2010年7月21日推出上海世博会湖南系列专刊之一《湖南综述》专版，向世界展示湖南两型社会建设成就。
《湖南探索新的经济增长模式》
Hunan explores new models of growth
By Feng Zhiwei (China Daily)-
Workers assemble vehicles at Changfeng Liebao Automotive Co. The automobile industry represents Hunan's fastest growing sector.
Even as the world economy was in the shadow of the financial crisis last year, Hunan province in central China reported an annual growth of 13.6 percent - exceeding the nation's 8 percent goal.
Hunan's gross domestic product (GDP) reached 1.29 trillion yuan, ranking it 10th nationwide. The province first broke the 1-trillion mark in 2008 with a GDP of 1.12 trillion yuan.
Zhou Qiang, Hunan's Party chief, attributed the achievement to a slew of stimulus measures, the implementation of new industrial development strategies, and an increasing reliance on technological innovations.
Railway
Growth was also driven by recent infrastructure projects, most notably the Wuhan-Guangzhou High-Speed Passenger Railway.
Completed last year, the line's trains attain speeds of up to 394 km/h, making the railway among the fastest in the world. It will be extended to Beijing in 2012, representing an important transportation artery.
Soon, a traveler from Changsha will be able to reach Beijing in five hours, said Han Yongwen, vice-governor of Hunan.
He added that the passenger line would lessen the number of travelers using China's existing Beijing-Guangzhou Railway, freeing additional cars for cargo transport.
Hunan also plays host to a high-speed railway linking Shanghai and Kunming that broke ground last year.
Both high-speed railways will be fully operational in Hunan by 2015.
"Such modes of transport will help make Hunan the nation's crossroad, greatly benefiting local businesses and boosting tourism," said Han.
Innovations
Scientific and technological innovations have also powered Hunan's development.
One such example is hybrid rice - created by Hunan's top agricultural scientist, Yuan Longping.
Over the past three decades, Yuan's rice has helped feed the nation and the world, increasing crop yields by several times.
Today, Yuan and his team are developing a new "super hybrid."
Among Hunan's other achievements is the Tianhe No 1 supercomputer developed by the Changsha-based National University of Defensive Technologies. It is capable of making 1.2 quadrillion calculations per second.
Hunan also boasts the 9,600-kW locomotive, specially designed for the trains on China's high-speed railways.
According to local statistics, the province ranks first among China's central and western regions in terms of approved patents.
After witnessing a decade of double-digit growth, Hunan authorities are making efforts to sustain the trend.
These efforts are concentrated in a regional program focused on environmental protection and energy conservation. The program will integrate Changsha, Xiangtan and Zhuzhou - three industrial boomtowns in Hunan known for heavy pollution.
Plans aim to shift industries' focus to eco-friendly production, new energies, bio-engineering and logistics. Economical and rational sharing of resources is also called for.
Of special concern is the fate of severely polluted Xiangjiang River - the mother river of Hunan.
Saving Xiangjiang
Xiangjiang links major industrial cities in the province, including Hengyang, Zhuzhou, Xiangtan, Changsha and Yueyang.
In 2007, newly appointed governor Zhou said he expected Xiangjiang to become "the Rhine of China."
As Xiangjiang, Europe's Rhine faced heavy pollution due to industrial development along its shores. However, as Zhou wished to note, recent years have seen it reclaim past grandeur - a result of joint environmental improvement efforts by several countries.
Zhou and his colleagues hope Xiangjiang will have a similar fate.
Three years ago, the provincial government of Hunan began a program to improve the river's water quality. The 17.4 billion yuan program implemented 1,377 pollution-control projects, while punishing or shutting down polluting enterprises.
(China Daily 07/21/2010 page7)
