Anji Xian ()
Coordinates: 303748 1194017 / 30.63N 119.67139E / 30.63; 119.67139
Country
China
Province
Zhejiang
City
Huzhou
Origins
200 AD
Government
- County Magistrate
Qian Kunfang
Area
- Total
1,886 km2 (728.19 sq mi)
Elevation
20 to 1,600 m (65 to 5,250 ft)
Population (2006)
- Total
450,000
- Density
238.6/km2 (618.0/sq mi)
Time zone
China Standard Time (CST) (UTC+8)
Postal code
313300 to 313310
Area code(s)
0572
Website
County of Anji Website
Anji County (Chinese: ; pinyin: nj Xin) is a county in the prefecture-level city of Huzhou in Zhejiang, People's Republic of China, with a population of 450,000. Anji county is well known for its bamboo, containing as it does 60,000 hectares of bamboo groves. It has been designated a pilot county for ecological construction.
Anji is 65 kilometers from Hangzhou. During the 1990s, it took more than two hours to travel to Hangzhou by bus. Poor transportation isolated Anji from the rest of Zhejiang Province, and for many years its economy remained underdeveloped. From 1997 to 2000, highways were built to Hangzhou and Huzhou, and from 2000 to 2002, highways connecting to National Highway G318 were constructed. The provincial highways within its boundary were also widened. Now the highway system traversing the entire boundary has been completed, and it takes less than three hours to reach Shanghai, Nanjing or Suzhou, and less than one hour to get to Hangzhou and Huzhou. Some of Anji's residents have attempted to take the sustainable development road by developing ecology-friendly agriculture, industry and tourism, and building an ecology-friendly city.
Ecological Tour
The ecological tour area covers one-tenth of the county's total area. Anji produces 12 million commercial bamboo poles annually, ranking first nationwide. It also has China's largest bamboo nursery. The Anji Bamboo Garden is acknowledged by scholars within and outside China as containing the widest variety of bamboo to be found. It was formerly a bamboo grove research base that combined scientific research with teaching, and has received many foreign experts and scholars and officials from the International Network for Bamboo and Rattan.
Anji's residents are aware and appreciative of their environment. At the Longwang (Dragon King) Mountain Nature Reserve, lies the source of the Huangpu River, and the 800-hectare primeval forest there contains numerous flora and fauna under national protection. The Huadong Pumping Storage Power Station, located in the Tianhuangping Scenic Area, is the largest in Asia and second largest worldwide. It is meant to blend in with the surrounding environment, and is a China industrial tour demonstration project. In 2001, Anji received 1.4 million tourists, earning it 310 million yuan, which made up 6.1 percent of the county's GDP. A feasibility plan recently commenced on the 20-square-kilometer British designed Huxi Ecological Garden. Qian Kunfang, county magistrate, says, "Though ours is a mountainous county, we nevertheless receive large numbers of visitors, either sightseeing or seeking to invest, every day. Anji's mountains, waters and pure air are now valuable commodities."
Ecology-Friendly Industries
When developing ecological tourism, the local people naturally gravitate towards ecology-friendly agriculture and industry. By taking advantage of their favorable environment and climate, they are able to develop pollution-free green products, such as bamboo shoots, tea, alpine vegetables, and flowers. Production bases for green products have been opened, and specialized markets for agricultural products and comprehensive wholesale markets built. In order further to supplement ecological tourism, agricultural sightseeing gardens that provide leisure activities have also been constructed. Pollution-free products currently make up 40 percent of the market, and the per capita income of farmers has increased steadily, from 3,708 yuan in 1998 to 4,556 yuan in 2001. Anji white tea, grown nowhere else in the country, sells for a price higher than the famous Dragon Well tea.Chain production is a characteristic of Anji's industry. Bamboo, for instance, can be made into food, handicrafts, and building materials, and its remnants can also be utilized. Anji products are now exported to more than 20 countries and regions, and about one-fourth of the county's gross output value of agriculture and industry comes from bamboo-related industries. Anji's fine ecological environment has attracted large numbers of investors. In 2001 alone, over US $50 million in foreign investment was absorbed. But the local government is strict about protecting its environment, and no future projects are permitted that incur the slightest possibility of pollution despite many factories in the county that are polluters.
External links
Anji Government Website (Chinese)
Anji Government Regulations & Forms Website (Chinese)
Anji Local Directory (Chinese)
v d e
County-level divisions of Zhejiang
Capital: Hangzhou
Sub-provincial
Cities
Hangzhou
Gongshu District Shangcheng District Xiacheng District Jianggan District Xihu District Binjiang District Yuhang District Xiaoshan District Lin'an City Fuyang City Jiande City Tonglu County Chun'an County
Ningbo
Haishu District Jiangdong District Jiangbei District Beilun District Zhenhai District Yinzhou District Cixi City Yuyao City Fenghua City Ninghai County Xiangshan County
Prefecture-level
Cities
Huzhou
Wuxing District Nanxun District Changxing County Deqing County Anji County
Jiaxing
Nanhu District Xiuzhou District Pinghu City Haining City Tongxiang City Jiashan County Haiyan County
Zhoushan
Dinghai District Putuo District Daishan County Shengsi County
Shaoxing
Yuecheng District Zhuji City Shangyu City Shengzhou City Shaoxing County Xinchang County
Quzhou
Kecheng District Qujiang District Jiangshan City Changshan County Kaihua County Longyou County
Jinhua
Wucheng District Jindong District Lanxi City Yongkang City Yiwu City Dongyang City Wuyi County Pujiang County Pan'an County
Taizhou
Jiaojiang District Huangyan District Luqiao District Linhai City Wenling City Sanmen County Tiantai County Xianju County Yuhuan County
Wenzhou
Lucheng District Longwan District Ouhai District Ruian City Yueqing City Yongjia County Wencheng County Pingyang County Taishun County Dongtou County Cangnan County
Lishui
Liandu District Longquan City Jinyun County Qingtian County Yunhe County Suichang County Songyang County Qingyuan County Jingning County (She Autonomous)
Categories: County-level divisions of ZhejiangHidden categories: Articles containing Chinese language text
