Resource-drained city stages inspiring comeback

Meng Jiachi, 27, once a "Beijing drifter", now finds her dream back at home in Fuxin, once a resource-depleted city in Northeast China's Liaoning province.

"Expectations count. I chose to return home because I see a new future here with a new industry." Meng said.

In recent years, the city saw more and more of its young people returning, which is rare for a place haunted by issue of resource exhaustion for decades.

Young people like Meng were forced to make a living in other cities. But now, the transformation of the city is drawing them back.

Statistics from the China Mining Industry Association showed there are more than 260 resource-exhausted cities in China. The country, however, is not alone facing such a challenge. The transition of resource-exhaustion has haunted many cities around the world, with some located in Germany, France, Canada and Australia.

Fuxin, once known to many as a "city of coal and electricity", used to be an "engine of China". Since New China's founding in 1949 until 2020, the city has contributed more than 800 million metric tons of coal and over 300 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity, said Wang Hong, economic professor from Liaoning Technical University.

However, the abandoned mines became scars of the city as most were exhausted in the late 1990s. Abandoned mines caused issues including landslides, road cave-ins and spontaneous combustion of residual coal, which left many problems for the local government and residents.

Opportunities came for visitors like Feng Shen, general manager of Fuxin Raceway Town Operation Management Co Ltd.

"It is a surprise when we came here by chance and found roads in the open-pit mine areas were actually suitable for car and motorcycle races," Feng said.

The interest gained support from the local government, which allowed the city to successfully hold the Chinese Circuit Off-road Championship (COC) in 2019.

"The contest attracted more than 20,000 visitors from all over the country and ignited the hope and passion of the local people. And then we made up our minds to further the new development path for this city," Feng said.

Such a path is in accordance with the local government's goal, leveraging an industry-driven and sustainable approach to deal with abandoned mines. Doing this not only solves the pollution problem, but also saves time and costs, creating a new growth driver, said Zhao Wei, Party secretary of Xinqiu district in Fuxin.

"With more and more people coming back, my pork business is getting much better and I can invest more in racing," said Ma Qiang, 33, a racing fan who also runs a pork business in Fuxin. He participated in the COC and entered the final in 2019.

"I could never imagine seeing such an amazing place in China," said Erich Kaiserseder, general manager of the luxury hotel Conrad Shenyang, who came to enjoy the racing. "It reminds me of my father and hometown where there were also motocross races up and down the local mountain."

During the years between 2001 and 2020, Fuxin's GDP has increased from 7 billion yuan ($1.08 billion) to 50.46 billion yuan. Annual per capita disposable income of urban residents rose from 4,327 yuan to 30,438 yuan, an average annual growth rate of 10.8 percent.

The achievements Fuxin made in recent years have provided valuable experiences for other resource-exhausted cities across the globe, Wang said.

Liu Caiqun contributed to this story.