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Chongming link will change traditions
2004-11-08 09:07:32 |
A link from the city proper of Shanghai to Chongming Island won't just boost the country's economy, it will also change the way many people live.
Geographically separated from the city by the Yangtze River, the county's economy has developed slower than the rest of the city due to the inconvenience of having to cross the river by ferry.
Chongming's per-capita Gross Domestic Product is only US$1,000, about US$4,000 less than the city's average.
"The isolation of the island blocks most of its residents from viewing the world outside," said Wu Xiaofei, a government official from Chongming County.
An 8.5-kilometer-long tunnel and a 9.5-kilometer-long bridge connected by a seven-kilometer-long highway will be built to link the island with the city.
The link, which should be completed five years from now, is the city's largest ever project at a cost of 12.3 billion yuan (US$1.48 billion), and is expected to turn the isolated island into a promising development site.
However, the mindset of Chongming residents must change to make way for the pending economic growth, which according to local officials, may prevent the county from receiving more overseas investors.
As agriculture is still the county's pillar industry, most Chongming residents still live like their ancestors did decades ago.
But some of their traditions conflict with the county's modernization.
For instance, people in Chongming often hold large funerals in order to remember the dead. The ceremonies sometimes cause traffic jams on the county's main roads.
"Some of the old living habits will probably affect the investing environment in Chongming," said Wu.
To help people broaden their views, an educational campaign covering everything from working to living is being promoted in the county.
Modern living styles and agricultural technologies are be promoted through the local media to each household.
Government officials are using every chance via the media to suggest people not gather in the public places for private business, like holding funerals on busy roads.
Local residents are also expressing their viewpoints on the county's BBS about how to build a modernized county.
At the same time, the county awarded 14 distinguished agricultural incubators and the same number of outperformed villagers for their high-valued or market-favored products to inspire farmers' enthusiasm for science and markets. The selection has been held once every three years since 1989.
Education programs are being enhanced during the campaign as well-educated people are in high demand since Chongming is geared to be a modern eco-friendly island, said Wu.
The county has few professionals, accounting for 2.5 percent of its population, about half the average percentage in China.
Through those programs, laid-off workers and some surplus labors are likely to be trained as professional staff in forestry and environmental conservation.
Several universities have been invited to research the island's economy while protecting its natural resources. |
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