Pingtan Comprehensive Pilot Zone: Transforming from a Remote Island into a Warm Home

Before the establishment of the Pingtan Pilot Area, Pingtan was a poverty-stricken, heavily indebted island county in Fuzhou. Social undertakings developed slowly, and the security levels of people’s livelihood were low. Since the establishment of the experimentation area, Pingtan has been adhering to a more people-centered development philosophy and has been continuing to increase investment in people’s livelihood, and now, people’s sense of gain is on the rise.

 “In order to carry out the spirit of the 19th National Congress of the CPC, Pingtan will keep improving people’s well-being during this process of development and will let the people of the county benefit from the achievements of economic reform,” said Zhang Zhaomin, secretary of the Party Working Committee of the Pingtan Comprehensive Pilot Area.

Making up for weaknesses to accelerate the progress of the livelihood project

The other day, the sound of a student reading recitations aloud could be heard clearly on the campus of the affiliated high school of Fujian Normal University. “I am very lucky to have such a great school near my home,” tenth-grader Shi Yizhe said in satisfaction with the new school.

The construction of standardized schools in Pingtan will make better use of educational resources. (Fujian Daily/Nian Wangshu)

The Affiliated High School of Fujian Normal University was planned and built according to the requirements of first-class schools. It has three teaching buildings and three laboratory buildings, among others, and many students can study in a good school near their homes, which is the “gift” that many students have received at the beginning of the new semester this past autumn. Education is a practical example of Pingtan’s efforts to promote the construction of the livelihood project and let the people of the county benefit from the achievements of economic reform.

Intelligent Island staff deal with all kinds of requests from our 12345 convenience service platform every day.(Fujian Daily/Nian Wangshu)

When going through the existing livelihood bill, it is clear that everyone living in Pingtan is a beneficiary. Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, the living expenditure of the residents in Pingtan reached 20.762 billion yuan, triple the total of the previous ten years. Social undertakings and the security level of people’s livelihoods have also progressed in leaps and bounds. Regarding the implementation of the policies benefitting the people, Pingtan’s urban and rural residents’ pension standards are among the highest in the province, with 95.2% of urban and rural residents participating and the participation rate of the New Cooperative Medical Scheme reaching 97.8%. The proportion of medical assistance provided to urban and rural dwellers in need has risen to 70%, and the standard rural living allowance has reached 3,960 yuan per person each year.

Focusing on innovation to constantly raise the happiness index

In October 2015, Pingtan was designated as part of the pilot construction project for the provincial grid service management information platform and the pursuit toward implementing the “one network, one platform, one center, and one number across the island” concept. Today, the Pingtan “Wisdom Island” Service Management Command Center, supported by big data, has been put to use to realize data aggregation and sink, and dozens of business items can be handled through “one window and one network”, which is more convenient for companies and the masses. Meanwhile, we are vigorously promoting the establishment of the 12345 convenience service website, the Wucai Qilin app, and the “Pingtan Wisdom Island” WeChat account so that the people can reap all the benefits and conveniences “Wisdom Island” provides.

In 2011, Pingtan constructed a 25-kilometer comprehensive underground pipe gallery when building Zhongshan Avenue, the north–south main road, burying 124 kilometers of high voltage cabling underground and saving about two square kilometers of land. The exploration has achieved initial success, and the construction of Pingtan’s underground pipe gallery is now in full swing.

Continuing to build a shared home for all people in the future

What should be done to give the people more sense of gain at this new point in development? “The 19th National Congress of the CPC for Pingtan pointed out the direction and provided the fundamental principles for pressing forward with the construction of the people’s livelihood project and satisfying the people’s yearning for a better life,” Lin Wenyao, director of the Administrative Committee of the Pingtan Comprehensive Pilot Area, said while explaining that with an experimental area, free trade pilot zone, and international tourism-friendly island, Pingtan will continue to make up for its weaknesses, put more effort into the people’s livelihood project, and strive to build a shared home for all the people living across the strait.