A traveling Anqing businessman always prefaces questions about his
hometown with pride stating, "I'm an Anqing native." Such replies
often win him the respect and friendship of inquirers. Reflecting
the city's recognition and esteem, people have positive thoughts
about Anqing's past and present.
Prior to 1949, the year the People's Republic of China was founded,
Anqing was regarded as a "cultural" city. In its 785 years as
capital of east China's Anhui
Province, Anqing developed a diverse and brilliant culture,
greatly influencing Chinese history. The ancient Anhui civilization
embodied by Zen Buddhism, the Qing Dynasty's (1644-1911) Tongcheng
School and the New Culture Movement (around the time of 1919's May
4th Movement) led by Chen Tuhsiu,
an Anqing native, and his followers are considered the city's three
main cultural achievements during this period. Anqing fostered two
of China's five major forms of operas: Peking
Opera and Huangmei
Opera. Anqing is also the cradle of modern Chinese tales and
the birth place of the country's current vernacular.
From 1949 until today, the local cultural heritage continues in
Anqing, even as the city shifts its emphasis from culture to
economy. With no rail or air link to the outside world Anqing
developed slowly for many years gradually loosing its position as a
provincial capital and becoming a quiet common town beside the
Yangtze River. However, since the beginning of the 1980s, when
China began to adopt its reform and opening-up policies, the city
has regained much of its vigor. With its burgeoning private economy
and increasing foreign trade, Anqing led the national competition
of economic development, matching Wenzhou City in east China's Zhejiang
Province in the middle of the 80s. Deplorably, Anqing gradually
lost its position of dominance, for a number of reasons, and now
lags well behind other regions.
"To some extent, Anqing's local culture has affected its
development. Rich culture doesn't necessarily bring about material
affluence. People tend to be more conservative where traditional
cultural heritage is concerned and many of these influences remain.
As everything in today's China is changing so quickly, it's no
surprise that orthodox thinking may result in missed
opportunities," said an Anqing native, when talking about his
hometown's dramatic change of fate.
To
clear away old ideas deemed as obstacles to economic development,
last year Anqing launched a citywide "mind-liberation" discussion
campaign. This year, Anqing has carried out similar programs such
as the "Learning from Shaoxing (an opulent city in east China's
Zhejiang Province)" activity in a bid to speed up the birth of a
new Anqing.
The new Anqing is depicted as a developed metropolis quite
different from its present lackluster profile as a developing city.
Zhao Shucong, the municipal Party secretary of Anqing, described
the future of Anqing as "a key regional transportation hub and
commercial center for the Yangtze River Valley as well as a
beautiful and well-off modern metropolis."
"Big" is an essential characteristic for any metropolis. This is
one obstacle Anqing doesn't have to overcome. Strolling down the
streets of this 800-year-old riverside city, it's easy to see that
Anqing has grown significantly over the past ten years.
( [新安晚報], translated by Chen Chao for china.org.cn,
December 10, 2002)