From our archives

Sept 23, 1983

47 counties double annual output value

The gross annual output value of industry and agriculture, or of agriculture alone, has doubled in 47 counties since 1979, according to a report in People's Daily.

In the poorest of these counties, the average annual per capita income has risen from 50 yuan to more than 300 yuan since flexible rural policies were adopted at the Third Plenary Session of the 11th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China in 1978. The 47 counties are in 15 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions.

The paper said the 47 counties attributed their success to the responsibility system, more modern farming methods and efforts to tap natural resources, as well as investment in farmland improvement.

New rail link

Tianjin Mayor Li Ruihuan opened the city's first locally run railway line on Sept 20, linking Liqizhuang in the western suburbs with the satellite town of Beidagang.

As a new industrial district of 400,000 people, Beidagang covers the Dagang Oil Field, an oil refinery, a power plant and a petrochemical and chemical fiber plant.

Commuter rail services have been opened for workers living along the 44-km railway line, which will be extended to Tianjin in 1984.

(China Daily 09/23/2008 page9)