I've only heard a little about the city of Xiangyang before, but I've never really understood it. When I checked the information on the Internet, I also found a lot of "urban legends" and old impressions about Xiangyang. I had some doubts and worries before the business trip, but after coming to Xiangyang in person and visiting the site, I had a new understanding and perception of this place, which made me once again realize the profound connotation of the old saying "it is better to see than to hear".
Myth 1: Xiangyang is a small city with very backward development
Before the business trip, many people told me that Xiangyang is only a small third-tier city, and the development situation must be very backward. When I checked the information on the Internet, I also found that Xiangyang was rarely reported by the news media, and it seemed that it was not very well-known in the country.
But after actually coming to Yangyang, I felt the prosperity of this city as a regional central city. Xiangyang not only has a long history of more than 2,800 years, but also a transportation hub city, integrating railways, highways, aviation and other modes of transportation. Fuyin Expressway, Erguang Expressway and Xiangyu, Handan and other railways crisscross it, connecting Henan in the north and Wuhan and other cities in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River in the south. The Xiaohe port area of Yangyang Port is also the largest port area planned on the Han River.
In terms of urban construction, the core business district and office buildings in the central city of Xiangyang are lined up, and people come and go, and the prosperous scene is not lost to the surrounding big cities. The city also has a national high-tech zone, economic and technological development zone and other key development zones. A number of well-known enterprises such as Dongfeng Motor, an old central enterprise, aerospace enterprises, and aerospace life-saving equipment have taken root and developed here.
From the perspective of economic development, Xiangyang's GDP reached 582.7 billion yuan last year, ranking 45th among the top 50 cities in the country and first among non-provincial capital cities in the central and western regions. The tertiary industry accounts for nearly 43%, reflecting a good level of urbanization development.
It can be seen that Xiangyang is already a regional central city with strong economic strength and huge development potential in Hubei and even in the central and western regions, and it is by no means a "small city".
Myth 2: Xiangyang is an "old industrial town" with a poor environment
Many people's impression of Xiangyang is stuck in the era of the last century, when the old industrial base was the mainstay. In the past, Xiangyang had many traditional manufacturing industries such as machinery, automobiles, and chemicals, so there was a stereotype of "old industrial town" and poor environment in the outside world.
However, this is not the case, in recent years, Xiangyang has vigorously adjusted the industrial structure, accelerated the process of new industrialization, and vigorously developed emerging industries through continuous optimization of industrial layout, the city's appearance has been significantly improved.
Today's Xiangyang is making great strides towards the goal of "modernization, informatization and industrialization". High-tech industries such as electronic information and biomedicine are growing, and emerging industries such as new energy vehicles, energy conservation and environmental protection, and modern service industries are booming, which are becoming new engines for economic growth.
At the same time, Xiangyang also attaches great importance to the construction of ecological civilization. Over the years, we have continued to increase investment, and continue to make efforts in environmental governance, energy conservation and emission reduction, landscaping, etc., and the air quality and water quality have continued to improve. In particular, the greenways and parks along the banks of the Han River have become a good place for citizens to get close to nature and relax.
Therefore, if you still retain the old concept of "industrial town" and "poor environment" in Xiangyang, you are very wrong.
Myth 3: Xiangyang is a city with no cultural connotation
Many people think that Xiangyang is just an ordinary industrial city with no cultural connotation. In fact, this is the biggest superficial perception of Xiangyang and the misunderstanding of the ignorant.
In fact, Xiangyang is a famous historical and cultural city with a profound cultural heritage. As early as 1986, Xiangyang was identified as a "famous historical and cultural city in China" by the State Council. The territory is rich in the cultural heritage of the Three Kingdoms, and is known as the "Hometown of the Three Kingdoms Culture". According to statistics, among the 120 episodes of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms", 32 of the storylines take place in Xiangyang. There are a number of national 4A-level or above scenic spots in the area, such as the 800-mile Hanjiang Chinatown, the Gulongzhong Scenic Area, and the Xiangyang Ancient City.
Xiangyang is rich in historical relics and historic sites. There are 18 national key cultural relics protection units, 112 provincial and 64 municipal cultural relics protection units in the city. A large number of cultural relics and historic sites, including Xiangyang City Wall, Longzhong Academy, Zhuge Liang's Former Residence, Migong Temple, etc., have witnessed the splendid history and culture here.
At the same time, Xiangyang is also an important birthplace of folk culture. There are a variety of intangible cultural heritages circulating here, such as flower drum operas, woodblock New Year paintings, Laohekou gongs and drums and other items have been listed as national intangible cultural heritage masterpieces.
Not only that, Xiangyang has a variety of folk festivals throughout the year, such as the folk customs tour of "Longzhong to see peonies" on March 3; In the Mid-Autumn Festival, Xiangzhou kohlrabi is fragrant; At the end of the year and the beginning of the year, New Year's flowers are sold in various places, and the atmosphere of the New Year's festival is strong.
Therefore, to say that Xiangyang is a city with "no cultural connotation" is to ignore and superficially recognize a famous historical and cultural city.
Myth 4: Xiangyang is a city with slow development and no prospects
Someone once told me that Xiangyang is a slow-growing city with a mediocre future. Indeed, compared to megacities such as Wuhan and Xi'an, Xiangyang's development process may lag slightly behind.
However, judging from my latest field trip, Xiangyang is vigorously implementing a new type of urbanization and modernization with unprecedented determination and intensity, and rapid changes are taking place.
First of all, Xiangyang has made efforts to speed up the process of urbanization. At present, Xiangyang is vigorously promoting the overall spatial layout of "one core and four districts". It is planned to build a new area of Xiangyang New City and create a modern central urban area. It also integrates the 50-kilometer narrow development pattern between the old city to build a "one-hour living circle", making Xiangyang truly a compact and efficient modern metropolitan area.
Secondly, vigorously developing modern industries is an important engine for Xiangyang's future development. In recent years, Xiangyang Industrial Park has accelerated the pace of development, and the construction of the development zone is in full swing. The state-level high-tech zone and economic and technological development zone have a number of pillar industries such as automobiles, electronic information, and equipment manufacturing, and are moving from manufacturing to high-end intelligent manufacturing.
At the same time, Xiangyang's transportation location advantages are in full play. The Xiangyang Free Trade Zone has set up 9 international logistics channels, covering 80% of European freight stations, becoming a veritable "dry port". A number of major transportation projects, such as the Hubei Golden Intercity Railway and the Han-10 High-speed Railway, are also being accelerated.
It can be said that in the future, Xiangyang will accelerate its integration into the Wuhan urban circle and realize the integrated development of urban and rural areas. The continuous improvement of a series of hardware facilities and the acceleration of industrial transformation will surely promote the sustainable and healthy development of Xiangyang's economy and society. Therefore, it is completely untenable to say that Xiangyang is "slow to develop and has no prospects".
Overall, through this field trip, I gained a new understanding of Xiangyang. It is by no means the "small city", "old industrial town", "uncultured" and "slow-growing" backward city that I imagined before. On the contrary, it is a regional center city with great development potential, with a rich cultural heritage and an accelerated process of modernization. I believe that as long as Xiangyang continues to maintain its current development momentum, it will definitely become one of the fastest-growing and most dynamic modern cities in the central and western regions in the future.
Those online rumors and outdated concepts about Xiangyang can no longer truly reflect the new look of the current city. For the people of the whole country, it may take some time to gain a new understanding of the once neglected city of Xiangyang. However, I believe that by continuously opening up to the outside world, Xiangyang will eventually let the world re-recognize and understand its unique charm.