Ancient water city Tongxiang is internet savvy

Sheng Yongjun, mayor of Tongxiang city, speaks at a press conference in a hall at the Wuzhen Internet International Convention and Exhibition Center in Tongxiang, East China's Zhejiang province, Nov 17, 2016. [Photo/chinadaily.com.cn]

Tongxiang, a poetic and picturesque water city with more than 7,000 years of history, has undergone great changes since Wuzhen, a township under it, became the permanent site for the World Internet Conference in 2014, said Mayor Sheng Yongjun at a press conference on Thursday.

Adjacent to East China's booming Suzhou and Hangzhou cities, the city enjoys geographic advantages. Together, these two cities are referred to as "Su-Hang," and are known as "Paradise on Earth".

Since hosting the first World Internet Conference, Tongxiang has invested 556 million yuan in IT infrastructure. It has built 1,683 4G network base stations and access to Wi-Fi covers almost all major public spaces.

"The internet is everywhere in Tongxiang," Sheng said. The city has worked to build smart elderly care, tourism, transportation and medical services to bring real benefits to people.

A map showing Tongxiang's location is displayed on a screen in a hall at the Wuzhen Internet International Convention and Exhibition Center in Tongxiang, East China's Zhejiang province, Nov 17, 2016. [Photo/chinadaily.com.cn]

The Wuzhen Internet Hospital, for instance, is connected to more than 1,900 major hospitals in 27 provinces across the country through the online platform We Doctor. The platform has gathered 7,260 expert teams, providing services for more than 500 million people with a daily online reception of more than 18,000 people.

Wuzhen's smart elderly care service platform, which combines online and offline services for seniors, covers three communities, with more than 5,000 senior citizens registered for the services.

The World Internet Conference builds a bridge between China and the world and serves as a window for the world to look at Wuzhen, Sheng said.

Deeper changes are expected to take place in the city as the internet industry continues to grow here, he said.