Ma'anshan: a magnet for Yangtze

60 years of development strengthens the industrial hub as a link between eastern seaboard and inland areas with bustling port transport

Ma'anshan, a city spanning the Yangtze River in Anhui province, has come a long way from a sleepy, humble village with just a handful of families, transforming into a bustling economic center in the Yangtze River Delta.

It only officially became a city in October 1956. But, after 60 years' development, it has landed on the top 100 most-livable cities in China, quite a leap from the not-too-distant past.

Part of the reason is that this prefecture-level city borders Nanjing - the capital of the prosperous Jiangsu province - and provides a connection between the eastern seaboard and places farther inland.

It also sits on the doorstep of the Industrial Transfer Demonstration Zone, a part of Anhui's Yangtze River City Belt.

Ma'anshan means "Horse Saddle Mountain" in Chinese. Legend has it that Xiang Yu, a prominent military leader and political figure in the late Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC), killed himself after losing a battle in this area. His beloved, faithful horse was so grief-stricken that it leapt into the river and drowned. As a tribute, a boatman buried the saddle on a nearby hill, hence the name.

Today's Ma'anshan comprises three county-level districts and three counties in a 4,049-sq-km area, with a population of 2.27 million. It has achieved an urbanization rate of 66 percent.

It has one of the best economic indexes - revenue and income of urban and rural people - in Anhui province. In 2015, the average annual income of urbanites was more than 35,100 yuan ($5,318), and of farmers, 16,400 yuan.

The city has won many awards for its environmental, tourist, forestry, scientific, educational, investment and foreign trade achievements, said Xu Pengfei, deputy-chief of Ma'anshan Municipal Information Office.

Its location has played no small part in that development. It is a mere 28 km from Nanjing Lukou International Airport, about a 40-minute drive away. A high-speed train ride from Ma'anshan to Nanjing takes only 20 minutes. It takes around two and a half hours to reach Shanghai and less than five hours to reach Beijing by bullet train.

A bridge across the Yangtze River opened to traffic on Dec 31, 2013 in Ma'anshan, making travel to neighboring cities much more convenient.

Ma'anshan is now one of the 10 biggest ports on the Yangtze River and one of the first 63 ports to receive government approval to ship directly to Taiwan.

Industry accounts for more than 68 percent of the city's economy. The major industries are steel, machinery, automobiles, electric power, fine chemicals, building materials, food and foundry.

In addition, Ma'anshan is not lacking in educational resources, with six colleges and universities, three State-level science institutes, four State-level research centers, one State-level technology center, 10 major labs, and 10 post-doctoral research and development centers.

Ma'anshan has been recognized as a scientific pioneer many times, and has become a pilot for implementing intellectual property rights laws. The city also has some 174,000 technology professionals.

Investment and development opportunities in the city have benefitted from the sound social security situation, and increased cooperation with foreign countries and other regions.

(China Daily 09/06/2016 page19)