Kaihua strives to be modern mountainous county model

An aerial view of Genyuan small town, a tourist attraction in Kaihua county, Quzhou, East China's Zhejiang province. [Photo/tianmunews.com]

Kaihua, a mountainous county in Quzhou, East China's Zhejiang province, has developed rapidly in the past two decades.

From 2002 to 2022, the county's gross domestic product (GDP) increased from 1.99 billion yuan ($273.05 million) to 18.13 billion yuan, while its per capita GDP increased from 6,263 yuan to 71,538 yuan.

In the course of its development, Kaihua has always adhered to the concept that "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets".

In the past 10 years, 278 polluting enterprises and 235 wood product processing plants were shut down, and 65 chemical and polluting projects were rejected.

In the past two decades, the proportion of days with good air quality in the county has increased from 95.6 percent to 98.6 percent, and the average PM2.5 has dropped from 29 micrograms per cubic meter to 19 mg per cu m. The county's forest coverage has increased from 80.5 percent to 81.1 percent.

Due to its healthy environment and many tourism attractions, the county has developed a strong tourism industry in recent years.

Last year, Kaihua received over 2.63 million tourists from home and abroad, generating 3.05 billion yuan in tourism revenue, and nearly 20,000 villagers found jobs nearby.

In addition, the county's industrial development has achieved strong results.

From 2002 to 2022, the county's investment in fixed assets grew at an average annual rate of 13.1 percent, the added value of industry increased nearly seven-fold, the added value of the service industry increased nearly 12-fold, and the number of above-designated-size industrial enterprises increased by 182 percent.