Bid win will boost regional links, create jobs

A villager pushes a tricycle past a billboard of local real estate advertisement in Chongli county of Zhangjiakou, which is jointly bidding with the capital Beijing to host the 2022 Winter Olympic Games, July 30, 2015. [Photo/Agencies]

"The per capita income of residents in Chongli county reached 6,840 yuan ($1,115) last year and that of those living near the ski resorts was higher - more than 40,000 yuan," He Jianghai, deputy Party chief of Zhangjiakou, told the media on July 8.

According to He, last year more than 20,000 local residents joined the booming tourism and related industries, accounting for one-sixth of the county's population.

The county has built a digital urban management center and will promote transportation, entertainment, healthcare facilities and other services for residents, He added.

Construction of a high-speed rail link between Beijing and Zhangjiakou has been speeded up and is scheduled for completion by 2019.

Within five years, 1,500 km of rail line will be operating in the region, placing it among the highest regional concentrations of rail lines globally, according to the national economic planner, which will help with exchanges between residents and businesses.

The joint bid will also promote the dual control of air pollution, according to Wang Hui, deputy secretary-general and spokeswoman for the Beijing 2022 bid committee.

Zhangjiakou, about 200 kilometers from Beijing, has abundant wind, solar and biomass resources and has set a goal to establish a world leading "low-carbon Olympic zone".

The city aims to increase renewable energy generation of its total electricity consumption to 55 percent by 2020, according to a development plan approved by the State Council, China's Cabinet.

zhengjinran@chinadaily.com.cn