日韩精品久久一区二区三区_亚洲色图p_亚洲综合在线最大成人_国产中出在线观看_日韩免费_亚洲综合在线一区

Li Xing

Even modern cities need distinction

By Li Xing (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-04-29 07:55
Large Medium Small

Five years ago, my family and I paid a visit to Xi'an, the ancient capital of China. We marveled at the army of terra cotta warriors and visited museums, tombs, and temples. We also rode bicycles on the city wall that still surrounds the old part of the city.

Even then, Xi'an was on a building spree. Construction equipment was everywhere as the city struggled to add more housing, as well as cultural facilities for both residents and tourists.

Last Sunday, I visited Xi'an again. I was amazed to see towering apartment complexes, a stunning new park with a lot of water features, and a huge new city center where people can enjoy concerts, movies and art exhibitions, as well as dining and shopping.

Still, construction equipment continues to dot the landscape. Don't be surprised, local official Wang Jun told me; Xi'an has set out to transform itself into one of the world's major metropolises.

Where have I heard that before? Since December, the phrase guoji da dushi (international metropolis) has been repeated on TV news broadcasts in Beijing, as officials here tout future development plans.

Beijing already is a major metropolis. It ranks high on almost every major index attempting to rate cities around the world according to their political influence, economic power, and cultural impact, as well as their livability, creativity and many other indicators.

One of the first such indices was the Globalization and World Cities Study Group and Network, based in Loughborough University in the UK. It publishes a list of the world's leading cities every four years, based on an analysis on what it calls "advanced producers services", such as accounting, advertising, finance and law. Beijing ranked 9th on its 2008 roster, after New York, London, Hong Kong, Paris, Singapore, Sydney, Tokyo, and Shanghai.

Foreign Policy, an American magazine, published a similar list in October 2008, in which its experts assessed "business activity, human capital, information exchange, cultural experience, and political engagement" in the world's top cities. Beijing ranked 11th, with New York and London leading the pack.

Beijing fell to 26th place in a Japanese study released last October. The Japanese focused on six categories: economy, research and development, cultural interaction, livability, environment, and accessibility.

No matter who you listen to, Beijing is a major metropolis, although it still trails cities like New York and London when it comes to environment and research and development.

It is commendable that Beijing has not rested on its laurels after hosting the 2008 Olympics. Instead, it has recognized its shortcomings and is now aiming to become a "highly developed" global city, in the words of Party chief Liu Qi, who has urged municipal officials to set more ambitious goals.

Beijing has paid a price for modernization, however. Glistening skyscrapers overshadow the Forbidden City and have squeezed out a lot of the old hutongs. Rampant development, endless sprawl, and ever more cars threaten to diminish the city's livability, and residents have reason to worry whether Beijing is losing its cultural and historic identity.

So far, Xi'an has managed to retain a lot of its ancient character. The city wall has been preserved, and parts of the old city are still visible. I was especially drawn to a classical brick carving at the entrance to a courtyard dwelling inhabited by local Hui Muslims. I was told that the owner had fought hard to keep the old house, along with the folk art.

Xi'an is unique. Countless ruins and ancient sites still exist to remind us of the glory of the ancient capital. I hope the city will not sacrifice these in its quest to join the ranks of the world's metropolises.

E-mail: [email protected]

(China Daily 04/29/2010 page8)

主站蜘蛛池模板: 久久久九九精品国产毛片A片 | 成人偷拍片视频在线观看 | 日本黄页网站在线观看 | 亚洲在线一区二区三区 | 国产一级视频 | 日本毛片爽看免费视频 | 97超碰免费 | 日本黄色免费观看 | 久久国产精品视频 | 黄色影视在线 | 美女国产网站 | 成年视频在线观看免费 | 一级在线观看 | 深夜寂寞影院 | 三级av免费 | 草草视频免费在线观看 | 欧美成人看片黄a免费看 | 成年人网站在线免费观看 | 成人午夜毛片在线看 | 国产精品久久久久久久四虎电影 | 91高清免费| 成人练习生演员 | 一区二区三区在线 | 美女久久 | 久久综合热 | 久色视频在线观看 | 久久久久久久国产精品影院 | 一类黄色大片 | jzz 护士| 午夜精品久久久久久久星辰影院 | a高清免费毛片久久 | 久久91精品 | 国产精品欧美一区二区三区 | 精品久久久久久久久久久久久久久 | 日本国产欧美 | 午夜影院免费 | 国产精品福利在线观看 | 日韩精品片 | 日韩二三区 | 亚洲午夜精品一区二区 | 午夜久久久久久禁播电影 |