Changsha looks to be China's 'Dubai'

The local government of Changsha has unveiled ambitious plans which will see the city emulating the Middle East success story of Dubai and establish its Dahexi area as a pioneering, environmtally-friendy, energy-conservation zone.

Zhao Wenbin, vice-mayor of the capital of Hunan province in central China, is open about the city's aspirations: "We will build the Dahexi area into the second Dubai. Just like Dubai, the economic hub of the United Arab Emirates and one of the world's must-see cities, we envisage that the Daxihe area will become a tourist destination of truly global import."

The name of Dahexi literally means "to the west of a big river". As the name suggests, the area covers more than 1,200 sq km of land, close to the west bank of the Changsha stretch of the Xiangjiang River, the biggest river in the province and also a tributary of the Yangtze River.