Small Town Series Report ②: Steady Progress in Chongwu Town's Small Town Construction

　　A series of reports on small towns

　　On December 15, 2011, Zhang Lirong, the female platoon leader of the Da'ai militia outpost in Chongwu Town, Hui'an County, received the honorary title of "National Advanced Individual in Militia Work" at the National Militia Work Conference and was cordially received by President Hu Jintao.

　　This historic handshake is a full affirmation of the spiritual civilization construction in the small town construction of Chongwu Town.

　　Chongwu Town, this charming town, was not only listed as a pilot small town for comprehensive reform and construction in May 2010, but also has had a series of resounding titles since 2005: one of the top 100 towns in Fujian Province in terms of comprehensive strength, one of the top 1000 economically strong towns in China, a nationally renowned town for its charming local customs, a national civilized village and town, a national sanitary town, one of the top ten ancient towns in China, a national green town, an excellent Chinese township, and a town with a beautiful environment in Fujian Province. At the same time, the town's Party committee has been rated as an advanced grassroots Party organization six times in 12 years by the provincial and municipal Party committees.

　　In 2011, the construction of Chongwu Town continued to advance, with 40 of the 56 pilot projects for comprehensive reform of small towns (including 16 reserve projects) having started construction. A total investment of 860 million yuan was completed, reaching 131.1% of the annual plan.

　　Building a Tourist Center to Develop the Tourism Industry

　　Many citizens of Quanzhou have left countless beautiful memories on the beaches of Chongwu Town, exploring the charm of the ancient town amidst the stone sculptures.

　　Taking advantage of its strengths, Chongwu Town has vigorously promoted the construction of projects related to "food, accommodation, transportation, tourism, entertainment, and shopping" in the process of small town construction, aiming to develop the tourism industry.

　　Convenient transportation and enjoyable experiences are crucial aspects of the tourism industry. To this end, a large-scale tourist center integrating a bus station, a public transportation station, a tourist shopping street, a large parking lot, and a tourist service center has been developed. This will greatly facilitate tourism in Chongwu and attract more people and goods. Currently, the planning and design of the center have been completed, and construction is expected to begin in the first half of this year.

　　The Chongwu Wufeng Sports and Leisure Park, integrating land and water features and offering green leisure activities, will become another tourist highlight of Chongwu Town. The park is divided into six functional zones: the main entrance cultural square, youth activity area, senior activity area, shady leisure space, secondary entrance square, and waterfront landscape area, suitable for people of all ages. Currently, the water area is in the final stages, and the land area has entered the implementation phase.

　　At the same time, a series of projects such as the Chongwu Banyuewan Resort, the Banyuewan Four-Star Hotel, the Huinu Women Militia Style Tour, and the protection and development of Chongwu Ancient City, coupled with the continuous exploration of unique elements such as ancient castles, folk customs, carvings, and coastal scenery, the tourism industry in Chongwu Town is continuously developing within the context of small town construction.

　　Improving the National Central Fishing Port and Promoting Cross-Strait Trade

　　With the tides surging, Chongwu Town is only 97 nautical miles from Taiwan across the strait, and transportation has been frequent since ancient times. Accelerating the construction of the Chongwu National Central Fishing Port and the Fujian-Taiwan trade wharf is a crucial step for Chongwu Town to strive to include Chongwu Port in the cross-strait sea direct shipping ports and open passenger and cargo shipping routes to Taiwan.

　　The Chongwu Central Fishing Port project is a national central fishing port project expanded on the basis of the planning and construction of the Chongwu Class I fishing port. The planned construction scale is 69.2 hectares. After completion, the port can accommodate 1,500 fishing boats for shelter, five times the capacity of the original Da'ai Class III fishing port. Relying on the central fishing port, Chongwu Town will develop 228 mu of the port's rear area, planning to build a Fujian-Taiwan aquatic product trading market, a seafood snack street, a specialty seafood processing area, and a fishermen's club, constructing a leisure fishing service system integrating food, entertainment, and leisure, while also playing a positive role in promoting cross-strait trade and exchanges.

　　At the same time, the renovation of the Gangguan'ao fishing port and the access road are also under construction. The Gangguan'ao fishing port has a water area of 6.2 hectares and can accommodate 300 small fishing boats for mooring and shelter. After renovation, dredging, and the construction of supporting facilities, the port's tidal capacity will increase by 40%, effectively reducing water and air pollution in the port area, and improving fishing boat operating conditions. As the forefront landscape of the Xishawan resort area, the renovation of the Gangguan'ao fishing port will also significantly improve the coastal landscape.

　　Transforming and Upgrading Traditional Industries and Improving Infrastructure Construction

　　Hui'an stone carvings are known as "the best in China" and are included in the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage protection lists. As a pillar industry of Chongwu and even Hui'an, the stone carving and stone materials industry has prompted Chongwu Town to propose comprehensive and innovative development ideas for it during small town construction.

　　Chongwu Town, relying on the "Chongwu Shanxia Regional Control Detailed Plan," implements the "bird-in-a-cage" approach, guiding stone carving and stone material enterprises within the area to relocate to the Chongwu Shanxia Stone Carving Craft Park.

　　Furthermore, Chongwu Town actively promotes the construction of projects such as the Risheng Stone Industry Exhibition Center, the "Stone Carving Culture and Art Museum" of Yongfengyu Stone Co., Ltd., and the "Dingli Stone Expansion," guiding the Chongwu stone carving and stone materials industry to transform into the carving art and cultural industry and the decorative building materials industry, transitioning from low-end craft-type to high-end art-type development, striving to create a cultural and creative industry, continuously promoting industrial transformation and upgrading, and developing and expanding the stone carving and stone materials industry.

　　At the same time, during small town construction, a series of infrastructure and supporting facilities in Chongwu Town have been continuously improved, providing residents and tourists with a more livable and comfortable environment. The South Extension of Wufeng Military Road, the widening of Haijing Road, the relocation and transformation of the North Side of Chongwu Xihua Area, and the construction of new rural projects such as Chongwu Lianqun Xisha Garden Phase II and Chaole Village will continuously improve living conditions.

　　This year, Chongwu Town will continue to focus on building a cross-strait economic and trade coastal tourism and cultural town, highlighting urban construction and tourism development, comprehensively accelerating the pilot work of comprehensive reform and construction of small towns, and striving to build Chongwu into a prosperous, civilized, and harmonious cross-strait economic and trade coastal tourism new urban area. □By You Yibing, reporter