18 PENGZHOU SPECIAL April 29 - May 5, 2016 CHINA DAILY ASIA WEEKLY Picturesque Pengzhou is perfect place for profit or pleasure Opening-up shows the Qinghai Yellow city’s development and Shaanxi Sea increasing sophistica- ChenPengzhougdu Shanghai tion, Li Yu and Li Yang Sichuan Chongqing report. 200 km Yunnan Guizhou engzhou is a beautiful city with more than 4,000 years of history in Southwest P China’s Sichuan province. LEFT: SPECTACULAR VIEWS of the Gexianshan Mountain in Pengczhou, where Longmenshan National Geological established ties with nine sister cit- With its picturesque landscapes, Park is located. RIGHT: A PANDA AT THE BAISHUIHE RESERVE, a key part of the Giant Panda National ParK. PHOTOS ies, including Ipswich in Australia, solid industrial base and welcoming PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY Mürzzuschlag in Austria, Vercelli in environment for investors, Pengzhou Italy and Swidnica in Poland. is a magnet for tourists and business- The town of Bailu in Pengzhou has people from around the world. established friendly relations with Pengzhou covers an area of 1,421 Moret-sur-Loing in France. Bailu square kilometers and has a popula- hosts a French classic music festival tion of 808,500. It is 19 kilometers every year and famous musicians, from the provincial capital of Cheng- both domestic and foreign, are invit- du, and sits in the center of Sich- ed to perform in Pengzhou. uan’s Chengdu-Deyang-Mianyang Pengzhou and Ipswich enjoy close economic belt. cooperation with regards to environ- Pengzhou has been the home of mental protection, education and many famous people in Chinese trade, which deepen mutual under- history and has a number of scenic standing and friendship between spots and historic sites. It was the people from both places. capital of the ancient Shu Kingdom LEFT: LONGXING TEMPLE, was built in the East Jin Dynasty, (405-418). With more than 1600 years of history, the Last October, Pengzhou and Ips- more than 3,000 years ago, where temple has an arrays of pagodas. The major pagoda is as high as 81 meters and is Asia’s tallest diamond-throne pagoda of wich jointly participated in an inter- different civilizations and cultures the Buddha’s relics. RIGHT: THE TRANQUIL LOTUS LAKE is a renowned scenic spot and tourist resort. national investment conference and from East and West met. import commodity exhibition in In its long history, Pengzhou has Sichuan. Many enterprises from Ips- witnessed the long-term harmoni- wich participated in the exhibition. ous coexistence of five religions: On March 14, the Australian Buddhism, Taoism, Christianity, Consulate-General in Chengdu Catholicism and Islam. organized an Australia-Southwest Pengzhou’s cool summer climate China sister-city photography com- makes it an ideal summer resort. petition, with the theme of “village The city is known as the “home- life”. Appropriately, the competi- town of peonies”, because the earliest tion’s logo comprised a koala and a written record detailing the planting giant panda. of the flower was found in the city in Photographers from 17 cities and Tang Dynasty (618-907). It remains LEFT: CHENGDU FASHION WEEK was held in Pengzhou last year. The city is one of the 21 cities under the regions of the two countries entered a specialty of the city to this day and administration of Chengdu, captial of Sichuan province. RIGHT: PENGZHOU is known for its peonies, The blossom is the competition and the event was has become a city symbol. The blos- favored by local residents. covered by media organizations som is favored by local residents. from both Australia and China. Lu You, a famous poet in the Song income of urban residents in Peng- price fluctuations in the market. ingly important role in Pengzhou’s Several photographers from Peng- Dynasty (960-1279), wrote a poem zhou was 26,214 yuan, up 8.9 per- Last year, more than 5.1 million agriculture and manufacturing zhou also entered the competition. praising Pengzhou’s peony as the cent year-on-year, and 16,319 yuan metric tons of agricultural commodi- industries, as well as in business and They focused on the scenery, culture best in Southwest China. in rural areas, a 10.1 percent increase ties were traded in Pengzhou, with trade generally. and folk people of Pengzhou, and Pengzhou has four main tourist from 2014. business transactions totaling 32.6 Local government is committed their photos deepened the cultural attractions: Longmenshan National Pengzhou has a comparatively billion yuan. to providing investors, new business understanding between the Aus- Geological Park, Baishuihe National complete industrial structure, in The city government predicts entrepreneurs and innovators with tralian and Pengzhou people. Reserve, Baishuihe National Forest- which its modern agricultural indus- that Pengzhou’s annual agricultural well-targeted, thoughtful and effi- Invited by the governments of ry Park and Longmenshan National try is the foundation. added value will hit 6.5 billion yuan cient services. It also focuses closely Christchurch in New Zealand, Scenic Spot Zone. This September, the city will by 2020. It is thought this will make on attracting investors and presti- Luganville of Vanuatu and Ips- The Baishuihe reserve is an impor- stage a forum on suburban develop- Pengzghou a national model in mod- gious global companies to the city. wich, Pengzhou’s mayor, Dong tant part of the Giant Panda Nation- ment, involving village officials from ern agriculture and a national agri- Pengzhou is located at the cross- Li, will lead a delegation to visit al Park and is a place where visitors around the country. cultural commodity trade platform, roads of the Silk Road Economic Belt the three cities in May to promote can see this rare animal living in the Pengzhou’s climate is ideally suit- as well as an important window for and the 21st Century Maritime Silk cooperation. wild. ed to agriculture. It has 47 key agri- Chengdu’s opening up and interna- Road, two strategic policies devel- Pengzhou entrepreneurs from Pengzhou is an ideal place for cultural enterprises in vegetables, tional cooperation in modern agri- oped by the Chinese government to five enterprises in home textiles investment, thanks to its conve- oil and rice, kiwifruit and ligusticum culture. promote cooperation and trade. and modern agriculture visited nient transportation links, efficient wallichii, which is a type of Chi- The city’s advanced manufactur- It is accessible via air, road and Luganville in November 2013. government, rich natural and labor nese herbal product. Pengzhou is a ing industries are mainly in the rail. It takes 14 days to transport car- They found great potential for resources and industrial foundation. national center of vegetable harvest- fields of petrochemicals, aeronauti- go from Pengzhou to Poland by rail, cooperation between Pengzhou Last year, Pengzhou’s GDP hit ing and has the largest agricultural cal dynamics and aviation, biologi- with the route crossing Central Asia. and Luganville with regard to agri- 33.36 billion yuan ($5.13 billion), product trade center in Southwest cal medicine and home textiles and culture, tourism, fishery, trade and up 11.7 percent year-on-year, when China. garments. Sister city ties the home textiles industry. China’s national GDP growth was The center issues Southwest Chi- Its service sectors include logistics, The city government actively The Pengzhou government hopes 6.9 percent. na’s vegetable price index, which has commerce and trade and tourism. seeks ties with sister cities to facili- the mayor’s visit will be the catalyst The average annual personal become an indicator of vegetable E-commerce is playing an increas- tate greater cooperation. It has that realizes this potential. .