In February, Changsha county in Central China’s Hunan province, proposed to take the lead in the central and western regions to build a demonstration area for common prosperity.
According to the proposal, a decisive victory will be achieved in building the demonstration area by 2035.
With a relatively high degree of affluence, balanced development and a strong sense of reform and innovation, Changsha county has a large space and potential for demonstration area construction, according to the local government.
Changsha county is succeeding in its plan of action to achieve common prosperity. Such a plan is not merely a slogan, but is based on a predictable and attainable vision for the county, local officials said.
The county is one of the 18 typical areas of reform and opening-up in China. Changsha county ranked ninth among the top 100 counties in China in 2014, and rose to fifth place in 2018. The county remained in the top five for three consecutive years, ranking first in central and western China.
In 2021, the county’s GDP ranked first among more than 100 counties and urban areas in Hunan province, surpassing the national average, according to the local government.
Narrowing the gap between urban and rural areas is key to achieving common prosperity. The per capita disposable income ratio of urban and rural residents reflects the urban-rural gap.
Last year, the per capita disposable income of urban and rural residents in Changsha county exceeded 50,000 yuan ($7,914.9), with a per capita disposable income ratio reaching 1.4. It is far better than the national per capita disposable income ratio of urban and rural residents of 2.5.
The high-quality development of industrial economy helps inject strong momentum into Changsha’s goal to achieve common prosperity.
Gathering leading construction machinery enterprises like Sany, Sunward and China Railway Construction Heavy Industry, Changsha county has the output value of construction machinery industry exceeding 160 billion yuan.
The county has gathered more than 300,000 industrial workers and 40 of the world’s top 500 companies.
In addition, Changsha county is committed to integrating the achievements of poverty alleviation with rural vitalization, and accelerating the promotion of modern agriculture and new-type urbanization.
In recent years, the county has insisted on improving people’s livelihoods. It expanded social security coverage to an additional 240,000 people, reduced or exempted social insurance premiums of 1.7 billion yuan and established the largest number of public rental housing units in Hunan with 25,900.
Chen Huqiang, a villager of Xiangfeng village in Changsha county, used to live in poor conditions as his wife and daughter suffered from diseases.
A few years ago, local officials applied for a subsistence allowance for Chen. And through relevant poverty alleviation policies, the local government helped the family reduce the burden of its medical expenses.
A gradual improvement in life enables Chen to gain confidence in starting up a business. Now, with the help of the local government, Chen’s duck breeding business has experienced fast development. His family has not only been lifted out of poverty, but also lived a moderately prosperous life.
In the next five years, the county will increase the proportion of middle-income groups by more than 10 percentage points. It will also create more than 80,000 new jobs, build 22 primary and secondary schools and establish more than three new high-level hospitals.
Feng Zhiwei and Zhu Youfang contributed to this story.
Changsha county in Hunan province has a relatively high degree of affluence, balanced development and a strong sense of reform and innovation. WANG SHENHU/FOR CHINA DAILY
Source: Chinadaily
