The Oubei Bridge connecting Yongjia county and the main urban area of Wenzhou. [Photo by Hu Ouchao/yj.gov.cn]
Over the past decade, Yongjia county has achieved industrial prosperity, increased civility and harmony, and improved its natural environment, Huang Hui, Party secretary of Yongjia, said at a news conference on Sept 26.
With the county's GDP registering a growth of 86 percent over the past 10 years, Yongjia's urban and rural residents also saw their annual per capita disposable incomes increase from 27,700 yuan ($3,891.85) and 11,500 yuan to 57,000 yuan and 29,200 yuan, respectively.
Industrial transformation and upgrading has been Yongjia's top priority over the past 10 years. It has developed strong pump and valve, shoe and clothing, teaching aid and toy, and garment accessory industries. Its total industrial output exceeded 76 billion yuan in 2021, increasing by 22 billion yuan over the past decade. The pump and valve industry in particular, which accounts for about a quarter of the domestic market, has become the only industry with an output value exceeding 30 billion yuan in the 26 mountainous counties of Zhejiang province.
Though the county is separated from the main urban area of Wenzhou by the Oujiang River, Yongjia has been actively improving its infrastructure to connect with the city's downtown area and is focusing on cultural-tourism integration to improve its image.
For example, due to picturesque landscapes along the Nanxi River, Yongjia sawits tourist site ticket revenue rise from less than 20 million yuan in 2012 to over 100 million yuan in 2021, and total tourism revenue grow from 2.3 billion yuan in 2012 to 22.3 billion yuan in 2021. The number of tourists and tourism revenue have maintained a growth rate of more than 15 percent for 10 consecutive years.
