China Visit 2017

Town infrastructure construction and management of land is necessary for all developing nations. By construction of towns the aim is to gradually increase in proportion of people living in urban areas and ultimately uplifting the overall living standard of the people. In the past the different ancient civilizations had planned settlements like that of Ancient Rome, Egypt, Ancient China, Indus valley, Mesopotamia and others. Now after the industrial revolution that started from England the modern cities started to be planned and then constructed around the world.

During this process of urban planning we should consider the following major elements such as the development and use of land, planning permission, protection and use of the environment, public welfare, design of urban environment, including air, water, and the infrastructures passing in and out of urban areas such as transportation, communication and distributed networks. The technical aspects are crucial  during urban planning which involve applying modern scientific, technical processes, considerations and features that are involved in planning for land use, urban design, natural resources, transportation and infrastructures. Urban planning includes of techniques such as: predicting population growth, zoning, geographical mapping and analysis, analyzing park space, surveying water supply, identifying suitable transportation patterns, recognizing food supply-demand, allocating health care and social services, and analyzing impact of land use.

Urbanization in China is seen to have rapidly increased in speed following the initiation of reform and opening up policy. According to a statistics by the end of 2015, about 56% of the total population of China lived in the urban region or in the cities. Shanghai, Beijing, Chongqing, Shenzhen and Guangzhou are the major largest cities by population and land coverage. Out of which we visited two cities Shanghai and Chongqing. Developing country like Nepal can learn a lot from the Chinese practice of town planning and management of inland regions. Managing Nepal’s Urban transition have both opportunities and challenges. In recent time Nepal is undergoing two momentous transformations- from rural to urban economy and from a unitary to a federal state. A largely rural country, with only 17 percent of the population living in urban areas, Nepal is urbanizing rapidly. With a population of 2.5 million people the Kathmandu valley is growing at 4 percent per year, one of the fastest-growing metropolitan areas in South Asia, and the first region in Nepal to face the unprecedented challenges of rapid urbanization and modernization at a metropolitan scale, outside the valley Pokhara, the largest medium-size city, is also expanding rapidly, with an annual population growth rate of 5 percent. Clusters of non-farm economic activities, comprising a core urban center surrounded by a hinterland of small towns and rural areas, have emerged close to the border with India. And towns are growing rapidly along the main highways, with population increasing 5-7 percent every year in the fastest-growing settlements.

Despite the important contribution of urban ares to GDP and poverty alleviation, rapid urbanization has been accompanied by lower economic growth in Nepal than in other South Asian countries. The lack of economic stimuli combined with the insecure political situation has resulted in a massive exodus of the Nepalese productive workforce from the country, and nepal’s growth is becoming increasingly reliant on highly volatile remittance flows, rather than internal competitiveness. The 2015 earthquake of 8.1 magnitude and the flowing economic blockade by India had badly affected the overall economy including urban construction and real state business in big cities. But now many international agencies like the World Bank, Asian Development Bank are forecasting a high growth rate upto 6-7%.

So at this crucial time period managing rapid urbanization is essential to improving the competitiveness of the Nepalese economy, creating jobs and accelerating economic growth. And therefore this “2017 Seminar on Town Infrastructure Construction and Management of Inland Regions for Developing Countries” was fruitful for us in many ways by experiencing how China’s urbanization helped to its economic prosperity and what was the planing like and what were the challeneges and consequences it had to face during and after implementing the plan and policies.

Below is the detail activities during my 21 days stay:

May 14^th 2017 (Sunday)

We arrived in Nanchang at 1 pm local time after an overnight stay in Chengdu on May 13^th. The organizer picked us up from the airport and took us to the venue Yao Lake Pearl Hotel. At 2:15pm there was a group photo session in which we all of us wore formal Nepali national dress. After that there was the opening ceremony with the speech by Mr. Liu Quanhui, Vice President of Jiangxi College of Foreign Studies. All together there were 17 developing nations participating in the seminar. The opening ceremony was from 14:30-15:30 after which there was lecture by Mr. Li Wenyao, Director General of Department of Commerce of Jiangxi Province about the topic The Rise of Jiangxi from 15:30-17:30. And at last a welcome banquet was organized from 18-19:30 hosted by Mr. Liu Quanhui, the vice president of Jiangxi College of Foreign Studies. In the opening ceremony the team leader of Nepalese delegate Mrs.Indu Acharya gave brief introduction about Nepal and the members of the Nepalese delegate.

May 15^th 2017 (Monday)

 The second day started by lecture by Associate Pro. Luo Xiancheng on the topic Downtown Infrastructure Planning and Construction Management. The lecture included a lot of technical aspects regarding town designing and engineering. We could find that a lot of specialization is needed for downtown construction and attention should be given to even a small detail. There were separation of areas regarding planning and construction of downtown. As usual lecture was from 9-12 and from 2:30-17:30 we learned to speak Chinese, sing the famous Chinese song praising the beauty of Jasmine flower and write Chinese characters. And we also learned how to use chopsticks to eat.

May 16^th 2017 (Tuesday)

As normal the lecture today was from 9-12 by Pro. Rao Guishang, 63, on the topic of General Review of China. In this lecture he gave the information regarding introduction, history, current socioeconomic and political situation of China, revolutions and he shared his own personal life story. He had already traveled to more than 90 countries of the world and so was influenced by those visits. He had initiated in building the Jiangxi college of Foreign studies which is built with architecture of different countries and is equipped with modern facilities.

May 17^th 2017 (Wednesday)

On morning of May 17^th from 10-12am a symposium was held with Xinyu One Belt and One Road Cultural and Trade Association. There were participants from 15 different countries who had put forward their views regarding the One belt and One road initiative started by the Chinese government. Later in the day from 1 pm to 4 pm we were taken by the organizer for shopping in downtown Nanchang.

May 18^th 2017 (Thurday)

This day we had our field trip to Wuning Urban Planning exhibition hall. At sharp 8 o’ clock in the morning our bus left to the exhibition hall located in Wuning of Jiujiang County. In the way we got to see a lot of lakes, greenery, small hills and beautiful scenery. We were explained about the current situation and future planning of the county through video, animation and replicas. We ate our lunch at a road side hotel and returned to the venue at 3 o’clock.

May 19^th 2017 (Friday)

This day was special day for us because we were going to Wuyan, which is regarded as the most beautiful village of China. Around 8am in the morning we left the hotel. We checked in at Qinahawu International hotel of Wuyan county of Shangrao city. At 2pm we visited to the ancestor temple and enjoyed the tea picking and tea making opera by local performers. After that we returned to our hotel.

May 20^th 2017 (Saturday)

 

Early morning to scenic river side ancient village in Wuyan developed as a tourist spot. Got to know the village life of China the housing, fooding, day to day trade and activities. There were shops, vendor, restaurants, antique shops and some ancient houses and monuments on both sides of the river. After finishing we headed towards the tea production factory which had its own tea graden. We dressed in the local tea picker costume and picked tea leaves in the basket. We observed the tea making process and machines used to produce tea in the factory. And soon after that we visited to the Jingdezhen Bora Ceramics Factory to know how the most famous and ancient ceramics and procelian was manufactured with hand and by use of machine. There we bought some ceramics and procelian products as souvenier. And then we arrived to our hotel in Jingdezhen.

May 21^st 2017 (Sunday)

We were in the center of the procelian capital of China-Jingdezhen. At 8 in the morning we leave the hotel to visit Procelian center where we saw statue, sculptures, art and the music produced by hitting procelian and dance performed by girls. We saw the places where traditional procelian were made for the forbidden city. After lunch at noon we went to see the procelian museum which had the procelian works from all the dynasties. In the afternoon we had some shopping in the local market. And then our bus returned back to Nanchang.

May 22^nd 2017 (Monday)

It was an usual day in Yao lake pearl hotel but today morning from 9-12 we had free time. But as it was raining so we did not go out. From 2:30 the lecture started which was given by Pro. Liu Quanhui on the topic of Chinese folk customs. He gave facts and figures that shapes the Chinese custom of the 56 nationalities of which Han nationality forms the majority. China with 4000 years old written history is one of the world’s oldest civilizations. From the invention of gunpowder, paper, notes, compass to the establishment of high speed trains. Pro. Liu showed in his presentation the major cuisine or food, the dress, the marriage custom. Our team member Sagar asked the lecturer question about any special cuisine prepared for marriage ceremony and about the naming ceremony for newborn child. The lecturer replied by saying that a lot of dishes are made in marriage and one typical thing is that the food is always kept whole like single fish, sweet desert are kept and all the food symbolically represent a happy married life for the couple. And for the naming ceremony elders people and relatives are call for giving blessings an good fortune to the newborn child.

May 23^rd 2017 (Tuesday)

In the morning we had a lecture from 9-12 by Mr. Lui Li, Associate Professor of Jiangxi Normal University on the topic City Water Supply and Drainage Engineering. At 2 in the afternoon we had group and individual photos taken by the seminar organizer. From 2:30-17:30 another lecture was delivered by Mr. Qiu Xiangdong, Associate Professor of Nanchang University on the topic The Public-Private Partnerships in the Urban Infrastructure construction.  In this lecture we were informed of the growing trend in the Public Private Partnership (PPP) models. Before 1982 only the Chinese government controlled all things. So at first the market was open to only domestic investors then it was opened to oversee Chinese people then finally to foreigners. Now the typical model of PPP has 49% private investment and remaining 51% government investment. PPP model are applied in construction of subway, road, water supply, bridge and other infrastructure projects.

May 24^th 2017 (Wednesday)

From 9-12 a lecture was delivered by Jiang Qin, Associate Professor of Nanchang University on the topic Urban Infrastructure and Public Expenditure. The afternoon lecture from 2:30-5:30 was postponed after visit and so a symposium was held at 3pm with the Jiangxi Provincial Authorities. There were representatives of different companies willing to invest in our countries. One of the panel member asked the participants from Africa what was their thought about the Western media saying that China is trying to use the vast resources of Africa for China itself. In reply one of the participants from South Sudan said not to listen to the false media reports but to invest in his country freely.

May 25^th 2017 (Thursday)

This day was exciting because the lectures were over are we were going to Shanghai. At 8 in the morning we left the hotel to catch the Nanchang-Shanghai metro from the Nanchang Railway Station. We found the service to be very comfortable;e and punctual it took us about four hours from 10:05-13:59pm. From the Shanghai Railway station the local guide took us in the bus directly to sightseeing from the 88^th floor of the grand hyatt hotel. We could have the bird’s eye view of whole Shanghai city from there. After finishing there we had our lunch and went to see Acrobatic performance in the auditorium. The acrobatic was unforgettable experience because the performers did very much risky stunts just like playing with their life. After that we checked in the Rayfont Hotel.

May 26^th 2017 (Friday)

Early morning we got into our bus to go to the Shanghai Urban Planning Museum located at the main square of Shanghai. And from there to a monument park from which the skyscrapers of Shanghai were easily visible and also the Shanghai city Urban Planning center. After having lunch we went to see a silk factory and then to a local shopping district. And after that back to the hotel.

May 27^th 2017 (Saturday)

Early morning at 8 headed towards the Shanghai Airport Domestic terminal for Chongqing. The flight was from 10:35-13:20 and just after we landed we were straightly taken by our local guide to the old bazaar or town of Chongqing. And then we checked in to our hotel called hotel Bo Link.

May 28^th 2017 (Sunday)

Got up in the hotel and checked out to see the meeting place of the Yangtze and Joli river. After finishing there we bound to go to Three Gorges musuem and the hall of the people in center of Chongqing which was a replica of the temple of heaven in Beijing. After that to the Hot Pot making factory which was had quite interesting history and was opened for tourists. And after that to the 300 year old town which had temples, operas and ancient antique and monuments. On the same day we had our flight back to Nanchang by Jiangxi Airways from 9:15-10:35. We reached the Yao lake hotel at midnight and were absolutely tired due to the tight schedule.

May 29^th 2017 (Monday)

As we were exhausted due to last day’s travel so we had free time this day. We had rest for whole morning and afternoon. And at about 4 in the evening we went for shopping to the near by place and returned to hotel after three hours.

May 30^th 2017 (Tuesday)

From 9-12am there was the lecture on the topic Historical and Cultural Preservation in the process of Urban construction by Wan Rong, Associate Professor of Jiangxi Normal University. And after lunch from 14:30-17:30 it was party time. We also made the participants dance in Nepali songs and we also dance in others songs. We had the musical chair round which was very funny. We all actively participated in all the rounds.

May 31^st 2017 (Wednesday)

In the morning from 9-12 we had a lecture delivered by Liu Qiang, Associate Professor of Jiangxi Normal University regarding Village Planning and development.

And from 2:30-17:30 we had a business meeting with the Chairman of Zhongding International Construction Group Dr. Hu Li Jian and its members. His company is enlisted in the world’s largest International Contractors Top 250 and already had footprints in more than 15 countries in Asia and Africa including Nepal.

June 1^st 2017 (Thursday)

First lecture of the day was from 9-12 am about Chinese Public Service by Dr. Jiang Guoping from the Nanchang University on the topic of Chinese Public Services. And on the other half of the day we had lecture from Wan Yun also from Nanchang University on The application of GIS in Urban Planning.

June 2^nd 2017 (Friday)

On this day we had lecture from 9-12 am by Yan Jiangoping, Associate Professor of Nanchang University on the topic General Urban Planning and Construction Of Nanchang. And after that from 14:30-17:30pm another lecture by Wan Yun also the Associate Professor from Nanchang University about Public Service Facilities Planning in Inland Region. This evening we went to see the famous water fountain of the Nanchang city.

June 3^rd 2017 (Saturday)

This day being the last day of our 21 days long stay in China we were all excited to return to our home country after long time and on the same hand sad to leave our venue and the loving staff who helped and supported us in every way. This day from 9-12 we had handed this seminar report and the filled in Evaluation Forms of all participants. From 4 in the evening we had the closing ceremony and farewell banquet hosted by Pro. Lui Quanhui, Vice President of Jiangxi College of Foreign Studies.

Conclusion

With the industrialization and modernization of the 21^st century rapid urbanization is also occurring in Nepal like all other developing nations. But managing rapid urbanization in Nepal poses challenges that require urgent policy attention. One critical challenge is haphazard and uncontrolled growth of built-up areas. In the Kathmandu valley for instance due to lack of strict implementation of national building code and due to unplanned construction many structures collapsed in the 2015 mega earthquake which resulted in increase of both casualties and loss of properties. Because they are classified as rural areas in spite of their urban characteristics, several market and border towns are growing without government planning and control.Unplanned urban development in Kathmandu valley has led to rapid and uncontrolled sprawl; irregular, substandard and inaccessible housing development ; loss of open space, and decreased livability. And as mentioned above this has also increased the vulnerability to disasters, making Kathmandu one of the most earthquake vulnerable cities in the world.

Nepal’s urban areas have the potential to drive economic growth to the next level. From ancient hil towns to the compact historic city cores of the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal’s urban settlements are rich in cultural heritage and are located amid unparalleled natural beauty. The intangible heritage that flourishes in the cities- art, music, dance and festivals- add value to the built heritage and urban fabric. This conservation of unique heritages, can be a catalyst for urban revitalization by preserving city livability and uplifying poverty by creating a wide range of jobs in tourism, infrastructural projects, agriculture,etc.

During our visit we saw that most of the cities of China had their unique cultural and historical background which were preserved well together with the urbanization process. For example, the procelin culture of Jingdezhen which had proud history of thousands of years is still practiced by the local people, tea culture of Wuyuan, day to day life and monuments of the river side villages and old towns of Chongqing and Shanghai. The government has encouraged these people to do the same thing that their ancestors had been doing for several generations so that the typical culture and tradition of that particular place will not disappear. Thus these people and ancient structures are untouched by the influence of the modernization or urbanization. In Nepal too most of the town and cities have their unique culture and monuments which they are famous for. Therefore, this is a great lesson that that Nepal should learn from Chinese cities. Talking about the technical and planning aspects during construction of town and cities, Nepal lags far behind. There is no proper use of land in Nepal during city construction so we can see the haphazard building and houses everywhere which is just like a concrete jungle. We came to know that cities in China even though they are made by giving attention to the smallest detail but they still face several problems like our host city Nanchang faced flood problem during raining season. So there is a long way to go for Nepal regarding this aspect. The concept of having an Urban Planning Museum in every city is also one unique idea that we are going to take back to our home country. Another aspect we knew was that cities in China compete with each other for being promoted to better class. For instance, Nanchang is competing with other cities for being promoted to first tier city from its current status as a second tier city. This is also good for positive competitiveness among cities which results in better planning and special attention to both quality and quantity of urbanization. In Nepal’s case such a competition literally doesn’t exist because there are not even a hand full of cities in same status like that of cities in Kathmandu valley. But this situation may change due to the recent local level election and the restructuring of local level which has decentralized the power to local authorities and also has increased number of cities of metropolitan or sub metropolitan status.

       In a nutshell, we conclude that our participation in the “2017 Seminar on Town Infrastructure Construction and Management of Inland Regions for Developing Countries” was beneficial for all of us and we are determined to share the things we learned here to back home in Nepal. And by doing this Nepal can use urbanization as a tool for making its economy strong and sustainable.