◇Wujiang's thriving urbanization benefited from the grassroots industries that started from township enterprises and spread throughout the townships and towns in those years, but at the moment of transformation and upgrading of traditional industries, how to recognize and dispose of grassroots industries?
◇From Tongli Ancient Town to Zhenze Ancient Town, from Lili Ancient Town to Luxu Ancient Town...... Wujiang preserves many old streets, old houses, ancient bridges, and ancient villages, how to do a good job in protective development, prevent developmental damage, better draw the ecological picture of Wujiang, and highlight the cultural value of the countryside?
◇Wujiang's private economy is booming, attracting a large number of foreign population, how to let the outsiders stay and live in peace?
◇In various towns and cities of Wujiang, people talk about the extraordinary experience of local well-known entrepreneurs in starting a business, how to revitalize the entrepreneurial spirit and entrepreneurial momentum of Wujiang?
"Lookout" Newsweek reporter Duan Xianju, Zhao Jiulong, Gu Yiping
Zhenze Ancient Town's Pillow River Family (taken on March 26, 2021) Photo by Zhu Rui
The many factors facing urbanization in Wujiang District, Suzhou City, Jiangsu Province, today are very different from those faced by Fei Xiaotong 40 years ago when he published "Small Towns, Big Problems".
At the end of 1983, the urbanization rate of China's permanent population was 21.62%, and then underwent a process of accelerated urbanization, and by the end of 2022, the urbanization rate of the national permanent population was 65.22%.
In the past, it was still a small market and small production, but now it is a large market and large production. More than 40 years ago, with the mainland's reform and opening up, the society's demand for industrial products began to be released, and the things produced by factories were not sold; in recent years, the production capacity of some products has been saturated, the public has put forward higher requirements for product quality, and some industries in urban layout have been challenged.
Wujiang's urbanization, which once created a miracle, is facing a new test on the road to high-quality development.
Grassroots Industries: Disappear or Grow
The tree is 1,000 feet tall and has roots in fertile soil. Over the past 40 years, Wujiang's urbanization has flourished thanks to the grassroots industries that started from township enterprises and spread throughout the townships and towns in those years, survived the fittest in the fierce market competition, survived tenaciously, and gradually grew, giving birth to huge industrial clusters of 100 billion yuan such as silk textiles, electronic information, equipment manufacturing, and new materials, and growing up landmark enterprises such as Hengli, Shenghong, and Hengtong.
Textile can be called a model of Wujiang's grassroots industry, and the textile of Shengze Town has walked out of the "Shengze path" of transformation from traditional textile to modern chemical industry and the whole industry.
In 2009, Shengze Textile ushered in the turning point of aging equipment elimination and product upgrading. Many entrepreneurs aim at the most cutting-edge textile technology and technology, and invest in the digital and intelligent transformation track. Represented by Hengli Group Co., Ltd., we vigorously promote "machine substitution", introduce tens of thousands of sets of advanced production equipment, and move from "demographic dividend" to "technical dividend". In April 2010, it set foot in the chemical field and built a PTA production line with an annual output of 4.4 million tons in Changxing Island, Dalian, opening up the whole industrial chain of chemical textile fibers and entering the field of industrial fibers.
In 2022, the total industrial output value of Shengze Town will be 84 billion yuan, an increase of 2.19%, and the industrial invoicing sales will be 125 billion yuan, an increase of 5.4%. The reporter learned from an interview that it was originally due to the central position of Shengze's textile industry, which made some enterprises move to other places, but the roots are still in Shengze - the spillover is actually a processing plant, and the raw materials are still pulled from Shengze's Hengli and Shenghong, and the products are still pulled back to Shengze's Oriental silk market for sale.
At the same time, a large number of small-scale, low-output grassroots enterprises are still scattered in small towns, and the overall industrial level still needs to be improved.
The "Zhenze color steel plate path" that is being explored, the "mobile house" mentioned by Fei Xiaotong, has initially shown certain reference significance. Zhenze once said that every household was engaged in the color steel plate industry, but in recent years, its land occupation, low tax per mu, decentralized operation is not conducive to safety management and other problems have become increasingly prominent.
Is it "one off", or "to be better and stronger"? The final choice of the Zhenze town government is to match, integrate 48 color steel plate enterprises to establish a horse racing technology company, build a color steel plate park, share standardized workshops and production lines, and cooperate in the division of labor in production, some make doors, some make windows, some make profiles, etc., and the sales are separated.
In the past two years, Zhenze Town has shut down and transferred 268 color steel plate enterprises, the number of enterprises has decreased by nearly 50%, and the area has been reduced by more than 1,800 acres, accounting for 47% of the original area. A number of enterprises that have been invoicing in other places for a long time have achieved the return of tax sources, and the average tax growth rate per mu has reached 78%, truly realizing "increasing production without increasing land". The number of environmental complaints against the color steel plate industry dropped from 77 in 2017 to 2 in 2021.
The "Zhenze Color Steel Plate Path" has initially achieved a win-win situation for enterprises, governments, villages and other parties, and also provided many inspirations for how to recognize and dispose of grassroots industries.
Cultural Ecology: Conservation or Revitalization?
According to historical research, some ancient towns in Wujiang have taken shape thousands of years ago.
From Tongli Ancient Town to Zhenze Ancient Town, from Lili Ancient Town to Luxu Ancient Town...... Wujiang still preserves many old streets, old houses, ancient bridges and ancient villages, reflecting Wujiang's efforts and achievements in the protection of urban culture in recent years.
At the same time, Wujiang ranks second in the number of national key cultural relics protection units among all counties and cities in Suzhou.
In the past few years, the three small rivers in the ancient towns of Kuaiyagang, Shidunbang and Yaojiabang were silted up and smelly. Zhenze Town has implemented more than 20 actions in two years, identified and blocked 69 drainage outlets, and brought 3 rivers back to life, becoming a successful example of river governance in Jiangsu and even the whole country. Many years ago, a river in the core area of the ancient town that flowed through the Diding Bridge, which was named after the aid to the Shangshu, was compressed by about half, and a row of logs supported the riverbank, and the occupied river surface was built into a parking lot and pedestrian walkway. Now, this historical problem that has damaged the style of the ancient town is expected to be completely corrected.
In the future, the ecologically beautiful and livable countryside will attract people and provide environmental support for urban development, and may itself be the prototype source of characteristic towns, and it is necessary to do a good job in protective development to prevent developmental damage.
Zhenze Town proposes "lightweight" and "artistic" operations. The so-called lightweight is to prevent large-scale demolition and construction, pay attention to handling lightly, and do not use urbanization to build the countryside and destroy the rural texture. The so-called "artistic" is to protect the rural background of "clean, quiet and artistic conception". In recent years, Zhenze has introduced projects such as Taihu Snow Silkworm Cultural Park, Su Xiaohua Field Picnic Bar, Chulian Township Neighborhood Center, Chai Miduo Nature Education Center, and Wumutian Homestay. Most of the houses used in these projects have been retained in their original style, some have been converted into warehouses, and some have been renovated with private houses, and the use of metal, glass and other materials has been minimized.
"Outer Second Generation": Guest Residence, or Rooted?
People are the most active factor in productivity. Wujiang is a place of continuous population inflow. In June 2021, the Wujiang District Bureau of Statistics announced that the permanent resident population of the district based on 0:00 on November 1, 2020 was based on the statistics of the "Seven Censuses", and compared with the "Six Censuses" in 2010, a total of 271143 people increased in ten years, an increase of 21.28%, with an average annual growth rate of 1.95%.
The vigorous development of the private economy in the small towns of Wujiang has attracted a large number of foreign populations, and they have made historic contributions to the prosperity of Wujiang towns.
In recent years, in order to create more high-productivity and high-income employment opportunities for migrant workers, Wujiang has focused on encouraging them to participate in employment skills training for urban and rural workers, such as electrician, childcare, housekeeping, pastry baking and other skills training suitable for migrant workers, as well as new occupations and new forms of business training such as computer operators and Internet marketers. In 2022, 4,628 urban and rural workers were trained in employment skills, and 3,286 were trained in vocational skills for the new generation of migrant workers. Actively implement the policy of inter-provincial household registration migration in the Yangtze River Delta region. In 2020, 2021 and 2022, the number of people from rural to urban areas will reach 11,786, 15,605 and 9,911 respectively.
In Shengze Town, the relevant person in charge of the Henan Chamber of Commerce in Wujiang District, who was interviewed by reporters, said that many Henan people are working hard in Shengze, but there are not many people who settle in Wujiang - first, there is a certain threshold for settling in before, second, many Henan people have deep hometown feelings, and third, it is not clear what practical convenience will be brought by settling in Wujiang. "The overall feeling is that the conditions are not positive, and the conditions for wanting to settle down are insufficient. ”
Sun Yifei, a 40-year-old native of Gushi County, Henan Province, who has been in Shengze for 19 years and has been with his uncle for 19 years, said that he and his friends (including the older generation) basically have no intention of settling down. "I have a heavy sense of hometown, I am reluctant to give up the land of my hometown, and I have a weak sense of belonging to the local area. ”
As local governments strive to provide public services such as public degrees to migrants, businesses are also taking action. In Pingwang Town's listed company "Aimer Shares", most of the employees are from Anhui, Henan, Shandong, and there are many women, and many mature female employees have returned to their hometowns because of marriage. The company cherishes their business skills, and a few years ago established a "better life fund" to give 100,000 yuan interest-free loans to employees who buy houses in Pingwang Town and urban areas, and repay them in 3~5 years. Cumulatively, more than 100 people have used the fund.
Entrepreneurs: Hold on, or reinvigorate?
Some enterprises tend to be conservative and dare not transform and upgrade their hands on one acre and three points of land; most of the employees on the production lines of some factories are "outsiders" from the central and western regions, while local young people are unwilling to endure hardships and even ask their parents to intercede and transfer to the "second line" to seek jobs; some government functional departments and cadres do not have a strong sense of urgency to seize opportunities such as the Yangtze River Delta Ecological Green Integrated Development Demonstration Zone, and the level of specialization and digitalization of government services needs to be improved urgently...... During his visits to various towns in Wujiang, the reporter felt the call for entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial motivation from time to time.
In January 2023, the Wujiang District Party Committee and the District Government held a district-wide meeting and put forward the entrepreneurial spirit of Wujiang as: dare to be the first in the world, look at the world, think about the source of prosperity, be indomitable, and innovate for far-reaching.
Although the well-known private industrial enterprises that grew up in Wujiang have made production at home and abroad, none of them have moved their headquarters away from Wujiang, which is considered by Wujiang people to show deep local feelings.
At that time, many of the veterans of township enterprises began to hand over the "second generation". The government departments of Wujiang District have held training courses for the "second generation" torch inheritance for many times.
The reporter visited Canny Elevator Co., Ltd. located in Fenhu. Founded in 1993 with a loan of 20,000 yuan, the company has now developed into a listed company with more than 5,000 employees, supporting more than 50 supporting enterprises and driving the development and growth of Wujiang elevator industry.
On the first floor of the factory is a black and old second-hand tricycle used by the founder Wang Youlin when he started his business, which was partially rotted by the collapsed triangular leather seat, revealing yellow rust. Before starting his business in 1993, he used the car to deliver beer to the town's shops in his spare time. The wall next to the tricycle reads: "From the moment the business sprouts, this tricycle has determined that Kangli is a simple but progressive enterprise, not forgetting its roots, not flashy, and moving forward." Next, he quoted "Zuo Chuan" "The road is blue, and the mountains and forests are enlightened" and then sighed and admonished: "How hard it is to start a business, and cherish growth." Zhu Linhao, the "second generation" who has taken over, went to work in the factory after graduating from the university in 2015 with a major in electrical engineering machinery. He said frankly that the "second generation" is not as good as the "fight" of the parents, and is relatively "rational". He said that his role model was his father.
Many people interviewed in Wujiang believe that the masses of the people are the main force in historical development and social progress and the creators of history. Wujiang is one of the exemplary examples, when the development of industries in various towns to form "one town, one product" is an important achievement of "dare to be the first". They appealed that Wujiang has a good gene for entrepreneurship, and Wujiang people should inherit and carry forward the spirit of initiative and fully stimulate their wisdom and strength.
(Outlook, Issue 51, 2023)
Source: Xinhua News Agency