bijie, Guizhou province impoverished regions. The prov- 29 times in the policy indicates it has a special [email protected] ince’s average annual economic role to play. growth in the 11th Five-Year Plan By the end of March, Bijie’s yearly tax and Tourism plays a key role in (2006-2010) period was lower fee income so far had reached 5.57 billion yuan Guizhou’s mission to end poverty than the national average, so Gui- ($836 million), a year-on-year growth of 49 in the southwestern province, an zhou needs to reach and main- percent, according to official data. official said on Monday. tain an even higher growth rate Meanwhile, the city is also determined to “More than 420, 000 local vil- during the 12th Five-Year Plan break constraints in the development of trans- lagers climbed out of poverty (2011-2015) period. portation. from 2006 to 2010 by getting The State Council issued new After a series of construction projects, involved in tourism, and more policies in January to further pro- including railways, highways and an airport, people living under the poverty mote economic and social devel- a more modern and developed transportation line will benefit from it in the opment of Guizhou. network will be established, making Bijie a future,” said Zhao Kezhi, gov- The policies include measures regional hub connecting Guizhou to nearby ernor of Guizhou, during the that are expected to help this provinces and regions, such as Yunnan and opening ceremony of the sev- poverty-stricken province catch Chongqing. enth Guizhou Tourism Industry up with advanced provinces and In recent years, Bijie has undergone success- Development Conference in Bijie regions by protecting its ecologi- ful upgrades to its industrial structure. It has prefecture. cal advantages, strengthening grown from a simple base of coal mining into More than 56 million tourists industrialization and urbaniza- a center for coal chemical processing, a more came to villages around Guizhou tion, and accelerating economic advanced industry. in 2011 to experience the rich and development. It has also encouraged development in the colorful cultures of different eth- According to the document, equipment manufacturing and wind power nic groups, including the Miao, the tourism industry will be industries. Dong, Yi, Tujia and Buyi. developed into the pillar industry Diplomatic envoys to China attend the seventh Guizhou Tourism Industry Development Conference in The investment environment has dramati- Last year, more than 1 million of Guizhou. Bijie on April 23. cally changed since every county of Bijie began people found employment in The province’s income from building industrial zones. “It will be a great tourism related areas. tourism has increased to 106 tril- One obstacle standing in the making it a priority to open new this time of the year. attraction to outside investors,” a local official “Most of Guizhou’s tourism lion yuan ($16.8 trillion), more way of the tourism industry is local airports, including Xinzhou, From a distance, those moun- said. resources are in remote and than four times the income in the mountainous region’s poor Huangping and Maotai. tains just look like giant bou- In addition, a thriving tourism industry impoverished mountainous 2005. transportation infrastructure. The conference was held in the quets that stretch as far as the also plays a big role in the city’s development. areas inhabited by ethnic groups. Guizhou has great potential for The Guizhou government prefecture’s famous azalea scenic eye can see, which is why Bijie’s Scenic spots, such as the Baili Azalea in Qianxi Developing tourism in such areas tourism development because of will speed up the construction spot, where wild azaleas in pink, azalea scenic is nicknamed the county, has attracted hundred of thousands could effectively increase local its natural beauty and diverse eth- of highways around the prov- red and white cover more than “colorful belt of the earth” by visitors for its stunning view. incomes,” Zhao said. nic cultures, Zhao said. ince. Provincial officials are also 120 kilometers of mountains at locals. According to the data provided by local government, tourism created a large number of job opportunities for local residents, who can find work as tour guides or provide services at feature spots. “Our goal is to achieve 18 percent GDP Guizhou cashes in on wealth of beauty growth, around 200 billion yuan, by the end of year 2016,” said Qin. “It’s not an easily accomplished task, but By CRAIG MCINTOSH the rolling karst mountains that cover In the county seat of Qianxi, where a tourist spot in northwestern Bijie, where I along with city’s spirit and our ‘Bijie speed’, I’m in Bijie, Guizhou province most of this area offer little arable land gala to mark the seventh Guizhou Tour- am surrounded by a forest of wild azaleas. full of confidence!” [email protected] for farmers to grow crops. ism Industry Development Conference The flowers are worthless to the villag- Yet, these mountains and valleys, which was staged on Sunday evening, a fellow ers, I’m told, largely because the trees on For a long time, the splendid scenery of have for so long stood in the way of villag- guest from Guizhou Television told me which they grow are too damp to be used IF YOU GO Guizhou province has been to its inhabit- ers’ dreams, could now be their making. that few of the glitzy buildings that I as firewood. Zhijin Cave and Dinosaur Valley ants a bane rather than a boon. Communities are already being trans- could see around me, including plush Yet, the forest that lines the hills around Take the highway from the city of Anshun, or Despite the province’s steady rainfall formed in this province thanks to efforts apartment blocks and a four-star hotel, this spot makes for a dazzling explosion set out from the city of Guiyang along No 321 and relatively mild climate year round, to make tourism a pillar industry. had been standing this time last year. of pink, red and white in every direction. National Road to Baxiandong Dock or take a Development here is occurring at a In fact, color is very much a theme that boat from Huawu Miao village. blistering pace. However, it could be said runs through this province, which is mar- that nature has given the province a head keted to potential visitors in Chinese as Baili Azalea scenic spot start. having “the colorful life”. Take Guiyang-Bijie express way. Exit at Jinpo Guizhou may be classed among the This is, in no small part, thanks to the town or Pudi town of Qianxi county. poorest provinces in China, but it is large number of ethnic groups who live undoubtedly blessed with a wealth of here. Shexiang Tomb scenic beauty that, if harnessed in a sus- Traditional folk performances by the Take Guiyang-Bijie expressway directly to tainable way, could prove a gold mine Miao, Yi and Hui groups have been the Dafang county. for residents and the local economy for highlights of both the evening gala and decades to come. the tourism conference: men in gold Jiudongtian scenic spot The terrain still poses a major challenge shorts and tunics twirling ropes of fire; Take Guiyang-Bijie express way to Maochang for transportation companies because women dressed in pink and black singing, town of Dafang county. road travel remains the only option in while others blow monotone on hand- many counties and prefectures. made horn instruments; and young girls However, these journeys are a spectacle skipping happily dressed in white tunics Caohai Lake, Baicaoping and Jiucaip- ing scenic spots in and of themselves. Most take visitors with large black bundles on their heads. There are two routes to get into Hezhang along winding, mountainside roads and These unique customs and rituals, county or Weining county, where those spots run through beautiful valleys and ancient which have survived for centuries, con- are locatedYou can either take Guiyang-Bijie villages. tribute to a rich cultural tapestry in Gui- expressway to the city of Bijie or Shuicheng- The destinations can be even more zhou that, together with its natural scen- Huangguoshu highway to the city of Liupans- breathtaking. ery, could potentially lead this generation hui. The girls of the Yi ethnic group perform a dance to welcome guests. As I write, I sit in a newly developed and future generations out of poverty.