A cluster of three cities in Hunan Province will become an experimental zone for energy saving and environmentally friendly programs.
The three neighboring cities of Changsha, Zhuzhou and Xiangtan will form the zone in the home province of Mao Zedong, said Hunan Governor Zhou Qiang yesterday.
"The 70 million people in Hunan have the reputation of always being the first to try something new. We are honored that our cities will become the country's experimental field in transforming its mode of development," Zhou told the press in the provincial capital of Changsha.
In addition to the city cluster in Hunan, the State Council has also approved Wuhan, the provincial capital of Hubei, as an experimental zone for energy-saving and environmentally friendly reforms.
China has six experimental zones so far, starting with Shanghai's Pudong New District in 2005.
Zhou said the three cities in Hunan were chosen because they were part of the country's long-time industrial base, where the lack of resources as well as environmental pollution have impeded their development.
Meanwhile, their locations offer them the chance to be a "pivot", he said, in the nation's planned "rise of Central China" - a national strategy to boost the economies in the central part of China, which includes Hunan, Hubei and Henan provinces.
Zhou said that the provincial government will help the three cities build energy-saving, environmentally friendly industries, and make them more beautiful and livable.
Changsha will coordinate with its partner cities in sectors including infrastructure construction, pollution treatment and energy supply, said its mayor Zhang Jianfei yesterday.
Mayor of Zhuzhou Chen Junwen said his city will protect its farmland and build leisure industries while increasing efforts to improve the environment.
Xiangtan will encourage the development of its hi-tech industries and make better use of its "cultural resources", said its mayor Yu Aiguo.
The three cities are the engines of Hunan's economy. They contributed 37.6 percent of the provincial GDP last year, and they hold 19.2 percent of the province's population.
Questions:
1. Which three cities in Hunan Province will participate in an experimental zone for energy saving and environmentally friendly programs?
2. Hunan is which well-known Chinese leader’s home province?
3. Why were these three cities in Hunan chosen?
Answers:
1. Changsha, Zhuzhou and Xiangtan.
2. Mao Zedong.
3.Because they are part of the country’s industrial base, and the lack of resources and environmental pollution have impeded their development.
（英語點津 Celene 編輯）
About the broadcaster:
Bernice Chan is a foreign expert at China Daily Website. Originally from Vancouver, Canada, Bernice has written for newspapers and magazines in Hong Kong and most recently worked as a broadcaster for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, producing current affairs shows and documentaries.
