Chapter 12 Chapter 10: In 1992, the Unforgettable Years of Burning Passion by the Taihu Lake
In 1992, China was in turmoil.The spirit of Deng Xiaoping's southern tour speech was officially conveyed to the whole party.Suzhou people are particularly encouraged.
There was a special social background at that time: after the "June 4th" political turmoil, there was a big debate on socialism in China, especially after the central government proposed to build special economic zones and development zones, some people with different political views took advantage of the great changes in Eastern Europe and the disintegration of the Soviet Union The worldwide decline of the socialist camp has set off a big debate in the ideological and theoretical circles whether socialism with Chinese characteristics is socialism or capitalism, causing ideological confusion among the cadres and the masses below.In response to these questions, Deng Xiaoping said clearly and affirmatively: "There have been different opinions from the very beginning on the establishment of a special zone, and they were worried about whether it would be capitalism. The achievements of Shenzhen's construction have clearly answered those who have such and other worries. '社' does not have the surname of 'capital'..."
"Some people think that more foreign investment means more capitalism, and more 'foreign-funded' enterprises mean that there are more things in capitalism and that capitalism has developed. These people don't even have basic common sense!" Deng Xiaoping Sternly.
"In reform and opening up, you need to be more courageous, dare to experiment, and don't be like a woman with small feet. If you see it, you should try it boldly and break through boldly. The important experience of Shenzhen is to dare to break through." Suzhou Municipal Standing Committee, usually elegant and modest Secretary Wang Minsheng held Deng Xiaoping's "Southern Tour Speech" in his hand, waved his right arm with great excitement and said: "In the past few years, we have developed a development zone in Suzhou and introduced a lot of foreign capital. Some people have made irresponsible remarks about us, but Practice has proved that our direction is not wrong. Deng Xiaoping’s speech on the southern tour affirmed these things, so the next step, our Suzhou’s opening to the outside world and economic work, is not to close, but to be bolder and take more steps. faster."
"I completely agree with Secretary Wang's words. If we want to develop Suzhou to a higher level, we must be in line with the development of Pudong and the trend of world economic development!" Deputy Secretary and Mayor Zhang Xinsheng said excitedly at the Standing Committee.
"How is the construction of Taihu Lake Tourist Resort in Wu County?" Wang Minsheng asked.
"The report has just been published. But I heard that the National Tourism Administration is selecting eight national-level tourist resorts across the country, and Yalong Bay in Sanya is one of them. Can we strive to include Taihu Lake Tourist Resort as a national-level tourist resort?" It was raised.
"I'm afraid it won't work, right? I heard that people specially choose coastal scenic spots, and our Taihu Lake is an inner lake..." Some people discussed at the meeting.
"It depends on man's effort. We must fight for it! Besides, our Taihu Lake in Suzhou is so big, and the scenery is no worse than others. Fight for it, look farther and longer. Mayor Zhang, do you think there is hope?" Secretary Wang Minsheng Set your sights on Zhang Xinsheng.
"The members of the Standing Committee have this determination, so I have more confidence. Leave this to me!" Zhang Xinsheng looked excited.
"Whether the Taihu Lake Tourist Resort can be built into a national-level tourist resort is also a question of whether we in Suzhou can implement the spirit of Comrade Deng Xiaoping's southern tour speech, and whether we can be more courageous in this wave of reform and opening up. Therefore, our municipal party committee must support Kunshan and Zhangjiagang will also give full support to the development zones." Secretary Wang Minsheng emphasized in the end.
"In retrospect, during that period, we in Suzhou really showed the trend of spring tide everywhere... It is unforgettable." On a sunset evening in 2008, I and the executive deputy director of Suzhou National Taihu Lake Tourist Resort Xu Xinglin sat in front of a lakeside villa on Xishan Island and talked, the entrepreneur of the Taihu Lake Tourist Resort told me this with great emotion.
Xu Xinglin remembers very clearly that the day he went to Taihu Lake Tourist Resort 16 years ago was August 26, 1992.He used to be the secretary of the party committee in Yangchenghu Town.Yangcheng Lake Town was originally called Tianjing Town.
"It should be said that the birth of Yangcheng Lake Town is related to the reform and opening up, or it is a product of the reform and opening up. Our Tianjing Town is close to Yangcheng Lake, so it should be a veritable Shajiabang. But the people of Changshu are smart, they put the name of 'Shajiabang' The name was taken away first and achieved a huge effect. I was very anxious when I was the secretary in Tianjing, and after repeated consideration, I decided to use the name 'Yangcheng Lake'. On May 2, 1992, we made a report to the provincial government , to apply for the name of the town of 'Yangcheng Lake', three months later, on August 2, the provincial approval came down. When I was preparing to organize a big publicity in the town, a paper order from above transferred me to the Taihu Lake Tourist Resort , working for more than ten years..." Xu Xinglin looked at the beautiful scenery of Taihu Lake with rippling mist, and his pupils were glittering with the hard work of starting a business.
He said affectionately: "When I came here, there was nothing here except Taihu Lake. The leaders above told me that they wanted to build this place into a national-level tourist resort. I was a little skeptical, but then we did it all. The middle is also quite complicated. My first task after I came here was to seek the recognition of our place from the National Tourism Administration. Mayor Zhang He said at the time that officials from the National Tourism Administration were looking at attractions across the country. After we heard about it, we made preparations. National Tourism Administration After the leaders of the bureau came to Suzhou, they felt that Taihu Lake was good. In addition to our work in Suzhou, they initially agreed to select Suzhou Taihu Lake as a national-level tourist resort. But then Wuxi came out to intervene. Wuxi people said that since Suzhou can engage in tourism in Taihu Lake Why can’t we build a resort area in Wuxi? At that time, the director of the provincial tourism bureau was from Wuxi, so it was hard to guarantee whether he would favor Wuxi. We felt very nervous. Although 70% to 80% of the area of Taihu Lake is in Suzhou, Wuxi also has We have the advantage to fight for this project. What should we do? Let’s find a way! We went to Beijing and found Lin Hanxiong, the old minister who had just retired from the position of Minister of Construction. Mr. Lin was a veteran minister with many connections. The director of the National Tourism Administration is an old comrade in arms. Minister Lin is very enthusiastic and has feelings for us in Suzhou. The bold old Lin at the dinner table half-truthfully held up the Moutai bottle and said to us: If you drink this bottle, I will help you! At this time, the four of us have already drank two bottles. If we drink any more, we must fall down. But in order to get the prefix of "国", I and two other comrades spelled it out Yes, drink! Haha, interesting, later one of our comrades was really drunk, but Minister Lin was very trustworthy and really helped us get the approval. Wuxi also followed us to take advantage of it, and finally the approval came. Approved at the same time: our Suzhou side is called Taihu Lake National Tourist Resort Suzhou Xukou Tourist Resort Center, and the Wuxi side is called Wuxi Mashan Tourist Resort Center. Since then, we have a national Taihu Lake Tourist Resort in both places..."
"Entrepreneurship is difficult. But we Suzhou people have shown unprecedented enthusiasm. I remember that in the second year, we spent less than half a year in order to let the leaders of the National Tourism Administration check whether our Taihu Lake Tourist Resort is qualified enough. The most beautiful "water park" in Suzhou at that time, or in the inland waters of the country, was built on a barren beach. In just half a year, it was done under the circumstances of lack of funds and manpower. It's easy! On July 1st, the directors of tourism bureaus from all over the country will come to Suzhou to see our "water park", and on the evening of June 30th, there are still many things to do on our project site. That night, the city leaders came to the site to direct and supervise the battle , my colleagues and I were busy all night... The next day, after the rain, our "Water Park" was officially opened. At that time, there was no similar water theme park in the country, let alone in Suzhou City. People from all over the country The Director of Tourism is very satisfied with our Taihu Lake 'Water Park', saying that Suzhou is a national-level tourist resort! We are so happy to hear that!"
Taihu Wetland Park
"Let's talk about our 'Water Park'. Don't think it's just a themed project of the Taihu Lake Tourist Resort. The business was booming at that time! The parking fee can be charged up to more than 32,000 yuan a day. At that time, each car only charged 2 yuan! You Think about it, is it hot or not?" Xu Xinglin was intoxicated in the passionate years that infected us as well.
"The reform of the Suzhou Municipal Party Committee and the Municipal Government is indeed very strong. For example, the construction process of the Taihu Bridge that you see floating on the Taihu Lake, which connects the three islands of Xishan, is a proof. Look at the beauty of the Taihu Bridge. Let's—" The master couldn't help but stood up and let me take a ride in his car, "Let's go, let's talk while walking."
So, we boarded the largest bridge on the inland lake with a total length of 4308 meters.In the setting sun, the Taihu Bridge, which is close to the lake, is like a ribbon, tied between the three islands of Xishan, which is extremely beautiful.Looking at such a beautiful scene of Taihu Lake, I, a Suzhou native, feel a little ashamed, because in the past, I only knew that there were Dongshan and Xishan islands beside Taihu Lake in Suzhou, but I had never seen them.Dongshan Island is a place frequented by central leaders and state guests.Xishan is actually much larger than Dongshan. It consists of three islands: Changsha Island, Yeshan Island and Xishan Island. The area of Xishan Island alone is as large as Hong Kong Island, reaching 82 square kilometers.The construction of the Taihu Bridge started on October 24, 1992, with an investment of 120 million yuan. It was officially opened to traffic on October 25, 1994, and it took two years to complete.
"It's not easy. It should be regarded as a historical witness of us Suzhou people who were inspired by the spirit of Deng Xiaoping's southern tour speech and 'be bolder' to carry out modernization." Old Xu leaned on the bridge railing and told me eloquently, "We didn't have any funds at the time, partly by raising funds, partly by appropriation from superiors, and also by the selfless support of the people of the city - many government officials and the masses acted as volunteers and volunteered to help us build this bridge. You can't imagine, When the ribbon was cut and opened to traffic that day, more than 10,000 people on Xishan Island flocked to the bridge. Among them were elderly people in their 60s and 70s who had never been out of the island and lived in Taihu Lake all their lives. Think about it, if there is no reform and opening up, if It’s not that you have the courage to engage in construction, maybe some people live in closed islands all their lives.”
Yes, this is the reality of progress and happiness brought by the reform and opening up to the people of my hometown spanning thousands of years!On the day I went to the island, good news came from Beijing for the Olympic Games—Chen Yanqing, a girl from Suzhou on Xishan Island, won the weightlifting world champion!I saw the people on the island decorate with lanterns and festoons, and the folks in Chen Yanqing's village were even more lively. They immediately put up the signboard of "the hometown of world champions" to attract tourists from afar...
From Xu Xinglin's introduction, I know that the Taihu Lake National Tourist Resort in Suzhou has become a special economic growth point of the new Suzhou and a famous scenic spot of the new Suzhou. The ecological construction and natural environment here have brought economic benefits to the new Suzhou. The advantages of being a famous city are increasing day by day.
It made me understand and love more about the paradise on earth in my hometown.Standing on the edge of the picturesque and poetic Taihu Lake, I couldn't help but recite the song "Sleeping in the Lake" by Bai Juyi when he was traveling in Taihu Lake: the water and the sky are dark and blue at night, and the shadows of the trees overlap deeply.
A thousand hectares of practice in cold waves soaked in the moon, and ten thousand golden plants of new oranges in bud frost.
Fortunately, there is no case, so why not get drunk, even if there are Shengge, you can never give up singing.
Where will the ten painted boats sleep? In the heart of Taihu Lake at the foot of Dongting Mountain.However, when faced with the landscape of today's Taihu Lake in Suzhou, where modernization and original ecology are naturally blended together, I feel a little regretful. I feel that Master Bai Juyi's poems lack the strength of praise and are not appropriate enough.If this great poet revisits Taihu Lake today, I think there must be more wonderful poems handed down.
The Taihu Lake, Dongshan and Xishan Islands in New Suzhou are like a scroll painting on the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games created by Zhang Yimou. The mighty lake surface is the drawing paper, the islands are the masts for sailing, and the people in the painting are my dear folks... …