Huocheng thrives with outside help

After more than a decade of growth fueled by a cross-regional aid program for underdeveloped areas, Huocheng county in Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region has reached a peak in terms of its economy and the development of social affairs.

It has witnessed a dramatic improvement in many fields, such as education, social welfare and infrastructure construction.

To achieve comprehensive development, the county is receiving aid from Jiangyin, its partner county in Jiangsu province. A new round of assistance began in 2010.

Construction will mainly focus on projects related to the public welfare and environmental protection as a way of furthering the goals put forth by Vice-Premier Li Keqiang earlier this year, local government officials said.

Housing, medical care, tourism, agricultural modernization and investment promotion are also being emphasized.

This year, the county has received an investment of more than 3.5 billion yuan ($561.4 million), an increase of 80 percent year-on-year.

Disposable incomes of urban and rural residents have reached 14,800 yuan and 9,500 yuan, up 14 percent and 16 percent respectively.

About 76 industrial projects with a total estimated investment of 64.2 billion yuan will be carried out or are currently under construction in the county.

The local government is also investing roughly 1 billion yuan in nearly 170 public welfare projects, such as building low-rent housing and water treatment facilities, resettling herdsmen, improving rural traffic infrastructure, and expanding access to medical care, education and social security.

Additionally, the county has transformed the endless fields of its iconic purple flower into a powerful selling point for local tourism.

The first Lavender Tourism Festival kicked off last year and is scheduled to be an annual event.

The festival has raised Huocheng's profile nationwide.

This year, the county received more than 880,000 tourists, up 30 percent and its tourism revenue reached 310 million yuan, up 83 percent.

While working to improve the county's appeal as a tourist destination, the local government has not lost sight of the goal of industrialization, which is being advanced through projects such as the 660-million-yuan Qingshuihe Industrial Park, an agricultural science demonstration zone and a business park for small and medium-sized startups.

In addition, the local government is prioritizing two large industrial projects in the fields of solar power and synthetic gas respectively.

Projects in logistics, clothing production and export, and tourism development have also been introduced in the county.

More than 10 million yuan will be used for environmental improvements, according to the local government.

The money will be used to purchase new sanitation facilities, including garbage trucks, trash sweepers, watering carts and dustbins.

The county's green space will also be enlarged in the coming years.

Jiangyin government will further aid Huocheng by strengthening talent support to help the county develop human resources in the fields of science, education and government.

By 2015, the Jiangyin government will nurture more than 2,000 technicians,100 graduates with master's degrees, 100 senior company administrators, and a group of well-educated government leaders for the county.

This year, some 472 local government officials were organized to have training courses in Hong Kong, Wuxi and Jiangyin.

More than 90 experts in various areas have entered Huocheng to help train local talent.