Danzhou looks to become central city in west Hainan

Over the past 70 years, Danzhou, Hainan province has seen rapid economic and social development. Now the city is eyeing to become a modern central city in west Hainan.

When the People's Republic of China was founded, Danzhou was a small underdeveloped town with poor infrastructure. There were only two roads in the city and they were less than 30 kilometers long, and there were only 18 bridges. Today, the city has 2,842 kilometers of road and 393 bridges.

The round-the-island expressway, high-speed railway circling the island, Wanning-Yangpu Expressway, and  currently in-progress Danzhou Airport allow the city to be traveled in just 40 minutes and nearby cities to be reached within an hour.

In 2018, the GDP of Danzhou was 32.3 billion yuan ($4.5 billion), its fixed asset investments were valued at 23.35 billion yuan, and its total retail sales of social consumer goods amounted to 9.14 billion yuan. These numbers are 20 times, 198.7 times, 34.9 times, respectively, higher than in 1988 when the province was first established.

Danzhou is Hainan's largest city in terms of land area and second largest in terms of population. It accounts for one-ninth of the island's population, one-sixth of its coastline, and one-tenth of its land area. It has been designated to become west Hainan's central city.

According to Yuan Guangping, Party chief of Danzhou, the city has been adhering to a new development model while striving to create "five hubs" for education, medical care, culture, consumption, and services in western Hainan.

He added that Danzhou is a key node of the Beibu Gulf city cluster and serves as a gateway for communication and exchange with Southeast Asian countries.

The city will target the Beibu Gulf and ASEAN economic circles, seek to integrate industrial production and ports development with city construction and create a model for the integrative development, Yuan noted. 

Boasting a large number of tourist attractions, the city hopes to develop its tourism industry by taking advantage of its culture, sports, and healthcare resources.

Yuan Guangping, Party chief of Danzhou, discusses the city's progress in building itself into a central city in west Hainan at a press conference held at the Hainan Museum in Haikou on Sept 25. [Photo/danzhou.gov.cn]