Excerpts from Field Survey Reports
A.M.K.T. Abeysinghe
Nationality: Sri Lanka
I can say that the development achieved by Shangluo in the past two decades was admirable. I don’t think that developing countries elsewhere in the world have urban high-rise buildings or factory farms like this in areas categorized as rural. The secret of its success is proper understanding of the current situation, alignment with central government policies, identification of its own strengths and weaknesses, proper planning and implementation, and public-private partnerships and collaboration.
Alex Ampaire
Nationality: Uganda
Considering Shangluo’s poverty history, one can clearly see that poverty is not a permanent venture, and it can be wiped out in both underdeveloped and developing countries only through holistic strategies. Strong governance and leadership principles have resulted in clean, green and inclusive growth benefitting every resident of Shangluo, making it a pristine model for most developing countries.
Asnake Getie Asmare
Nationality: Ethiopia
My observation of and experience with China’s fast economic and sociopolitical development left me awed by the country’s new villages and cities established by combining infrastructure, industrial parks and clean energy sources usage, environmental and ecology protection, and urbanization. They absorb residents involved in nearby industries and allocate the region’s major resources into pharmaceutical factories and technological innovation generated by research centers.
A village in Shangluo City, Shaanxi Province.
Discovering “Surprisingly Developed” Poor Chinese Rural Areas
The participants were vocal about their excitement to see another side of China so far from Beijing where they spend most of their time. Although the students are very interested in the classes of the IMBA program, they are also eager to directly experience the country, especially places developing quickly. China’s top tier cities rival those in Europe in many ways, but it is a massive complex country with a wide gap between urban and rural areas.
Villagers raise Asiatic honey bees in Shanyang County, Shangluo City of Shaanxi Province. In 2015, the county launched a three-year plan to promote targeted poverty alleviation through developing the beekeeping industry.
Laura Avondet
Nationality: Argentina
As scholars seek to pinpoint the causes of China’s meteoric rise in such a short time, many theories have circulated. While each of these explanations may have some truth, an under-examined aspect of China’s rise that could offer a deeper understanding of China’s economic growth in the last few decades is a clear vision for the future and diligent planning.
Alexis Olaniran Benon
Nationality: Benin
The Shangluo field trip helped us see that the focus of any sustainable development should not be split between growth and the environment. Another important lesson of the Shaanxi field trip is the core role that tourism plays in an economy as well as society. If well promoted, it can be a driving force of development and an internationalization tool for the city. The Shangluo development model is a good source of inspiration to follow.
Bun Long
Nationality: Cambodia
Shangluo has implemented targeted poverty alleviation and elimination focused on achieving basic targets for the poor (such as adequate food, clothing, education and basic healthcare; as well as housing and pension security). The principle is that “government makes overall plans; resources are integrated with comprehensive investment to achieve sustainable development.”
Nationality: Jamaica
I must applaud the local government of Shangluo for their remarkable efforts in poverty alleviation and economic growth. Not only have they made significant strides but they have done so in an environmentally friendly way. Their methods of pooling various resources to achieve self-sustainment are interesting. They utilize various plants to make medicine, creating corporations with the strength to be on the stock market and compete in global markets.
Giacomo Cartolin Hurtado
Nationality: Peru
Integrating migration, new rural construction and rural community planning is one of the main goals of Shang-luo today. Another important objective is to offer good public services to attract immigrants and coordinate the industrial sector and government to create more new projects. Such efforts have clearly paid off. For example, when we visited local companies, we witnessed their good relations with the government and commitment to the development of the city.
Shakoenteladebie Charan
Nationality: Suriname
In recent years, Shangluo has made significant achievements in economic and social development, evident not only in its economic strength, but also the development of a circular economy, industrial economy and the construction of its urban center. It features model technological innovation, infrastructure, health and education. All of these factors reduce poverty.
2015: The Huayuan Community that covers 18.6 hectares in Yungaisi Town, Zhen’an County, in Shangluo City, is a provincial-level migration demonstration site in Shaanxi Province. With an estimated investment of 1.32 billion yuan, the community is designed to accommodate more than 20,000 people from 5,000 relocated households.
Even taking the train to travel from Beijing to Shaanxi was worth the trip. “It made us fully grasp the scale of a country like China,” gasped Laura Avondet from Argentina. “We saw the vast countryside and many secondary cities no one outside of China knows about – but these cities have millions of inhabitants!” Nuredine Oumer Mohammed thought “it was interesting to see something completely different from developed Beijing. Witnessing poverty in China was a meaningful experience. I can certainly relate because China is way ahead in its development process compared to my home country. And yet I was surprised to see dirt houses in Wangjian Village. Some of them really look similar to those in my country!” Maame Afua Quansah from Ghana said she was especially interested in the way the area changed. “I was expecting to see very simple villages without much economic activity,” she admits, “but the places we went to were booming. I was surprised and left wanting to see more.”
Nationality: Peru
Relocation greatly accelerated the pace of poverty reduction and improved the living conditions of the poor. Their pattern is to integrate industrialization, urbanization and agricultural modernization. Shangluo began the process of innovation by applying innovative and technological projects, such as construction of sustainable ecological conditions, with focus on the welfare and health of people who live in the city.
Nationality: Macedonia
Throughout the three days I spent in Shangluo, we visited many companies involved in a wide array of industries ranging from pharmaceuticals to automobiles and even e-commerce. A phrase I often heard was “circular economy.” I found it fascinating that the pharmaceutical company was producing only traditional Chinese medicine, produced entirely by locally grown plants with no chemical additions.
Nationality: Ethiopia
The lives of rural people are improving very quickly these days. The participation of people involved in developmental projects evidences that the untiring efforts of rural officials have yielded great results. The incorporation of institutions of higher education and design research centers in the implementation of different projects has also fueled the sustainable development of Shangluo.
Nationality: Suriname
Shangluo increases its internal production by strengthening multiple sectors together to create income dispersion. Conditions such as setting future goals, building trust, and understanding the complexities of the development process are important, but the most common issue developing countries like Suriname need to address is good governance, which is the foundation of any healthy development.
Riccara Dean
Nationality: Bahamas
Shangluo’s efforts to alleviate poverty have been well executed to benefit the poor. These policies and reforms can be examined by other regions, provinces and countries. However, those who want to use Shangluo’s model must keep in mind that they should not replicate the reforms of Shangluo exactly, but tweak them for their own specific needs.
Feranika
Nationality: Indonesia
Due to poor technology, major environmental damage was caused by the mining industry. They defaced land and polluted the environment. Because of that, it is crucial that the region now engage in innovative, coordinated, green, open and shared development. Shangluo is already adjusting its industrial structure, and many polluting enterprises including mines have been shut down while water treatment plants have been built.
Despite some persisting poverty, most of the students were surprised at the development they witnessed, especially the industrialization in such a rural area. Many students were impressed by Shangluo’s factories, especially those of BYD (BYD Auto, based in Xi’an, was the top manufacturer of highway legal light-duty plug-in electric vehicles in 2015) and Shaanxi Xiangju Pharmaceuticals, which produces traditional Chinese medicine and other products such as antibiotics. “The factory’s production chain is complete,” remarked Tim Reid from Granada. “They produce medicine and do everything on site, including packaging. And they export to foreign markets, including Africa.”
Even if with a positive impression of Shangluo and its surroundings, the IMBA students also realized that some villages still face economic challenges. Aditya Kumar Ranjan from India pointed out that a place like Wangjian could not provide many jobs for young adults, so many of them go to bigger cities to secure better income to help their family. Because of that, kids often must live with their grandparents. Some villages have developed economic strategies based on tourism. They can certainly attract Xi’an residents, but Tim Reid thinks foreigners and Chinese visitors from other provinces are unlikely to venture out to them and will usually stick to Shaanxi’s main attractions like the terracotta warriors. After a visit to a company that produces bathroom equipment, Tim Reid was struck by the lack of customers and wondered whether the products would sell on the local market, considering they seemed too sophisticated for usage in average village houses. But thanks to the area’s good transportation infrastructure, such goods don’t necessarily need to be sold locally.
In 2013, Zhashui County took action to accelerate new countryside construction, with the purpose of improving the living conditions of its rural areas.
Nationality: Grenada
Financial innovation was used to help develop Shangluo City. I believe this was an excellent move that curbed the formerly high poverty levels of residents. Focus was placed on the development of farmers’ co-operatives to improve agriculture. Cooperation among farmers was promoted, and a number of loans funded a wide variety of projects.
Nationality: Peru
The government played a key role in fostering the province’s impressive rise. A fundamental aspect that we observed and that I consider extremely important is the province’s achievement of infrastructure objectives, which happened thanks to logical government investment decades ago. Successes like this show how important vision and determination are to sustainable economic growth and development in rural areas.
Khandira M. Glinton
Nationality: Bahamas
The goal of the circular economy is converting waste to natural resources. Four cycling systems account for part of the transformation of Shangluo into a circular economy. These systems of circular industry, circular agriculture and circular services in addition to social dimensions have been making good progress and strides toward the accomplishment of the end goal.
Nationality: Bahamas
Good governance and cohesion of a nation’s goals as well as the understanding of respective economies and how they differ internally are of crucial importance. Herein lies the formulation of solutions to sustained development and the ability of both one and many to witness the ideas and experiences of other countries and utilize them for growth and development.
Meer Hassan Khan
Nationality: Pakistan
Developmental efforts reflect the interests and priorities of the government and show how much the people are committed to and enthusiastic about making improvements and achieving prosperity. It is worth mentioning that China is playing a very prominent role in the development of Pakistan’s infrastructure by helping us overcome an energy crisis and supporting all sectors of the economy. The China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is a latest example of this support.
Prisca Kyalisiima
Nationality: Uganda
Tremendous work has been done by the local government of Shaanxi as evidenced by new infrastructure both finished and still under construction. I realized that the success behind heavy investments is commitment of the leaders. This is the most essential value lacking in leaders of most developing and least developed countries, but was instrumental in China’s recent transition as a whole.
Students visit a BYD factory. by Laurent Hou
Lessons on Economic Development and Poverty Reduction
The students agreed that good infrastructure contributed much to the economic development of the area. “The road network is really good around Shangluo, especially for such a mountainous area,” said Tim Reid. “I can tell that the government put a lot of effort and money into improving the connectivity of this area, and it paid off. In Grenada, we really struggle with infrastructures and I am convinced that improving it would tremendously help our development.”
In addition to “traditional” infrastructure, the students were also impressed by the good internet reception in such a rural and mountainous area. The wired village cabs readily support e-commerce platforms such as aiguanji.com in Shanyang town. After only a year of existence, the company has already achieved 130 million yuan, which deeply impressed Aditya Kumar Ranjan. “Such e-commerce success testifies to successes of rural internet usage as well as logistics systems,” he opined. Maame Afua Quansah stressed the importance of this local company selling goods produced in the area by the farmers, so it really boosts local employment and revenues.
2012: Members of a local straw weaving cooperative at work. The cooperative in Bao’an Town, Luonan County, has more than 600 members from 500 local households, and its products are sold both at home and abroad, greatly boosting local employment and economic development.
Nationality: Dominican Republic
In past years, Shangluo underwent major transformations in areas of technology, agriculture, research and infrastructural development. Significant achievements have been made in poverty alleviation and social welfare. The focus on achieving growth in a sustainable manner is obvious in plans, policies and activities that are aiding achievement of clean, green and inclusive growth.
Shumu Alebachew Liben
Nationality: Ethiopia
Shaanxi Province has cultural, historical and nature-based tourism attractions, but its future may lie in developing both nature- and culturebased products and related marketing images, especially if the international market is a target. Given that these markets are currently largely untapped, they are important targets for marketing and product development to meet foreign demand and accommodate their vacation needs.
Amonelith Luangsouvannavong
Nationality: Laos
One significant achievement that Shangluo people proudly presented to us was green growth. I realized that they could have enjoyed a higher rate of economic development, but it would have cost them their blue skies. It would be painful to live in such a mountainous area with bad air quality. Hopefully, Shaanxi people, particularly Shangluo people, will promote growth sustainably.
Nuredine Oumer Mohammed
Nationality: Ethiopia
In beautiful Shangluo the priority has always been placed on poverty alleviation in terms of social and economic development. Even if development is slowed, Shangluo is not allowing anyone to create pollution. The result is that Shangluo is more beautiful and playing a positive role in the world’s fight against climate change.
Shingirai Mukorobi
Nationality: Zimbabwe
The city has benefited from high-value investments in vehicle manufacturing, solar equipment production and pharmaceuticals. Every big company we visited was privately owned with capital of several hundreds of millions of yuan. Shangluo is a place in China that still has relatively low wage rates because of its underdevelopment, which will attract investors for a little longer.
Nigussie Abeba Enyew
Nationality: Ethiopia
Shangluo’s progress in poverty alleviation and development is very important for my country. I believe that my country should learn from Shangluo’s methods on production development, migration to more suitable areas, ecological consciousness, thorough education, and providing social security and basic safety nets.
Nationality: Malawi
The leadership of Shangluo is hardworking and delighted to see to the things it planned come to fruition. One should also note that the local community has been the biggest contributor to the development of both Shangluo City and Shaanxi Province. The leadership did not only rely on assistance from the central government to uplift the living standards of the people.
Daniel Oduro
Nationality: Ghana
Shangluo’s achievements are not limited to economic success; its landmark successes are considerable ecological accomplishments. Its air quality has been top in the province for five straight years and Shangluo ‘blue sky’ has been a trending topic on the internet. Shanglou’s other achievements in recent times include technological innovations as well as vigorous attempts to urbanize.
María Sol Olivieri
Nationality: Argentina
Looking at what happened in Argentina as an example, policy or decision making was the key problem on several projects. In Shangluo we saw that the project is being executed with precision and that the leaders are managing everything necessary to reach every objective. Clear project + clear steps + policy decisions + executed policy decision is the formula to develop an area.
Anishka Pennerman
Nationality: Bahamas
Some poverty reduction practices were truly impressive, particularly the systematic method of identifying poor and vulnerable people and targeting relief of their specific situations. That the government was willing and able to relocate persons if their physical surroundings were not ideal was also a very admirable policy position. However, the province needs to be careful with its attempts to diversify its industries.
Maame Afua Quansah
Nationality: Ghana
I learned a lot from the e-Commerce Center which is lifting Shangluo to another level. My country can benefit so much from this innovation that enables millions of buyers and sellers to be linked at the click of a button on the internet. It will help reduce unemployment of millennials in my country and also make them get interested in entrepreneurship.
Aditya Kumar Ranjan
Nationality: India
The overall effort by local government is commendable. Their policymaking is concentrated on developing a circular economy in the region. My suggestion is to seek greater investment in light and agro business industries, so that poor people and farmers in the region are included in economic development.
A corner of Zhujiawan Village in Zhashui County, Shangluo City. In 2015, Zhujiawan was cited as one of “China’s most beautiful villages for recreational tourism of the year.”
Nationality: Grenada
It goes without saying that economic development requires collective action and large-scale, long-term planning and investment. Only in that way will the country, province, city or region be able to fully address the essential conditions necessary for microeconomic functioning of the economy. Such concepts are clearly manifested in the success of poverty alleviation measures enacted in the city of Shangluo.
Armando Vasquez
Nationality: Panama
Unlike the traditional methods of seeking development of a community, in which the methodology guidelines arise from outside the community, the development plan of Shangluo was launched by the local government to feed the needs of the people by capitalizing on the resources of the territory and finding consensus amongst decision makers. The main priority of the development of the city is capitalizing on the potential of the local area as well as fostering innovation and the creation of local enterprises.
Students also emphasized the importance of planning. Tim, Maame and Nuredine all insisted that mid and long-term planning are essential to economic development and poverty alleviation. They stressed that because political change can happen very quickly in their countries, fostering change is a challenging issue and that they could learn from China’s five-year plans, which identify target groups of people for poverty reduction and establish clear development goals. In China, government is the main player in poverty reduction. This is not the case for all developing countries. Bun Long from Cambodia stated that the situation in Shangluo is “very different from Cambodia where NGOs play a very important role in poverty alleviation. I think the Cambodian government could take inspiration from the Chinese government’s long-term planning to tackle poverty”.
All the students agreed to say that they learned a lot during a very short time in Shangluo, and that their countries could benefit from the study of such policies and development strategies. Nonetheless, they also emphasized that any borrowed techniques would need to be adapted for the specific local situation. Development levels are different, but most importantly, the scale of countries compared to China can make things difficult. For example, Grenada has barely 100,000 inhabitants in total, much fewer than Shangluo itself.