Small Town Construction in the 13th Five-Year Plan Period: A Case Study of Shangrao City

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College of City Construction, Jiangxi Normal University, Nanchang 330022, China

1 Introduction

The 4th meeting of the 11th National People’s Congress examined and approved theOutlineoftheTwelfthFive-YearPlanforNationalEconomicandSocialDevelopmentofthePeople’sRepublicofChina, stressing that the 12th Five-Year Plan period was a key period for building a moderately prosperous society in all respects, taking promotion of agricultural modernization and acceleration of new socialist countryside construction as important tasks, and taking the solution to issues concerning agriculture, farmers, and rural areas as priority work of the whole Party. To properly solve issues concerning agriculture, farmers and rural areas, we must integrate urban and rural development, and stick to synchronous development of urbanization, informationization, industrialization, and agricultural modernization[1].TheNationalNewUrbanizationPlan(2014-2020) issued and implemented in 2014 is a great mark of China’s urbanization entering the new stage. In October 2015, the Fifth Plenary Session of the 18th Central Committee of the CPC approvedOpinionsoftheCentralCommitteeandStateCouncilonFormulatingtheOutlineofthe13thFive-YearPlan, stressing that the 13th Five-Year Plan period is the decisive stage for building a moderately prosperous society in all respects. Small town construction, as an important strategic task of new urbanization, is an essential approach for integrating urban and rural coordinated development, narrowing urban and rural gap, and helping farmers to get rich, and also an inevitable choice for fundamentally solving issues concerning agriculture, farmers, and rural areas, and building a moderately prosperous society in all respects. Shangrao City is located in the northeast of Jiangxi Province, and in the intersection of Yangtze River Delta, West Coast of the Taiwan Strait, and Poyang Lake ecological zone. The geographical position is superior. Tourism culture and ecological environment are excellent. Shangrao City has strategic position in green rise pattern of Jiangxi Province. In recent years, Shangrao City has made considerable progress in urbanization development under the guidance of central government policies, but there are still many drawbacks. From the perspective of objectives, principles, concepts, and distribution of small town construction of Shangrao City, we discussed development direction and implementation approach for small town construction of Shangrao City in the 13th Five-Year Plan period, to provide scientific theoretical reference for formulation of development plan and policies of Shangrao City.

2 Sticking to the objective of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects

A moderately prosperous society is a blueprint depicted by ancient thinkers and also is the pursuit of common people for rich and well-off life. Building a moderately prosperous society is not merely solving the food problem, but should satisfy demands of urban and rural development from politics, economy, and culture. The 13th Five-Year Plan period is a decisive period for building a moderately prosperous society in all respects. It is required to comprehensive deepen the reform, run the contrary in compliance with laws, run the Party strictly, and take the development as the top priority. To build a moderately prosperous society in all respects, the key is solving issues concerning agriculture, farmers and rural areas, especially poverty-stricken areas. Shangrao City has 9 counties, 1 city and 2 districts, 6.6 million permanent residents, 4 national level poor counties, and 537 provincial level poor villages, and about 500 000 poor people. Small town construction, as an important strategic task of new urbanization, is an essential approach for integrating urban and rural coordinated development, narrowing urban and rural gap, and helping farmers to get rich, and also an inevitable choice for poverty alleviation campaign. Small town construction should follow the overall idea of promoting rural areas with towns, driving towns through villages, and village and towns sharing the achievements, implementing overall plan, integrated construction, give impetus to mutual promotion and common development of new urbanization construction and new socialist countryside construction, to solve issues concerning agriculture, farmers and rural areas, and ultimately realize the objective of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects.

3 Sticking to the people-oriented principle

The people oriented principle is the core of outlook on scientific development and is the manifestation of the Chinese Communist Party sticking to fundamental principle of serving people wholeheartedly. However, the people-oriented principle is just in form, any policy can be described as people oriented[2]. Shangrao City is located in northeast of Jiangxi Province. The geographical position is superior, and traffic is convenience and developed. Besides, resources in Shangrao City are abundant. Its economic aggregate remains at the middle level in Jiangxi Province, but the per capita total output value always remains the last position in Jiangxi Province. To realize the construction of moderately prosperous society in an all-round way by 2020, it will be a big challenge for Shangrao City. Therefore, it is badly necessary to actively explore suitable mode for small town construction of Shangrao City in accordance with local situations. As an important choice for building a moderately prosperous society in all respects in the 13th Five-Year Plan period, the small town construction is an effective measure for solving social problems and alleviating urban pressure, and also important approach for integrated urban and rural development. The people-oriented principle should not be changed. However, in this special period, work should focus on solving poverty of more than 500000 poor people in the whole city and solving the well-off problem of people below the well-off line.

4 Sticking to taking innovation, coordination, green, opening, and sharing as central concepts

4.1StickingtoinnovativedevelopmenttoraisequalityandbenefitsofsmalltownconstructionInnovation is the primary force leading development. It is recommended to put the national development in the core position, constantly promote theoretical innovation, institutional innovation, scientific and technological innovation, and cultural innovation, make the innovation run through all works of the Party and the state, and promote the innovation to become common practice[3]. Small town construction, as an essential part of new urbanization, is a kind of innovation. Wang Xueren believed that developing small towns can make urban and rural areas complement with each other and establish interactive economic relationship, realize connection of urban and rural industries, benign interaction of effective integration and integrated economic development, and finally obtain the benefit of "lighting a lamp, illuminating a large area". Small town construction, as a transitional form from rural to urban areas, should stick to constant innovation in every aspect. According to natural background, current development situations and future development potential of Shangrao City, combined withNationalNewUrbanizationPlan(2014-2020) andUrbanSystemPlanofJiangxiProvince(2015-2030), Shangrao City should closely focus on Xinjiang River Valley town clusters, Poyang Lake ecological town clusters, and Shanghai and Kunshan town development belt, take mountain forest economy and rural tourism as main part, to promote small town construction.

4.2StickingtocoordinateddevelopmentandeliminatingurbanandruraldualstructureCoordination is inherent requirement of healthy development. It is required to securely grasp the overall distribution of characteristic socialist cause of China, properly deal with the relationship in the development, promote urban and rural coordinated development, boost economic and social coordinated development, and promote synchronous development of new industrialization, informationization, urbanization, and agricultural modernization[3]. As platform for urban and rural exchange, small towns strengthen connection between urban and rural areas and open the door for urban and rural integration. Shangrao City is a region with backward economy in Jiangxi Province, and its urbanization level is still below 50%. Therefore, energetically promoting small town construction is an inevitable choice for eliminating urban and rural dual structure and promoting new urbanization process. For coordinated development and integrated urban and rural development, there are following requirements: (i) Sticking to promoting agriculture through boosting industry, urban areas supporting rural areas, establishing and improving urban and rural integrated development mechanism; (ii) Sticking to developing characteristic industry, speeding up cultivating characteristic small towns, promoting fine processing of agricultural products and development of rural services, and increasing farmers’ income; (iii) Sticking to starting from fundamental interests of people, and raising the level of urban planning, construction, and management. Besides, it is recommended to improve household registration system, promote extension of public service facilities to small towns and accordingly covering the rural areas. (iv) Sticking to coordinated development of material and spiritual civilization, improving new socialist countryside construction, strengthening protection of traditional villages and historical famous towns and villages, and jointly building new beautiful and livable countryside.

4.3StickingtogreendevelopmentandbuildingecologicallivablesmalltownsGreen is an essential condition for sustainable development and essential manifestation of people pursuit for beautiful life. It is required to stick to the basic state policy of conserving resources and protecting environment, stick to sustainable development, take the resolute road of developed production, rich living, and excellent ecology, speed up building resource conserving and environment friendly society, establish new modern construction pattern of harmonious development, promote beautiful China construction, and make a great contribution to global ecological safety[3]. Small town construction should realize following aspects. (i) We should get along with nature harmoniously. We should moderately and orderly take advantage of natural resources, adjust and optimize spatial structure, build scientific and reasonable pattern for towns and agricultural and industrial development, and ecological protection. (ii) We should accelerate development of circular economy and low carbon economy. We should promote green production and living mode, promote energy revolution, accelerate energy technological innovation, and promote connection between ecological system and living system. (iii) We should reinforce environmental control effort. We should take the protection-first principle and natural recovery as main part, and implement protection and rehabilitation of environment and ecology. (iv) We should optimize industrial structure. We should focus on developing modern agriculture and characteristic service industry, and promote characteristic rural development with mountain and forest economy, new agricultural economy, and rural tourism. Shangrao City is a pilot city of national standardized tourism and national smart tourism. For many years, Shangrao City always sticks to green development and has won honors of "China’s Excellent Tourism City" and "Top Happiest Cities in China". In the 13th Five-Year Plan period, the small town construction in Shangrao City should resolutely stick to green development and build the tourism into a pioneering industry for green rising.

4.4Stickingtoopeningdevelopment,tostartnewpatternofsmalltownconstructionOpening is the only path for prosperous development of China. It is recommended to conform to the trend of integration into global economy, follow the reciprocal opening strategy, actively participate in global control and public goods supply, raise China’s power in global economy control, and build wide benefit community[3]. Shangrao City should stick to the opening development, start new pattern of small town construction, enrich connotation of regional cooperation, coordinate in promoting talent exchange, economic interaction, information exchange, cultural communication, and make effort to improve scientific and advanced features of small town construction. For sticking to the opening development, small town construction should attach great importance to following aspects. (i) It is recommended to improve the distribution of opening strategy, bring into play traffic advantages, strengthen cooperation and connection with surrounding provinces and cities, strengthen trade and business cooperation, common construction of ecological civilization, and public facilities. (ii) It is recommended to promote development of cooperative regions, build cooperative regions such as traffic and logistics and cultural tourism, and take full advantage of radiation effect of economic regions and driving action of urban development belt. (iii) Combined with "One Belt and One Initiative" strategy, it is recommended to promote interconnection of infrastructure, promote establishment of local industrial system, and widely undertake cooperation with education, science and technology, culture, tourism, environmental protection, and health, to bring benefit to local residents. Located in the intersection of Yangtze River Delta, West Coast of the Taiwan Strait, and Poyang Lake ecological zone, Shangrao City must focus on Xinjiang River Valley town clusters, take full use of huge traffic advantages of high-speed railway intersection and Sanqingshan Airport, build trans-provincial cooperative regions, and combine with Shanghai-Kunshan town development belt to promote small town construction.

4.5StickingtoshareddevelopmentandacceleratingconstructionofsmalltownsSharing is essential requirement of China’s characteristic socialism. It is required to stick to the principle of "developing serving the people, relying on the people, and shared by the people", to make common people have the sense of achievements in the process of common construction and sharing, strengthen development force, and march towards common prosperity[3]. As an essential approach for solving issues concerning agriculture, farmers, and rural areas, the small town construction is ultimately to strengthen ability of promoting agriculture through boosting industry and driving rural areas through promoting urban areas, accelerate rural economic and social development, so as to realize the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects. Small town construction must start from solving problems related to direct and practical benefits of people. (i) Complete poverty alleviation work. (ii) Increase supply of public services. (iii) Improve education quality. (iv) Promote employment and undertaking activities. (v) Narrow the income gap. (vi) Establish fairer and more sustainable social security system. The top issue of Shangrao City in the 13th Five-Year Plan period is the poverty issue of more than 50000 people in the city. Therefore, it is badly needed to accelerate small town construction taking shared development as basic concept.

5 Sticking to integration of new industrialization, informationization, urbanization, agricultural modernization, and green development

TheReporttotheEighteenthNationalCongressoftheCommunistPartyofChinaset forth requirements of building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects, accelerating socialist modernization, and achieving the great renewal of the Chinese nation. Recently, Political Bureau of the Central Committee approvedOpinionsoftheStateCouncilonAcceleratingPromotionofEcologicalCivilization, clearly stating "green development", forming the five modernization synchronization, namely, new industrialization, informationization, urbanization, agricultural modernization, and green development, which has great guidance significance for promoting small town construction and building a moderately prosperous society in all respects[4]. Shangrao City has developed traffic, rich energy and mineral resources, biological and agricultural and sideline products, natural and cultural tourism resources. It should set foot on such abundant conditions and make constant innovation in science and technology, culture, politics, and management, turn resource advantages and traffic advantages into economic advantages, so as to promote synchronous new industrialization, informationization, urbanization, agricultural modernization, and green development. In the 13th Five-Year Plan period, small town construction should take new industrialization as driving force. Small town construction must take the road of new industrialization, undertake reform of comprehensive poverty alleviation, and finally solve the issues concerning agriculture, farmers and rural areas. Besides, small town construction should take informationization as the link. As an important strategic task of national new urbanization, small town construction itself is a part of new urbanization. Small towns provide path for labor transfer, increase farmers’ income, and alleviate man-land conflict. Thus, small town construction is the fundamental path for helping rural poverty-stricken people getting rid of poverty. In addition, it provides a platform for participation of various entities. Small town construction should take agricultural modernization as an opportunity. Main battlefield of small town construction is countryside and main objects are farmers. The key for rural residents getting rid of poverty lies in agricultural modernization. Agricultural modernization is a new road of characteristic agriculture with comprehensive development of farming, forestry, animal husbandry, fishery, and sideline production, as well as deep and multiple level development of agriculture. Finally, small town construction should take green development as guidance. President Xi Jinping always stressed the coordination between economic development and ecological construction, and harmonious development between men and nature. Green development is in essence the overall requirements of other four modernizations. It is an essential indicator for evaluating performance of other four modernizations, and also the core value running through the entire process of small town construction.

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