Miyun making itself ecologically friendlier

The county of Miyun, which lies just to the northeast of downtown Beijing, will publicize a development plan for its Ecologically Friendly Business District at a two-day economic conference in Beijing this month to attract the attention of businesses worldwide. The occasion is the Beijing-Hong Kong Economic Cooperation Symposium, which runs Oct 20 to 21 in Beijing. One major reason for the event is the county's unique position as the home of North China's largest reservoir, and the fact that this has, to some degree, hindered its economic development over the past years. The Miyun Reservoir happens to be the major water supply for Beijing and the county is an important ecological shield. So, to protect the ecology of the area, no major industrial projects have been allowed in and around the Miyun area. In addition, farmers who live upstream from the reservoir are not allowed to use chemicals and fertilizers in crop production. Because of the big sacrifice the locals have made for the sake of the environment and Beijing, they are now looking for more economic benefits from this new approach. The Miyun Ecological-Friendly Business District covers a 6.94-square-kilometer area, to the south of the county seat, and holds real estate, environmental protection, healthcare, eco-tourism, recreation, creativity and finance businesses. It eventually hopes to house the regional headquarters of prominent domestic and global companies in these areas. The district plan got Beijing municipal government approval on May 30, this year. In drafting the plan, the district incorporated ideas from renowned urban design and landscaping experts, including David Reel, Chuck Perry, Bill Dennis and Randall Imail, from the United States; Cyrille Hugon, from France; and Zhu Junfu and Zhang Li, from China.