Chen Yijun, Party chief of Taizhou, speaks at a press conference on Aug 28 focusing on the achievements Taizhou has made over the past seven decades. [Photo/zj.zjol.com]

The spirt of the recent past was used eloquently by a senior local official to invoke a sense of purpose, renewal and innovation in the path forwards for the dynamic coastal city of Taizhou, in Zhejiang province. 

"We will continue to promote the development of Taizhou in the new era by upholding the pioneering spirit our ancestors developed when reclaiming wastelands in the city," said Chen Yijun, Party chief of Taizhou.

She was speaking at a press conference held by the provincial government of Zhejiang on Aug 28, marking achievements that Taizhou has made over the past seven decades.

Chen said the spirit powering the land reclamation -- with entrepreneurship, diligence, selfless dedication and innovation at its core -- was there in 1956 when 467 young people answered the call of the nation to open up land on Dachen Island in Taizhou, eventually building the island into a land of prosperity.

Chen pointed out that Dachen town recorded a marine economy output of 670 million yuan ($93.51 million) last year and that residents' disposable income per capita reached 44,842 yuan, a respective 1.16-fold increase and 2.33-fold increase on 2006 levels.

Driven by that spirit, the entire city of Taizhou had experienced growth in leaps and bounds over the past decades, she added.

Regional GDP of the city rose from 132 million yuan 70 years ago to 487.5 billion yuan in 2018, and fiscal revenue jumped from 4.8 million yuan to 74.5 billion yuan during the same period.