Water heritage is key to Wujiang’s success
Print Edition
DOTTED with numerous lakes and crisscrossed by a network of rivers and canals, Wujiang District of Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, is well known as a paradise of water.
With a water surface area occupying 23 percent of its land mass, Wujiang is endowed with hundreds of rivers, ponds and lakes that have nourished its prosperity and vitality for thousands of years and have turned it into one of the most economically successful regions in China.
Wujiang used to host a section of the Grand Canal built in the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) connecting Beijing and Hangzhou. The largest ancient canal in the world facilitated the trading of silk in Wujiang, which has gained a high reputation as “the Capital of Silk.”
Today, of 137 lakes listed in a protection plan of Jiangsu, Wujiang owns 56. Major water resources include Taihu Lake, Wusong River, Taipu River, Xitang River and winding canals, providing the region a highly efficient water network linking water-enriched towns and neighboring cities.
Wujiang lies to the east of Taihu Lake, the third-largest freshwater lake in China, after Poyang Lake and Dongting Lake. Wusong River, an outlet of Taihu Lake, passes through Wujiang all the way through Shanghai’s city center and finally flows into the Huangpu River at the northern end of the Bund.
Enjoying a privileged natural environment, Wujiang is known as “the Land of Fish and Rice” that offers a variety of fresh delicacy such as bass, hairy crabs, water shield, water bamboo and a delicious specialty known as “Three Whites of Taihu Lake,” including white shrimp, whitebait and whitefish.
Ancient water towns such as Tongli and Zhenze make Wujiang a captivating tourist spot for people from neighboring cities to come to escape pressure of urban life. With a history of more than 1,000 years, Tongli is a well-preserved water town located on the eastern shore of Taihu Lake. The town is picturesque with old houses and temples, winding canals, and stone bridges in a variety of styles linking different parts of Tongli.
Wujiang also has a profound cultural heritage and a number of remarkable people have emerged from this place and made great contributions to progress in various areas. Fei Xiaotong, a pioneering Chinese researcher of sociology and anthropology born in Wujiang, was noted for the study of China’s ethnic groups and introducing social and cultural phenomena of China to the international community.
Since the inception of the new century, Wujiang has been using its geographic advantage and cultural heritage to push forward local social and economic development.
In 2008, an urban plan of Wujiang was approved by Suzhou government to transform Wujiang from a base of production and distribution reliant on the canals to a lakeside city that is suitable for living and commuting and that can accommodate emerging industries such as cultural creativity and commerce.
Tremendous efforts have been made since then to make the dream of creating a lakeside city come true.
It is not easy, because the lakes in Wujiang have taken the brunt of fast economic growth. Many people once fished here to make a living, and some blanketed the lakes with fishing nets that almost destroyed the ecology of the lakes.
The government of Wujiang has taken firm action to restore the natural conditions of the lakes. Fishermen were enticed away from fishing by being offered opportunities to learn new skills for a better living. Dams recklessly built and land claimed from the lakes were cleared and the lakes were returned to their original looks and functions.
During the first phase of the urban planning that has just been concluded, the government spent 2 billion yuan (US$300 million) — an amount of funding rarely seen in a district-level government for treatment of the ecological environment.
When the water starts to move as it should naturally, the quality of the water rises. Some lakes have been selected as sources for drinking water.
Wujiang invested 28 million yuan to set up nine water quality supervision stations to help to ensure good water quality. According to local reports, many locations have reached the highest water standard in the country.
Located at the intersection area of Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Shanghai, Wujiang is crucial to the water quality in the region.
Being intimately connected to its neighbors via the waterways, Wujiang has carried out many projects in partnership with neighboring places.
Last year Shanghai Greenland Group decided to locate its global enterprises service platform in Wujiang, mainly due to its good environment and easy access to other places.
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