Zhejiang province recently issued a guide on construction plans for characteristic towns in an effort to set firm standards.

As the first of its kind in the country, the guideline, intended to regulate construction, stresses both uniform standards and exceptional developments.

According to authorities, a characteristic town is neither an administratively defined town nor an industrial zone. Instead, established under the principles of innovation, coordination, and common and individual development, it is considered a platform for seven pillar industries: the information economy, environmental protection, health, tourism, fashion, finance and high-end equipment manufacturing.

The guideline divides Zhejiang's characteristic towns into three types. The first focuses on the supply of technologies and financial services, including information economy towns, fashion towns and financial towns. The second type looks mainly at material products supply and includes environmental protection towns, health towns and high-end equipment manufacturing towns. The third type, focusing on service experience, encompasses tourism towns, and historic and classic towns.

Pan Yigang, chief researcher at Zhejiang Development and Planning Institute, said the classification system is based on the industrial types of Zhejiang's existing characteristic towns and was devised to facilitate the management, assessment and evaluation of characteristic towns. "Industries are developing at a rapid pace but the construction of characteristic towns requires more time and patience," Pan said.

Zhuo Yongliang, director of the institute, said the guideline provides more specific classification by taking into consideration the likely future needs of each town. The guideline is also notable for its innovative policies on land use, talent support and financial services.

Since 2015, Zhejiang has approved 114 provincial characteristic towns. Over the past three years, the province has formed a relatively comprehensive system for the management, assessment, evaluation and planning of characteristic towns.