Xi and Xiong’an

How General Secretary Xi Jinping guides the planning and construction of Xiong’an New Area

On May 10, General Secretary Xi Jinping inspected Xiong’an New District in Hebei Province, presided over a symposium on promoting the construction of Xiong’an New District with high standards and high quality, and delivered an important speech.

General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized that the Xiong’an New Area has entered the stage of large-scale construction alongside the decommissioning of Beijing’s non-capital functions, and the focus of work has shifted to high-quality construction, high-level management, and high-quality decommissioning and development. It is necessary to strengthen confidence, maintain concentration, make steady progress, do good work, and promote continuous progress in various tasks.

Six years, more than 2,000 days and nights. On the North China Plain, a new city breaks ground, sprouts, and grows.

The establishment of Xiong’an New District in Hebei is a millennium plan and a national event. From planning site selection to planning and construction, General Secretary Xi Jinping personally made decisions, personally deployed, and personally promoted. He devoted a lot of effort to guide and guide the planning and construction of Xiong’an New Area.

With high starting point planning, high-standard construction, and high-quality development, Xiongan New District, a city of the future, is making great strides towards us.

(1) Decision-making

“This is a new area construction that the central government has focused on after the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China. The Xiongan New District is a capital functional expansion area approved by the Party Central Committee. It has national significance like Shanghai’s Pudong and Guangdong’s Shenzhen. This positioning must be well grasped.”

This is a special investigation and inspection.

On the morning of February 23, 2017, General Secretary Xi Jinping set off from Zhongnanhai, drove more than 100 kilometers, and made a special trip to Anxin County, Hebei Province.

On that day in the North China Plain, everything was moist after the first snowfall. General Secretary Xi Jinping came to an open field in Xiaowangying Village, Dawang Town, and inspected it on the spot. This was the core plot of the starting area of Xiong’an New District in the plan.

Before an unfolded planning map, General Secretary Xi Jinping carefully inspected the location and planning status, and learned more about population relocation and resettlement, geological and hydrological conditions in the region, etc.

“How is the life of the people in this place? What is the population density? How many people have been moved?” General Secretary Xi Jinping asked carefully. He urged: the establishment of Xiong’an New District must allow the common people to get more benefits and have a real sense of gain.

At noon that day, General Secretary Xi Jinping hosted a small symposium in Anxin County. The general secretary emphasized that the planning and construction of Xiong’an New Area was a strategic choice of great historical significance and a historic project to relieve Beijing’s non-capital functions and promote the coordinated development of Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei.

More than a month later, on April 1, 2017, Xinhua News Agency was authorized to release: The Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council decided to establish the Xiongan New Area in Hebei.

Xiong’an, “Xiong County” and “Anxin County”, each formed of  words which not only respect history but also implies auspiciousness.

Xiong’an, a new city, had begun to develop and grow to influence the future.

An era must have a benchmark for the development of the era.

Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping as the core has deployed a major strategy to promote the coordinated development of Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei to counter “big city disease”.

How to reveal the historical heritage of a thousand-year-old city in the evolution of the times? What kind of capital does China, which is rapidly moving toward national rejuvenation, want to build? How to solve the problems in urban planning and construction to promote coordinated development? A series of questions of the times lingered in the mind of General Secretary Xi Jinping.

He went to Tianjin for research, studied Hebei’s development issues, and inspected the capital Beijing... In the process of promoting the implementation of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei coordinated development strategy, the idea of choosing a place to relieve Beijing’s non-capital function concentration gradually surfaced.

“We must uphold and strengthen the core functions of the capital, adjust and weaken functions that are not suitable for the capital, and transfer some functions to Hebei and Tianjin. This is the principle of Dayu’s water control.” General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out profoundly.

The direction became clearer, the thinking evolved, and the strategic concept of establishing a new city outside Beijing gradually matured.

“More points, one city, reorganization of old cities” - On February 10, 2015, the ninth meeting of the Central Financial and Economic Leading Group reviewed and studied the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Coordinated Development Planning Outline. General Secretary Xi Jinping put forward this idea in his speech. “One city” is to study and think about the issue of building a new city outside of Beijing.

On February 10, 2015, the ninth meeting of the Central Financial and Economic Leading Group; on April 2, 2015, the meeting of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee; on April 30, 2015, the meeting of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee... In three months, General Secretary Xi Jinping presided over three important meetings to study the “Outline of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Coordinated Development Plan”.

General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out the direction: “In order to conduct in-depth research and demonstration of new city issues, we can consider planning in suitable places in Hebei to build a modern new city guided by new development concepts.”

The “Outline of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Coordinated Development Plan” was issued in June 2015, which fully embodies the strategic vision of General Secretary Xi Jinping, clearly stating: “In-depth research, scientific demonstration, planning and construction have a considerable scale and a centralized bearing capacity comparable to the development environment of the deconstructed area.” land.”

Why is this centralized hosting location chosen? In what position does it appear?

This historic choice required not only courage but also wisdom.

According to the important instructions of General Secretary Xi Jinping, the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Coordinated Development Leading Group has organized relevant departments of the State Council, Hebei Province, Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Coordinated Development Expert Advisory Committee and other relevant parties to hold special meetings and small-scale meetings. After multiple rounds of comparison of data about land, water resources and energy security, environmental capacity, population and economic and social development and other factors, the site selection of the new district was determined.

Important speeches, scientific demonstrations, step-by-step advancement... From thinking to planning, from instructions to planning, from requirements to deployment, General Secretary Xi Jinping’s strategic thinking on the establishment of the new district deepened and the concept gradually become reality.

Choose a new area that concentrates Beijing’s non-capital functions. This place should not be too far away, nor too close. If it is too close, it will be easy to connect together and fail to achieve the purpose of dispersing; if it is too far away, it will be difficult to accept the radiation and drive of Beijing, and it will not be able to better undertake and transfer non-capital functions.

The plan of “Xiong County-Rongcheng-Anxin” was gradually confirmed in several plan comparisons, and finally stood out. It is located in the hinterland of Beijing, Tianjin and Baoding. The advantages of all parties are obvious. The land, water conservancy, environment and geological support conditions are excellent, and there is ample room for development...

On May 27, 2016, this is an important day for studying the establishment of the Xiongan New Area in Hebei——

This morning, a meeting of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China was held in Huairen Hall, Zhongnanhai, to review the “Report on the Planning and Construction of the Beijing Sub-City Center and the Research on the Establishment of the Xiong’an New Area in Hebei”. “Xiongan New Area” appeared in the title of the report for the first time.

At this meeting, General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: “This is a new area construction that the central government has grasped after the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China. Xiong’an New District is a functional expansion area of the capital approved by the Party Central Committee. It has national significance like Pudong in Shanghai and Shenzhen in Guangdong. This positioning must be well grasped.”

Recalling the process from planning to establishment of Xiong’an New District, Wu Hequan, deputy leader of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Coordinated Development Expert Advisory Committee and academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, said: “The millennium plan reflects General Secretary Xi Jinping’s attitude of being responsible for the nation and history. We are responsible for Xiong’an New Area. The anticipation of Anxin District is not just a new district in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, but also looks farther, hoping that it will play a demonstration role in the development of the whole country in the new era.”

The Millennium City, set sail from now on.

(2) Planning

“We must insist on using the most advanced concepts and world-class planning, design and construction to stand the test of history.”

In the beginning of summer, Baiyangdian Lake is rippling with blue waves and water birds are dancing. Starting from the pier by boat, it takes half an hour to Zhaozhuangzi Village, the hometown of the movie prototype “Little Soldier Zhang Ga”.

On February 23, 2017, General Secretary Xi Jinping made a special trip to Baiyangdian Lake during his field inspection of the construction plan of Xiong’an New Area. This is the first time the general secretary has come here. He said: “When I was a child, I read the story of Zhang Ga, a soldier, and I was very fascinated by this place. I used to work in Zhengding, Hebei, but I never had the opportunity to come.”

Walking across the Baiyangdian embankment in Anxin County Country Park and walking along the long wooden plank road, General Secretary Xi Jinping stepped into the depths of the lake. He boarded a wooden viewing platform and looked around the open Baiyangdian Lake. He saw the sparkling light, and the reeds that had not yet turned green were shining golden in the sun.

The lower tip of the Jiuhe River, the West Lake in the north. Sitting on Baiyangdian Lake, the “Pearl of North China”, Xiongan New Area has natural ecological advantages. But in the past period of time, Baiyangdian has also encountered threats such as “thirst” and pollution.

During this inspection, General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that to build the Xiongan New Area, Baiyangdian Lake must be restored and protected. In the future, since the city is so close to Baiyangdian, a protective zone should be left. There must be strict management methods, absolutely not allowing sewage to be discharged into it, and absolutely not allowing man-made damage.

Two years later, in January 2019, General Secretary Xi Jinping visited Xiong’an New Area again. When talking about the New District’s efforts to deal with the relationship between the city and the lake, the general secretary talked about the consideration of the site selection: “At that time, the site was selected here to protect Baiyang Lake, not to damage Baiyang Lake. The city and the lake should complement each other and complement each other. .”

Qiu Xiangguo, a villager in Qiuxiaowang Village, Rongcheng County, used to be a forest ranger. He often recalled meeting General Secretary Xi Jinping.

On January 16, 2019, General Secretary Xi Jinping came to the afforestation area of the “Millennium Xiulin” Daqinghe Pian Forest District 1. He drove through the forest area to observe the growth of the trees, and boarded the Xiulin Station platform to overlook the whole forest area.

General Secretary Xi Jinping said that a good ecological environment is an important value embodiment of Xiong’an New Area. The “Millennium Plan” must start with the “Millennium Forest”, and strive to continue to unfold the beautiful picture scroll of blue and green intertwined and the harmony between man and nature.

In the past six years, Baiyangdian has carried out the largest-scale systematic ecological management in history by adhering to the “trinity” of water replenishment, pollution control, and flood control. The water quality has been upgraded from inferior to Class V to Class III. There are 252 species of wild birds. Compared with the establishment of the new area, 46 species have been added... The function of the “Kidney of North China” has initially recovered, and the style of the Dian District has blossomed.

In the past 6 years, the “Millennium Forest” project has accumulatively planted more than 470,000 mu of forests, and the forest coverage rate of Xiong’an New District has increased from 11% to 34%, creating a sense of “the city is in the forest, and the people are in the scenery”.

“The trees in Xiulin are growing stronger and stronger, and the water in Dianli is getting clearer and clearer. Everyone is looking forward to the General Secretary coming to visit again.” Qiu Xiangguo said.

In construction, both planning and ecology comes first.

General Secretary Xi Jinping attaches great importance to the role of urban planning in leading economic and social development. At several important meetings to plan the establishment and promote the planning and construction of Xiong’an New Area, General Secretary Xi Jinping repeatedly emphasized that “every inch of land should be clearly planned before starting construction. “Meticulously promote without leaving historical regrets” “We must insist on using the most advanced concepts and world-class standards for planning, design and construction, which can stand the test of history.”

The general secretary emphasized that the construction of Xiong’an New Area is a historic project, and historical patience must be maintained.

In the past six years, the spiritual realm of “success does not have to be mine” and the historical responsibility of “success must be me” have been vividly reflected in Xiong’an New Area.

During the “May 1st” holiday that just passed, the old revolutionary base area attracted a large number of tourists, and the farmhouses in the village were almost full. “Six years ago, the villagers gathered together to imagine the future of their hometown. Now everyone is eating ecological food and living a good life.” said Zhao Wenxiang, deputy secretary of the Party branch of Zhaozhuangzi Village in the deep part of Baiyangdian District.

“Global vision, international standards, Chinese characteristics, high-point positioning, insist on drawing a blueprint to the end, and participate in the planning of Xiong’an New District. This is the most important part of my career.” Xiong’an, China Urban Planning and Design Institute Yin Huiliang, executive vice president of the institute, was deeply moved.

More than 60 academicians, more than 200 teams at home and abroad, and more than 3,500 experts and technicians have participated in the preparation of the new area planning system; under the guidance of the “Hebei Xiongan New Area Planning Outline”, the “1+4+N” planning system has gradually taken shape , To lay a solid foundation for the new district to steadily undertake Beijing’s non-capital functions and achieve high-standard planning and high-quality construction.

On February 22, 2018, Zhongnanhai. The Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China held a meeting to hear a report on the planning and preparation of Xiong’an New District in Hebei.

General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized that the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone was established in the early days of reform and opening up, creating Shenzhen speed. Today, 40 years later, we are establishing the Xiongan New Area to realize the “two-step” goals of 2035 and the middle of this century, and create a “Xiong’an New Area” of “safety and quality” that is  a national model in promoting high-quality development.

On April 21, 2018, the full text of the “Hebei Xiong’an New Area Planning Outline” approved by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council was released, and the blueprint of Xiong’an New Area was officially presented to the world.

Based on the future, build Xiong’an.

In January 2019, at the Xiong’an New Area Planning Exhibition Center, General Secretary Xi Jinping carefully looked at the “Hebei Xiong’an New Area Planning Outline” on the exhibition board.

General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized that the construction of Xiong’an New Area is a millennium project. First of all, the new area must be new in terms of planning and construction concepts, and it must reflect forward-looking and leading.

General Secretary Xi Jinping said: “In the past two years, almost no bricks and tiles have been touched. Now that there is a blueprint, Xiong’an has shifted from the top-level design stage to the substantive construction stage. This year may be a booming situation.”

The blueprint was drawn, and the drums were beaten to urge the levy.

(3) Construction

“We must fully implement the new development concept, adhere to the requirements of high-quality development, and strive to create a benchmark for high-quality development in the new era.”

At 6:50 in the morning, a Fuxing high-speed rail train slowly left Xiong’an Station and traveled all the way to the capital Beijing. In the morning light, the drop-shaped silver-gray building of Xiongan Station is beautiful, like a drop of dew on the lotus leaf of Baiyangdian Lake.

Yang Bin, once served as the chief of the Beijing-Xiong Intercity Railway Construction Headquarters. In one of his treasured videos, “Qinglian Dewdrop” is still a construction site. “We were standing here at the time, and the general secretary connected with us.”

When General Secretary Xi Jinping visited the Xiongan New Area on January 16, 2019, he went to the New Area Planning Exhibition Center, where he connected the builders at the construction site of the Xiongan Station of the Beijing-Xiong Intercity Railway through a large screen.

The moment the video was connected, the construction site was boiling.

“The construction of the Beijing-Xiong Intercity Railway started on February 28, 2018, and it is planned to be completed and open to traffic by the end of 2020.” Yang Bin stood in front of the scaffold wearing a helmet and shouted: “Are you confident, comrades?” “Yes!” The answer resounded through the wilderness.

Seeing this scene, General Secretary Xi Jinping said with emotion that it is winter and the sky is freezing, but our railway builders are still working hard. You are doing the pioneering work for the construction of the “Millennium Plan” of Xiong’an New District, and you have contributed a lot. People all over the country are looking forward to your good news!

More than a year later, the good news came. On December 27, 2020, the entire line of the Beijing-Xiong Intercity Railway was put into operation. The majority of builders wrote with their hands the “China Speed” linking Beijing and Xiong’an.

General Secretary Xi Jinping placed ardent expectations on Xiong’an New Area: “We must fully implement the new development concept, adhere to the requirements of high-quality development, and strive to create a benchmark for high-quality development in the new era.”

“Green, ecological and livable new urban area”, “innovation-driven development leading area”, “coordinated development demonstration area”, “open development pioneer area”, the development orientation of Xiong’an New District vividly interprets the rich connotation of high-quality development benchmarks in the new era.

Coordinated development itself is a deep reform. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized that Xiong’an New District should be given the autonomy to develop, as long as it is conducive to the innovation and development of Xiong’an, it should give full support.

In January 2019, General Secretary Xi Jinping came to the government affairs service center of Xiong’an New District, inspected the service window, learned about the new district’s deepening reform of governance systems and mechanisms, and the creation of a service-oriented government.

“Are you the first batch of entrepreneurs to come to Xiong’an to start a business?” In the government service center, after hearing General Secretary Xi Jinping’s inquiry, entrepreneurs gathered around and scrambled to tell about their entrepreneurial dreams in Xiong’an.

The general secretary encouraged everyone: “Our construction of Xiong’an New District requires the participation of all enterprises. Whether it is state-owned or private enterprises, whether it is local or Beijing enterprises, whether it is Chinese enterprises or foreign-funded enterprises, we must grasp this. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, seize the historical opportunity, and be a leader in national rejuvenation, reform and innovation!”

Recalling the scene at that time, Chang Yongshan, general manager of Xiongan Branch of China Electronics Group Taiji Computer Co., Ltd., was very excited: “The general secretary said that we are the first batch of trendsetters in the new area. This is a great encouragement.” Chang Yongshan and his colleagues Invested in the planning and construction of Xiong’an Smart City, participated in the construction of Xiong’an New District All-in-one Netcom Office, China Xiong’an Group Office Information System and other projects, and poured the enthusiasm for entrepreneurship into the bricks and tiles of the future city.

Wen Hui, a staff member of the Market Entity Access Group of the Xiong’an New Area Public Service Bureau, also remembers the scene of General Secretary Xi Jinping’s inspection at the Government Service Center.

General Secretary Xi Jinping said to everyone: “We must use modern information technology to promote the sharing of government information connectivity, improve the level of informatization, intelligence, precision, and convenience of government services, and let the masses run less errands.”

“The general secretary’s entrustment made us deeply feel the great responsibility.” Wen Hui said that we should work together to create a good business environment so that entrepreneurs who come to the new district to start businesses can retain and develop well.

Today’s Xiong’an New Area is full of vigor and vitality. Young people come from afar to start businesses in Xiongan New Area with dreams in mind, and locals return home full of hope to start businesses.

In the waiting hall of Xiong’an Station, a “Millennium Wheel” attracts the attention of passengers. Its starting date is set as April 1, 2017 - the day when “Xiongan” was first known to the public. On the base of the “Millennium Wheel”, 8 large golden characters are engraved - “The Millennium Plan Begins Now”. The gears keep turning, recording the progress of history.

Under the strong leadership of the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping as the core, adhere to the big historical view, maintain historical patience, sustain work momentum, ensure that a blueprint is drawn to the end, and strive to create “Xiong’an quality” where Chinese-style modernization will unfold with its more and more beautiful stories.

(Story by Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, May 11)