A mountain in Central China’s Henan province is witnessing how the local economy has changed the way it develops.
Changshoushan, or Longevity Mountain, has been a tourist destination since 2009. Over 200,000 people have visited since then. However, what this mountain meant for local people in the past was stones, which could be sold for money.
The Zhulin township government stopped such activity, aiming to protect the mountain and finding a new economic growth point, said Li Shuzhuan on March 26. She is the chief executive of the township, where Changshoushan is located. Zhulin is a township of Gongyi, a county-level satellite city of Zhengzhou, capital of Henan province.
Gongyi’s secondary industry, which accounts for the biggest part of the local economy, has been negatively affected by the global economic downturn, said Mayor Zhang Chunyang on March 26. The city has tried hard to find new ways for economic growth, Zhang added.
He said that Gongyi has spent a lot of money to pave the mountain, making it more suitable for climbing. There are many low slopes over the mountain, which are good for the elderly, Zhang told visiting reporters from all over China.
On weekends, many residents of Zhengzhou come to Changshoushan, an official surnamed He told chinadaily.com.cn on March 26. He added that local residents could climb the mountain for free, even though the mountain has turned into a national AAA-level tourist destination.
Millionaire Kang’s Mansion, also located in Gongyi, will become a popular tourist destination, Li Xinjun, vice director of Zhengzhou Publicity Department, said on March 26. Li added that a TV drama based on Kang’s Mansion is being made, which will make it more well-known.
The chateau-like mansion, which was built in the late Ming Dynasty (1368 AD to 1644 AD), is well maintained, and is considered to be the birthplace of Henan’s entrepreneurial spirit.
Gongyi is experiencing the bitter sweetness of a changing economic growth model, Jing Xueping, director of Gongyi Publicity Department told chinadaily. com.cn on March 26.
Song Jingli (chinadaily.com.cn)