A bird's-eye view of Lucheng district in Wenzhou. [Photo by Su Qiaojiang/66wz.com]
Lucheng district in Wenzhou, which is located in East China's Zhejiang province, has undergone a major transformation over the past decade, Bai Hongleng, Party secretary of the district, said at a news conference on Sept 8.
Bai noted that Lucheng's inspiring and concrete achievements were mainly in three areas: economic progress, talent influx, and people's well-being.
Statistics show that the district's GDP reached 126.2 billion yuan ($17.9 billion) in 2021, almost double the figure from that in 2012. It also ranked among top 50 domestic districts in comprehensive economic strength.
Lucheng has successfully achieved industrial transformation and innovative development thanks to the perseverance and diligence of the locals. Over the past 10 years, the city has established 13 innovative platforms, welcomed 12 academicians, seen the number of local high-tech enterprises rise from 31 to 164, and the number of small- and medium-sized sci-tech enterprises receiving provincial recognition rise from 45 to 1,262.
With Lucheng spending more than 37 million yuan, or 76 percent of the local fiscal expenditure on people's livelihoods over the past decade, the district has seen the income gap between urban and rural residents narrow from 2.22 percent to 1.82 percent, with the annual per capita disposable income of urban residents doubling from 39,000 yuan to 78,000 yuan, and that of rural residents jumping from 17,000 yuan to 42,000 yuan.
Lucheng has also put a lot of effort and resources into education, healthcare, and elderly care. For example, a total of 50 primary and secondary schools have been built or renovated, enabling an enrollment of more than 23,000 students per year.
