Connecting Jiangsu's 'Salt City' with national and regional plans
A performance of Huaiju Opera from Yancheng at a local community in Xuhui District, Shanghai, on Monday.
After the integrated development of the Yangtze River Delta is raised to a national strategy, regional cooperation and interaction is expected to scale up.
Yancheng, a city in northeast Jiangsu Province, is the latest demonstration of echoing the national strategy and driving regional cooperation.
On November 26, the 2018 Yancheng Cultural Week — the first of its kind — kicked off in Shanghai, and a creative communication center was inaugurated.
The center is jointly established by the Publicity Department of Yancheng Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China and Xinmin Evening News. It aims to exhibit Yancheng’s culture and bring the best version of Yancheng to the world, as well as deepen ties between Yancheng and Shanghai.
Wu Xiaodan, director of the Publicity Department of Yancheng Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China, said at the opening ceremony that the 2018 Yancheng Cultural Week is a new attempt to enhance cultural exchange, and a new beginning for Yancheng’s further integration into the Yangtze River Delta.
In the following week, a variety of cultural events will take place. Huaiju Opera troupes from Yancheng will perform in local communities of Shanghai, and Shanghai media will visit Yancheng. The week will be held annually.
Yancheng, literally translated as “Salt City,” is known for its long coastline and time-honored salt manufacturing. It sits at the intersection of the Yangtze River Economic Belt and the Belt and Road Initiative, and is a member of the Yangtze River city clusters.
Yancheng boasts a long history, extraordinary natural scenery and rich culture. It was where the New Fourth Army was reconstructed, which played a pivotal role in the emancipation of the Chinese nation. Its coastal wetland, the vastest in the west bank of the Pacific Ocean, exudes a primitive landscape friendly to rare animals and birds. It is also the birthplace of Huaiju Opera, a traditional Chinese opera well-loved in Shanghai and Jiangsu Province.
Yancheng and Shanghai have long been interwoven. Over 30 years ago, more than 80,000 educated youths from Shanghai went to Yancheng to turn the mudflats into modern farms. Nowadays, Yancheng is one of the major producers of agricultural products for Shanghai.
As the integrated development of the Yangtze River Delta enters its next phase, new opportunities will abound for Yancheng.
Currently the city is weaving a tighter high-speed railway network. It seeks to reduce two-thirds of the travelling time from Yancheng to major cities in the Yangtze River Delta.
The high-speed railway from Yancheng to Shanghai is expected to be operational by 2020, which will connect the two cities within just 50 minutes.
