Chimney phobia transforming a city
Print Edition
Zhuzhou in central China’s Hunan, Province, one of the nation’s 10 most polluted cities a decade ago, has been transformed, according to its mayor.
One of the first cities to embrace heavy industry after the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, Zhuzhou was home to cement and chemical plants along with other heavy polluting, high energy consumption works.
Liu Yi, 45, who has worked in the glass industry for 28 years, said: “The sky was often obscured by black smoke pouring from hundreds of old chimneys.”
Mayor Mao Tengfei said: “Policymakers once idolized tall chimneys. The more chimneys, the better. This mindset has now changed.”
China’s economic growth over the past three decades relied on investment and exports, without much thought for the environment, but Zhuzhou’s reinvention is just one example of the transition many cities are undergoing today.
“Our mindset has shifted from chimney worship to chimney phobia,” Mao said.
Since 2011, the city has eliminated 213 polluting factories and closed production lines in cement, steel and chemicals. More than 450 chimneys have been torn down.
High-end manufacturing, new materials, services and pharmaceutical industries are the new pillars of the economy, and companies such as Microsoft and Alibaba have established a presence there.
Zhuzhou is also home to high-tech businesses such as the CSR Corporation Limited, which makes bullet trains, and light aircraft maker Sunward Tech.
Earlier this month, the International Monetary Fund lowered its forecast of China’s growth to 6.8 percent for 2015, reflecting “a welcome decision to reorient the economy towards consumption.”
Liu’s factory was acquired by Kibing Glass Group in 2005 and the factory now belches out a lot less pollution. The city’s economy has a new swagger, and Liu, now head of the technology department, takes home 6,000 yuan a month; almost 30 times what she 10 years ago.
The people of Zhuzhou saw average incomes rise 9.6 percent last year, but for residents like Liu, the most important thing is that it has become a more pleasant place to live.
“I hope my living standards can rise, but I will be sad if the blue sky disappears again,” she said.
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