Siming starts to shine as city's financial, cultural hub

Siming district in the city of Xiamen in Fujian province has seen a robust year for its economy, with improvements in reforms and innovation, city planning, public policy and the cultural industry, according to the local government.

Siming is one of the six districts in the scenic coastal city and, as one of the busiest, is also the financial and cultural hub.

The district's revenue from January to September this year reached 15.3 billion yuan ($2.4 billion), up 10.9 percent from the same period last year and accounting for 5 percent of the province's total revenue, according to official data.

Its revenue ranks first among all the districts in the province. Siming's GDP, revenue and business investment from January to September this year stayed in first place among all the districts in the city, according to official data.

According to the district government, the modern service industry has played a crucial role in the economic growth of Siming.

The district has clusters of corporate headquarters in its industrial parks, making the "headquarters economy" a major part of Siming's economic growth. By the end of September, tax revenue generated by the "headquarters economy" this year reached 8 billion yuan.

The district's tourism sector generated 34.1 billion yuan by the end of September, accounting for 60 percent of tourism revenue in the city. The value of foreign investment and the actual investment in the same period ranked first among all the districts in Xiamen, according to the data.

The steady economic growth of Siming owes a lot to the district's reforms in several sectors, the local government said.

The district government released a range of policy measures to support innovation and Internet startups. It has facilities in cooperation with China's IT giants, including Baidu, Tencent and Alibaba, offering incubation programs and other services to support innovation projects from startups.

These facilities, located in old factories and office buildings, are called "innovators' spaces" and hope to fuel the district's innovation.

The district government unveiled policy measures to give old buildings a new lease of life. It offers financial rewards, as well as professional support for design and mapping, to old building residents who want to renew the buildings. The reinvigoration project aims to keep the original style of the old buildings and cover a more comprehensive management and supervision system to develop the old area.

In social development, the Siming government has adopted a new mindset to give more power to the "basic level" sectors of the government and its people to manage social issues. Together with the city and provincial government, the district government is pressing ahead with healthcare system reforms.

One of the reforms includes having more community clinics associated with public hospitals. The clinics will receive patients with chronic diseases and those who are diagnosed but not in serious condition. The move hopes to offer more options and greater convenience to patients.

Earlier this year, the Siming government released policy measures to support the development of Longshan Cultural and Creative Park, which is the largest cultural industry park in the province and was developed by the Siming government.

The park is home to a range of Xiamen's booming cultural industries, such as fashion design and craft art design. The Zengcuoan Village, in the ancient Zengcuoan area, is a hotspot for young artists in the city. There are more than 100 studios for visual arts, fashion and music; there are also boutique shops, cafes as well as youth and family inns.

Sha Po Wei is a coastal area with a cluster of cultural facilities in Siming district. The city's famous museums and Xiamen University are located in the area.

It is a unique destination where people can learn about the history and culture of the fishery industry. The area is symbolic of Xiamen characteristics and an important place to showcase China's ocean culture, according to the local government.

A youth art festival, fashion week and a range of cultural events happen every year.

The Xiamen International Fashion Festival, started in 2013 and renamed Xiamen International Fashion Week last year, is an important event in the domestic and global fashion calendar. This year's fashion week is due to start on Nov 26 and will include a range of cultural and creative events.

humeidong@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 11/16/2015 page7)