Hengxi Town Rated As National AAA-Level Tourist Attraction

Recently, Hengxi Scenic Spot in Yinzhou District has been rated by the authority as National AAA Level Tourist Attraction. Such a glory to be conferred on a whole town is unprecedented in Ningbo and rare even in Zhejiang. And who can have imagined, it was a foundry town with chimneys dominating everywhere in daylight and smoke haunting at night just seven or eight years ago.

In the 1980s, 159 foundries crowded in Hengxi town and its neighbor, Yunlong town, making the place a renowned foundry town at that time. Their extensive mode of growth contributed to huge profits but also attached great burden to the environment. Since 2008, Yinzhou District has embarked on a campaign to address heavy polluting enterprises, especially the foundries, with unfaltering determination. Of the 34 large foundries in Hengxi, 23 were eliminated and the rest were subjected to technical transformation to fit the environmental requirements.

The unflinching fight against pollution won a round of applause, but where did the destination of Hengxi's economic development lie? After careful deliberation, Hengxi government and the party committee decided to fully utilize its superior locality and rich natural and cultural resources to develop local tourism. We realize that beautiful scenery is bound to bring financial benefits. So we hold on to it, bent on developing tourism like we ever did with industry, said Wang Zhigang, party secretary of the town. Within 8 years, Hengxi invested over 1 billion in ecological construction and its own improvement.

Eight years ago, Tingxi hill was still an unknown wilderness in Zhoujia Village 2 kilometers from the central town. However, in recent years, more and more city dwellers gravitated here for exercise. Hengxi thus seized the opportunity and added more public facilities like parking lots for visitors' convenience. Besides, it opened 4 ancient tracks and repaired the facilities along them. Before long it became famous as an excellent exercising place. Now over 0.5 million tourists flood to Hengxi every year.

The special workout experience boosted agritainment business in Hengxi. Restaurants providing rural cuisines mushroomed along the exercising routes. I've worked in a foundry for 8 years but didn't really own much, said Chen Hailiang, a farmer from Shangjie Village. But now he runs a business near his home, selling self-made qingtuan. He can sell around 700 within a day in good weather.

Streams trickled down verdant mountains with ancient tracks winding through weather-beaten architectures. The magnificent scenery caught many investors' eye. Shanghai Kungkeen company that has successfully completed a guest house project in Mogan Mountain is now considering another one in Hengxi. The place has fresh air and good environment. We planned to invest 20 million in establishing a high-end guest house so that city dwellers can experience an easy life there, said Mr. Mao, who is in charge of the project.

In 2016, Hengxi finished the draft of Overall Plan of Tourism, which specified that Hengxi will focus on 11 special tourist projects featuring walking for fitness .

From a heavily polluted foundry town to a rare National AAA Level Tourist Attraction, Hengxi made its perfect transition a successful practice of the theory that beautiful scenery is indeed invaluable asset. It also marks an economical nirvana following political changes.

It takes a hefty loss of profits to close, suspend, merge and transform enterprises. But a good natural environment ensues after the short twinge, which will attract both visitors and investors who will convert Hengxi's natural resources to competitive industries that boost its economy. Such a sustainable development never fails to win public favor.

LINK:	http://en.nbwh.gov.cn/art/2016/3/14/art_1325_80627.html...
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