Why can Jiyuan City’s economy rival that of Zhengzhou?
Jiyuan City is located in the northwest of Henan Province. In ancient times, it was the birthplace of Jishui. As the name suggests, it got its name from this. Jishui was very famous in ancient times, and its status was equivalent to that of the Yangtze River, Yellow River and Huaihe River. If viewed clockwise from the north, Jiyuan is adjacent to Jincheng in Shanxi, Jiaozuo and Luoyang in Henan, and Yuncheng in Shanxi.
The Yellow River rushes through the south of Jiyuan, and the Taihang Mountains stand majestically to the north. This is a good place with mountains on its back and water on its side. According to Feng Shui, such a place is a Feng Shui treasure.
If you look at the map of Henan Province, you will find that the area of Jiyuan City is very small. If the entire province of Henan is regarded as a fist, Jiyuan City will be as big as a fingernail. Jiyuan City covers an area of more than 1,900 square kilometers and has a population of only more than 700,000. It is the smallest provincial-level city (sub-prefecture level) in Henan Province.
The largest prefecture-level city in Henan Province is Nanyang City, with an area of 26,600 square kilometers and a registered population of more than 10 million. In terms of land area and population, Nanyang is more than 10 times that of Jiyuan. They placed Being together is like an elephant and a kitten standing together. Even the other two smaller cities of Luohe and Hebi are larger than it.
Because of its small territory and small population, Jiyuan City has always been organized at the county level or county-level city and is under the jurisdiction of the nearby Jiaozuo City. But why was it able to have such a high level and be qualified to compete with Henan Province? What about the other dozen cities lined up? Although it is a prefecture-level city with a subtitle, it is still considered a prefecture-level city after all.
The reason is that the crustal movement hundreds of millions of years ago made Jiyuan later located at the southern foot of the Taihang Mountains, which is very rich in various minerals, animal and plant resources. According to statistics, there are more than 40 proven coal, iron and other mineral deposits, more than 3,000 kinds of animal and plant resources, especially more than 1,000 medicinal materials, many of which are nationally protected rare species.
Due to the existence of the Yellow River, there is also the famous Xiaolangdi Water Conservancy Project here, and the resulting benefits in irrigation, electricity, and tourism are also very considerable. In addition, in the north where water is generally scarce, Jiyuan is a special case. Not only is there no shortage, but it is also inexhaustible. The amount of underground water that can be exploited here reaches one billion cubic meters. This is not a small amount. In China, where water resources are scarce, these are precious of wealth.
Relying on these mineral resources, Jiyuan City vigorously develops steel, coal and other mineral processing and related coalification, salinization and various special equipment manufacturing industries. In addition, the mountains and rivers here are beautiful and dangerous, and there are rich historical and cultural landscapes, and the tourism industry is also very developed.
Due to the strong economic development and small population base, the per capita GDP is very high and has always been very high in the province. In 2009, it surpassed Zhengzhou and ranked first in the province.
In 2016, the total GDP reached more than 53 billion, with an average per capita of more than 70,000, ranking second only to the provincial capital Zhengzhou. In 2017, the GDP reached more than 61.2 billion, with the growth rate ranking fifth in the province, and its development momentum is very strong. Among them, the service industry’s year-on-year growth rate ranked second in the province, and the year-on-year growth rate of import and export trade ranked first in the province.
It can be seen that the small Jiyuan City cannot be underestimated. It does not develop so fast just by exploiting natural resources, but relies on favorable conditions and the spirit of Foolish Old Man to Move Mountains. Comprehensive development in all aspects has achieved its current status