Guangxi

CCTV.COM (11.16 2003 14:50)

    Guangxi is the only autonomous region of China that is bordered by land, sea and river. This privileged geographic location has given Guangxi a pivotal role in the economic development of western China and especially that of the southwest. Guangxi has become a base and port for the opening up of southwest China to southeast Asia and the world.

    In about 200 BC, Guangxi was the biggest seaport of China, serving as a trade channel with the Roman Empire. In 1368 Guangxi's position as the main trade center was rivaled by Guangdong province, so it began to go into economic decline.

    When the Western China Development Project began a few years ago, Guangxi province was not initially included. However, given its geographic location and the province's lack of development, there was significant reason to include Guangxi in the development project. Guangxi's people are very proud of their province and its ideal geographic position, with the region having the most convenient ocean access in southwest China. The coastline of Guangxi runs for 1,595 kilometers, along which there are numerous seaports. At present there are 21 operational ports, the largest ones being Fangcheng, Beihai and Qinzhou. All the ports in Guangxi are well positioned. They have deep water, are protected from the wind and waves and are close to Hong Kong and other southeast Asian countries.

    Guangxi is bordered by mountains that are more than 1,000 meters high and has many hills and basins. The province has a sub-tropical climate, with the average temperature ranging between 17 and 22 degrees. This warm climate of Guangxi has resulted in a very rich ecological environment, with many species of plants and flowers.

    Just like Guangxi's climate, which has no clear distinction of the four seasons, Guangxi's people rarely show emotional extremes, living a placid and peaceful life. Guangxi has 12 ethnic groups, including Zhuang, Han, Yao, Miao and Yi. The mountainous geographic environment has influenced Guangxi's people into having a honest, simple and carefree temperament.

    The province's history is one of cultural diversity with many nationalities co-existing and merging. Here there are 12 indigenous nationalities and other 25 minority groups that have immigrated to the region. These minority nationalities account for 37 percent of Guangxi's 47 million strong population. The Zhuang nationality is the biggest minority ethnic group in the whole of China, with a population of 15 million people.

    Guangxi's geographic location has a very strong influence on its culture. The eleven minority groups that live in the province have long interacted, but still maintain their individual customs and identity, with distinctive clothes, food, housing and festivals. The four defining symbols of the Guangxi culture are the Zhuang nationality's songs, the Yao's dances, the Miao's festivals and Dong nationality's architecture.

    The Zhuang nationality are very good at singing and entertainment, with young boys and girls often singing love songs to each other or taking part in impromptu singing competitions. The Yao nationality excel at dancing with their melody, costume, and choreography, which are all very unique. The Dong nationality believe that through developing outstanding architecture, like bridges, roads and buildings, their virtuous behavior will positively influence their afterlife. One particular type of bridge called the 'wind and rain bridge' is made entirely from wood without the use of a single nail.

    In recent years an international folk song festival has been held in Nanning, and has attracted tens of thousands of tourists, with many of the folk singers travelling from abroad to enjoy the music and festivities.

    It has been said for hundreds of years that 'Guilin's scenery is the best in the world', and certainly tourists that visit the region today would agree with this statement.

    While Guangxi has definitely benefited from the beautiful surrounding mountains, with a booming tourism industry, there have also been negative effects with the mountains restricting growth.

    No large-scale migration or merging of nationalities has ever occurred in Guangxi. With the province's rugged mountains, Guangxi's people were unable to easily move around as the nomadic tribes in the grasslands of north China did. Therefore Guangxi never rapidly developed, with many people sticking to their local villages for generations, most could never imagine becoming rich through trade and modernization.

    Guangxi's people have always had a definite regional character, that of contentment. However Guangxi's harsh ecological environment with many rocky mountains has made it difficult for some people to earn a living off their unfertile land.

    People here often have a challenging and difficult life. In 1984 Guangxi's poverty reached a peak, with 15 million people living under the poverty line. Even though this number fell to 1.69 million in 1999, Guangxi still remains one of the poorest provinces in China. The mountainous geographic environment has led many farmers to accept a limited definition of trade. Even faced with these challenges some people are using their initiative to improve their lives, some even opening up their own businesses.

    West Street, the oldest street in Yangshuo county, was built more than 1,400 years ago and is now a famous tourist attraction. The street is 570 meters long and passes many beautiful hills and rivers. It is also known by the locals as 'Foreigner Street' because a large number of foreigners often come here to sight-see or just relax and enjoy themselves. Many bars, net-cafes, western food restaurants and hotels have now sprung up along the street.

    Lu Bing, a farmer, is twenty-seven years old. She left school at the age of fifteen and taught herself English for seven years to become an English-speaking tourist guide. In Yangshuo today there are over 100 tourist guides like Lu Bing.

    The bell that tolled in the new century went unnoticed. And as the fireworks exploded over Guilin's sky, it seemed the hope of Guangxi's people rose with them. The government has developed a new series of targets for this century. By the end of 2010, they hope to increase the economic strength of Guangxi to be one of the leading economic regions of the west. Another aim is to double the province's GDP, by focusing on the construction of an economic zone, based on port and high-tech industries, in Nanning and Beihai. The government also plans to build an industrial center in Liuzhou, and encourage the growth of tourism agriculture and forestry in Guilin. Guangxi province has a long way of development to travel over this century. Let's hear what the experts and officials feel about the future of this province.

    'Guangxi has achieved a lot during the past twenty years. It helped 15 million people get out of poverty. But, there are still some serious problems. First, seaports are not used efficiently, and the economy in the port area can't develop. Readjusting industrial structure is also important. Also, there's no close connection between Guangxi and the Zhujiang River Delta, so Guangxi lacks a foundation for development,' said Xu Guodi, the researcher of Regional Economy Institute, State Planning.

    Li Zhaozhuo, Chairman of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, said: 'We aim to improve both the quantity and the quality of Guangxi's economy through the Western China Development Project, and make its economy more efficient. Meanwhile, Guangxi's ecology and environment should be well protected. Guang Xi will be built into a comfortable and safe place to live, relax and visit.'

    Compared with the cities along China's east coast, Guangxi is not in a fortunate position. It is underdeveloped, with weak industries, a lack of information and many poor people. However since the 1980's, the Province has undergone extensive reform and opening up, and the Western China Development Project will further strengthen the economy.

    Chinese economists that have analyzed the development of China concluded that eastern China is at the latter stage of industrialization and central China is at the intermediate stage, while western China is only at the initial stage of industrialization. The per capita income for these regions supports this observation. In 1999, the per capita income for eastern China was 1,100 US dollars, while that of the western was only 487 US dollars. This issue of poverty is one of the main problems that Guangxi people want addressed.

    The West is the most important area for China's anti-poverty campaign. The majority of China's poor people live in the mountainous western regions of the country, where the harsh environment results in a weak economy. In many rural areas of China, farmers have no option but to use the wood resources found on surrounding mountains for heating and building purposes. This has meant much of the natural environment has been degraded, which has in turn effected the farmers' ability to prosper. To solve the problem, the local government has initiated a methane gas installation program, which is being used by many farmers.

    'Up to now, 40,000 methane gas systems have been installed in our county, covering 66 percent of the whole households. In terms of anti-poverty, the net income per capita of the farmers has increased from 25-37.5 US dollars to 125 US dollars,' said Yang Cheng, head of Gongcheng County.

    Long Jiming, a 67-year-old farmer, has begun to improve his quality of life through installing a methane gas system. He uses this system for cooking, lighting, heating and fertilizing his crops, thus reducing the cost of living for his family and aiding agricultural production. This small improvement in Long Jiming's home has made a huge difference to his life.

    Long Jiming said: 'I installed the methane gas system in 1988. It has brought me many benefits. It saves me a lot of money in energy cost. Only in cooking it can save 25 US dollars every year. It also lowers the agricultural cost, and it can save as high as 310 to 350 US dollars.'

    The use of methane not only provides financial benefits, but also prevents pollution of the environment. While individual contribution to environmental protection is important, a whole community approach is essential.

    The diversity of the environment is as important as that of culture, both of which are closely linked. The natural environment provides an indispensable background for us to live our lives. For example, the Lijiang River in Guilin is the pride of Guangxi people and the center-piece for their existence. The locals have invested over 30 million US dollars in cleaning-up and preventing the pollution of the river.

    Guangxi's vital tourism trade goes hand-in-hand with the environment, consequently the government has started enforcing environmental protection laws and has taken environmental issues into consideration with their economic and social development plans. In 1999, the 12 main pollutants identified in Guangxi were under the national legal level. Guilin is one of China's most famous tourist attractions, with the Lijiang River being its main focus. The Guilin city government realises the importance of protecting the natural environment and has established four water-purification plants.

    The number four purification plant was built through a government loan from Austria. It has the capacity to purify 100,000 cubic meters of polluted water per day.

    'To develop its industry, Guilin must pay attention to the protection of its environment, especially the Lijiang River. We have dealt with this problem for five years and 70 factories, which cannot reach the national standard, have been closed down. Tourism and environmental protection are inseparable. Nobody will come if the environment is spoiled, because Guilin depends on its beautiful scenery to attract tourists,' said Luo Guijiang, director of Guilin Environment Protection Bureau.

    The Liquan brewery in Guilin has been a key focus of pollution monitoring in the city. Over the last five years, the company has invested 2 million US dollars in protecting the environment, including building a water treatment plant.

    Xiong Qingming, engineer of Guilin Liquan Company Ltd, said that to develop countries, environmental protection and economic growth must go hand-in-hand, which is often dependent on a strong transportation network, and Guangxi is rapidly developing their own.

    In the past, there was no convenient seaport for Guizhou, Yunnan, Sichuan and other western provinces to use, so many factories have to limit their production. The abundant natural resources, such as coal, alumina and phosphor had no easy export channels, while products that were needed by the west, such as grain and fertilizer couldn't be transported in. Since the early nineties, the Chinese Government has invested enormous amount of money in establishing an effective transportation network, including seaports, harbors, expressways and airports.

    Guangxi's coast has many good locations for establishing seaports. According to Chinese engineers, the province has the potential to build a further 400 berths with a capacity of 10-10,000 tonnes each. According to some, the west is like a treasure chest, which merely needs the opening up of Guangxi's seaports to unlock its riches.

    The Fangcheng Port is the biggest seaport of western China. At present, it has trade links with 160 ports in 68 countries and regions. This port is the main channel for the import and export of goods from Guangxi and southwest China.

    'Fangchenggang Port is the most southwest deep-water seaport along China's coastline. With the completion of Nan-Kun railway and Qing-Fang highway, Fangchenggang Port will become the most convenient gateway leading Southwest China to Southeast Asia and the world. So far, Fangchenggang Port has 27 berths, with 12 having a tonnage of above 10,000. In the 10th Five-Year Plan, we plan to build four more wharves with a tonnage of 50,000 in Fangchenggang and a wharf with a 150,000 tonnage exclusively for iron ores,' said Xie Yi, vice-director of Fangchenggang Harbour Bureau.

    With the Western China Development Project now in its second year, the southwest region now needs to export 40 million tonnes of goods per year. Guangxi is now building and expanding its seaport system. The Qinzhou port has invested over 138 million US dollars in various projects at the port, and over the next few years, the total investment, in fifty different projects, will reach 438 million US dollars. There are four main resources, liquefied gas, asphalt and sugar, which pass through the port fuel.

    Dongsheng is the only first-class port between China and Vietnam. At present Guangxi has twelve border crossings with Vietnam and 25 special trading zones. The opening up of these borders has provided economic growth for southwest China, Vietnam and southeast Asia, establishing a good base for the development of new industries and international trade relations. The border-posts between Guangxi and Vietnam also provide a convenient land passage to southwest China.

    The coastal, agricultural, tourism and high-tech industries have now become the focus of Guangxi's investments. One economist has forecast that in ten years' time, with the help of the west development project, the coastal region will become a new economic hub for the country.

    Beihai was one of the first 14 cities on the coast of China to open to international trade in the early 1980's and it is now a key link between eastern and western China. Beihai's geographic location also make it an important transportation center both locally and internationally, being the closest port from China's mainland to southeast Asia, west Asia, Africa and Europe. After many years of development, a modern three-dimensional transportation network joining sea, land and air has taken form and this will further strengthen Beihai's economic position.

    Beihai's unique location still allows it to be a central trading city. Over the past 10 years Beihai has grasped the opportunity for development, attracting innovative projects, funds and educated people, resulting in a strengthened economy.

    Li Yanqing, vice mayor of Beihai, said:'Beihai has a three-dimensional transportation network which reaches sea, land and air. The throughout capacity of our seaports reaches 3 million tonnes. We have our railway station and an airport with a 3,200-meter long runway. The expressway has also been open to traffic in recent years. This three-dimensional transportation network brings Beihai a lot of opportunities to exert its advantages.'

    The development of Beihai's city centre has also promoted the growth of urban enterprises. Guangxi has tapped into its local resources to develop its unique industries.

    In recent years, through enterprise reform and re-distribution of assets, Guangxi's industries have become more competitive. Guilin Daewoo Bus Company is the main automotive manufacturing company in China, and they receive substantial support from the government. The company has successfully captured its target market and consistently uses quality goods and technology, resulting in a high economic return.

    Guangxi also has some national projects based in the province, including the Nanning Hi-tech Development Area. The main focus of this area is biological engineering, pharmaceutical goods, information technology and electro-mechanical engineering. Over the past few years, the Hi-Tech Area has developed more than 280 new products.

    'The High-tech Development Zone was approved by the central government in 1992. Since then the overall construction have been quickened. In recent years the economic increase index doubles every year. The High-tech Zone is to play a leader's role, spurring the economy of Guangxi and Nanning. If it fails to do this, there will be no sense to keep the development zone,' said Qin Wenyan, vice director of Nanning High-tech Development Zone.

    The Development Area has also established a New Technology Pioneer Institute. This institute aims to nuture high-tech enterprises and entrepreneurs, as well as accelerating the transition of new technology into working industries.

    In 20 to 30 years' time, Guangxi will become an important base for the production of clean energy and electricity for eastern provinces. It will also develop into a quick and efficient trade channel for the southwest region. It is hoped Guangxi will become a successful example of strong economic growth without negatively effecting the environment.

    Guangxi's strength lies not only in its booming tourism industry but also in its importance as a trade center. The port cities of Beihai and Fungchunggung provide an essential import and export depot for southwest China. However, many industries remain weak and the standard of living for some is still low. The West China Development Project aims to build on Guangxi's strengths while improving its weaknesses.

Editor:Guan