Zhangjiagang a city on the rise
Cultural and art activities from 12 provinces along the Yangtze River were hosted at the 2019 China (Zhangjiagang) Yangtze River Culture and Art Festival, which kicked off on November 1 in Zhangjiagang, Jiangsu Province.
Launched in 2004, the annual event this year features 10 large-scale cultural activities, including a traditional drama show, cross-talk and folk dances, giving visitors the chance to enjoy high-quality entertainment in a rapidly developing port city.
With its opening ceremony at the Poly Grand Theater on November 1, the festival will run until mid-November. The Golden Autumn Economic and Trade Week is a highlight at this year’s event, bringing together a total of 17 trade exchange projects.
“The port city has taken full advantage of the culture and art festival to promote industry upgrading and technological development, while also enhancing regional cultural and economic exchanges,” says Shen Guofang, Party secretary of Zhangjiagang, during a speech at the opening ceremony.
Shen stressed the important role the Yangtze River plays in promoting the city’s cultural and economic development.
“With strategic branding, the art festival has already presented more than 80 large-scale shows and over 100 folk programs since its debut,” says Yang Fang, head of publicity of Zhangjiagang.
The 7th Zhangjiagang Yangtze River Folk Art Festival and the 2019 Yangtze River Xiaoxi (storytelling with song and dance) and Xiaopin (Chinese skit) Exhibition were also held during the festival.
The festival attracted many performers from across the country and invited top experts to help preserve and promote the dramatic arts of Zhangjiagang and other cities along the Yangtze River.
During the Golden Autumn Economic and Trade Week, deals were signed on 66 projects involving 32.9 billion yuan (US$4.7 billion) in investment at a promotional conference for Zhangjiagang.
“The projects will lead to more innovation and high-quality development in Zhangjiagang,” said the Party secretary.
Since the beginning of this year, the local government has been striving to attract investment – and its efforts have paid off.
More than 24.3 billion yuan in projects were signed at a recent promotional activity in Shanghai, while a Beijing event yielded 10 billion yuan in investment.
Completion and commencement ceremonies were held for projects with combined investment amounting to more than 81 billion yuan, as well as for total investments of 39 billion yuan in the first and second quarters of 2019.
Officials said the city is taking advantage of the integrated development of the Yangtze River Delta region to build itself into a model of high-quality development for other county-level cities in China.
After over 20 years of development, Zhangjiagang is one of the strongest cities of its size in China.
“Building up a demonstration city with a high-quality economy, urban-rural integration and the civilization of a new era to basically realize the modernization ahead of the whole province” has helped Zhangjiagang develop its self-confidence and culture, according to Shen.
The 11-kilometer cross-Yangtze River bridge in Zhangjiagang is part of the Hutong (Shanghai-Nantong) high-speed railway which will be finished in 2020.
