IT takes four hours for a high-speed train to travel from the modern capital of Beijing to Luoyang, capital of China’s first dynasty, the Xia (2070-1600 BC), in central Henan Province.

But it would take Luoyang almost six and a half years to produce what Beijing achieved last year in terms of GDP.

In historical documents and fiction, Luoyang is depicted as a mighty political center just like Beijing. By the middle of the 10th century, Luoyang had already been a bustling me­tropolis and spent half of its then-3,000-year history as the capital of 13 dynasties.

Today, the city resembles many of the country’s other 600 cities. Visitors may hardly notice at first glance any trace of its past glory.

One reason is that its oldest architecture, which was made of wood, was destroyed by wars.

Despite being home to six UNESCO World Heritage sites, Luoyang is not as well known as Western equivalents.

The modern city landscape gives few clues of its historic past, except a designated field of 47 square kilometers, 10 times the size of Vatican City, in the downtown area.

Cultural relics have been de­tected underground. The city government has an ambitious plan to restore architecture from the 6th and 7th centuries.

“City planning and con­struction are intertwined with cultural relic protection,” says Li Ya, Party secretary of Luoyang. “If we can handle them well, it will be a win-win situation. But if we mess it up, the relics will either constrain development or they will be damaged.

“President Xi Jinping told us to have pride in our culture and people need something tangible to reach consensus on.”

Luoyang is home to the origin of Chinese civilization. Archeol­ogists identify the Erlitou ruins discovered there in 1959 as one of the capital cities during the Xia Dynasty.

The local government is in­vesting billions trying to restore the grandeur of what is believed to have been world’s most popu­lous city at the end of the 7th century.

It hints, according to some experts, that China will not only continue to be an economic powerhouse, but also strive to pick up its lost glory as a major civilization. China is promoting its cultural values and making its voice heard worldwide.

Awakening

Luoyang was at its peak during the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907), when China’s only empress, Wu Zetian, moved the capital there from Chang’an (today’s Xi’an), during her reign from AD 690 to 705.

After the rise and fall of several dynasties, Luoyang gradually lost its luster as the center of China.

The city is underrated com­pared to other ancient capitals of China such as Xi’an, known worldwide for its terra-cotta warriors.

Fallen but not forgotten, Luoy­ang was chosen as one of new China’s heavy industry bases in the 1950s when the Communist Party of China rebuilt the coun­try after years of war.

Being the cradle of indus­tries such as heavy mining machinery, tractors, bearings, non-ferrous metal, and high-speed diesel engines, Luoyang has absorbed so many migrants that it became one of the most populated Chinese cities 60 years ago.

Today, Luoyang has more than 7 million people, about the population of Bulgaria. Its GDP in 2016 was valued at 379.5 billion yuan (US$57.5 billion), ranking second in Henan Prov­ince, and 51st among all cities in China.

China’s GDP last year exceed­ed 74 trillion yuan, representing an annual growth rate of 6.7 percent, among the fastest in the world.

The economic miracle sus­tained for almost 40 years since the country adopted the reform and opening up strategy in 1978. Luoyang is a beneficiary of the process.

“As an old industrial base, Lu­oyang has no chance other than undertaking reform to revive,” says Li.

He summarizes the city’s development strategy as “9+2.” Basically it aims to build sys­tems of modern innovation, modern industries, modern market, modern urbanization, modern infrastructure, cultural inheritance and creation, envi­ronment, openness, and public services.

The strategy echoes the five development concepts of in­novation, coordination, green development, opening up and inclusiveness, proposed by the CPC in 2015. The “big five” is supposed to be a theme topic at the upcoming Party congress to produce future growth.

Henan Province expects much from Luoyang, hoping it will become an engine of economic growth for the province.

Almost all the provincial leaders are delegates to the CPC congress, the most important meeting to decide China’s next five year or even longer plans. The country’s future develop­ment rests on the growth of hundreds of cities like Luoyang and thousands of counties.

“If we can make good use of the policies to be adopted at the congress, the effect would be as major as that of the 1950s,” says Li.

“We are in a tough battle on two fronts,” says Li, referring to carrying out the supply-side structural reform and fighting poverty.

He is not exaggerating by comparing poverty elimination to war.

Five years ago, the 18th CPC National Congress proclaimed the country with nearly one fifth of the world’s population would be transformed into a moderately prosperous society in all respects by 2020.

China has brought an annual average of 13.9 million people out of poverty in the past five years, which means almost 1.16 million per month, or at least 26 people per minute.

China is in a race against time, as there are more than 43 million people, or 3 percent of its total population, still living below the poverty line of 2,300 yuan annual income.

“This is the most significant Chinese solution to the world­wide problem,” says Li, who was a delegate to the 18th and 19th CPC National Congresses.

Challenges ahead are not lim­ited to poverty reduction.

Environmental protection is on the top agenda of Li and all Chinese local officials as well as central government leaders.

Luoyang launched a three-year river cleanup campaign in September, aiming to improve the water quality and environ­ment along four major rivers running across the city with a total length of 554 kilometers.

The rivers are expected to be clean enough for swimming and raising fish. More trees and bushes, parks and wetlands will be planned along the banks.

“The concept of eco-civiliza­tion is becoming increasingly popular among local people,” says Li. “We must do something to satisfy them.”

China is expected to intro­duce tougher measures in the coming five years to solve en­vironmental problems. Nearly 15,000 officials have been held accountable for pollution over the past year, according to the Ministry of Environmental Protection.

A new phase

People believe the returning strength of Luoyang is a sym­bol of China’s long march to national rejuvenation.

The Chinese Dream, which aims to modernize the country by the mid-21st century, has never been so true to Luoyang residents.

By then, the largest national population in the world will be free from the threat of poverty as China becomes the biggest economy, surpassing the United States.

In Li’s eyes, in line with the country’s new development, Lu­oyang could be opened wider.

As the place where the Grand Canal meets the Yellow River, China’s second-longest river, Luoyang is more than qualified in claiming itself as a pivotal Silk Road player.

“We should make full use of the free trade zone to boost bonded logistics, trade and manufacturing in Luoyang,” he says. The Henan Free Trade Zone has more than 1,000 companies.

Express freight trains now replace horses and camels to reconnect Luoyang with Europe, carrying electronics and high-tech products, as well as farm produce.

“We are getting closer to the center stage of the world,” says Li.