Establish Chongming as the first Ecological Demonstration District in China

Cai Laixing
Board Chairman of SIIC

Establish Chongming as the first Ecological Demonstration District in China

Chongming is China's third largest island. Since the Eighth Five Year Plan, Chongming has been listed for development as part of the national strategy, as well as receiving importance and focus from state leaders. In an important speech given by President Jiang Zemin on July 1, 2001, he introduced the importance of a combined strategy for growth of production, higher living conditions and an improved environment, which are characteristics of civilized development, and is the trend that world development has taken during the 1990's. It was also a call to China to take one more step towards quality level modernization and development in the 21st century, and provided Shanghai with a model strategy for its new age development of Chongming.

While researching how to develop the 84 sq km of Shanghai Industry Park in Dongtan, Chongming, SIIC set a foundation to form Dongtan as China's first model eco-construction site, based on Shanghai's sustainable development and overall competitive structure which is a combined effort by Shanghai and the rest of China and from analysis of worldwide economical development trends.

The 21st century has gradually been determined as the "environmental century", and environmental revolution and ecological culture will become the primary focuses and standards that setting competitiveness at an international level. This also provides Shanghai with opportunities and direction to advance and accomplish recognition in the 21st century. This makes the opportunity to develop and establish Chongming as a model area for ecological development an important task, and a symbolic project of ecological culture in Shanghai that will ensure sustained development in the future.

1. Eco-construction in Chongming can promote Shanghai as a model for sustainable development in an international metropolis.