SeniormediaprofessionalXieGuopinghasbeenworkingasajournalistandeditorhisentirecareer.HestartedwithPudongNewAreaWeekly(nowPudongTimes)in2002.Sincethen,hehascontinuouslyrecordedandponderedoverPudong’sdevelopment.Intheyearsthatfollowed,hecompletedthreebooksonPudong,asymbolofChina’sreformandopeningup,namelyPudong:AStoryofEconomicProsperity,ThePudongStoryandAChineseMiracle:TheDevelopmentHistoryofPudong.
ZhaoQizheng,formerministerofChina’sStateCouncilInformationOfficeandfirstdirectoroftheAdministrativeCommitteeofPudongNewArea,holdsXieGuopinginhighregard.“Xienotonlydocumentsthenewsofthepresent,butalsoexamineshistoryofthepast,”commentedZhao.“HegrewupalongsidePudonganddocumenteditsoriginaldevelopmenthistory,providingreliablesourcematerialsforsubsequentresearcherstoreflectonitshistoryanditsimpactonthehistoryofphilosophy.”
ChinaPictorial(CP):What’syourgeneralfeelingaboutPudong’sdevelopmentandopeningupoverthepast28years?
Xie:Intermsofreformandopeningup,theChinesepeoplemadetherightdecision.Overthepast1,000years,Pudongneverchangedmuch.However,injustthepast28years,theareahasachievedahighdegreeofindustrializationandurbanizationthattookdevelopedEuropeancountriestwocenturiestoreach.Whatwerethedriversofthissuccess?Westernersaren’tprovidinganysolidanswers,andsometimesevenpeoplelikemewhoareimmersedinPudong’sdevelopmentcannotexplainit.
BeforethedevelopmentandopeningupofPudongin1990,formostresidentsofPuxi—thehistoriccenterofShanghai—Pudongwasabackwardplace.Backthen,Pudongsufferedfrompoorurbanconstruction,narrowroads,primitivelivingconditions,scarceculturalfacilitiesandextremelyinconvenientlandandwatertransportation.SinceroadsinPudongweredesignedaccordingtocounty-levelstandards,theywerenarrow,withoutanybridgesoroverpasses.YanggaoRoad,whichrunsfromeasttowestacrossnorthernPudong,nowofferseightfastlanesandtwoslowlanes.However,inthe1950sitwasjusta3.5-meter-wideroadpavedwithgravelandcinders,nicknamed“sheepbowel.”Publictransportationwasevenpoorerbackthen.Bytheendof1990,Pudongwasservedbyonly48busroutesand35cabs.CrossingtheHuangpuRivertoreachPudongfromPuxiortheotherwayroundwasevenmoredifficult,giventhattherewerenobridges,tunnelsorsubwaysatthattime.Theproblembecameevenmoreseriousfromthe1980s.Enterpriseslocatedoneithersideoftheriverwereplaguedbybadcross-rivertransportation.Trafficjamsduringrushhourswerealreadysevereheadachesandvehicleswaitingtocrosstheriverqueuedforhourseveryday.Sometimes,thewaittimetocrosstheriverwasmorethan10hours.Thesituationbecameevenworseonfoggydays.AlthoughShanghairesidentswereexperiencingahousingshortagebackthen,apopularsayingwentthat“asinglebedinPuxiispreferabletoaroominPudong.”Today,Pudong’sdevelopmentandchangesareapparentforthewholeworldtosee.
IrememberthatwhentheCentralCommitteeoftheCommunistPartyofChina(CPC)announcedthelaunchandopeningupofPudongNewAreain1990,someWesternmediaoutletsandpoliticalforcescalledthemovemerelyapoliticaloverturefromChinaratherthanrealaction.MiltonFriedman(1912-2006),arenownedAmericaneconomistandNobelwinnerineconomics,visitedShanghaiaroundthattimeanddescribedthedevelopmentofPudongNewAreaas“aPotemkinvillage.”Theterm“Potemkinvillage”wasinspiredbystoriesofafakeportablevillagebuiltbyRussianministerGrigoryPotemkinsolelytoimpressEmpressCatherineIIduringherjourneytoCrimeainthelate18thcentury.Later,“Potemkinvillage”becamesynonymouswithfraud.Yearslater,however,LannyEbenstein,authorofMiltonFriedman:ABiography,opinedthattheeconomistwaswrongatthattime.Ifhewasstillalivetoday,hewouldreconsiderhisviews,thebiographerpredicted.
RenownedBritisheconomistandNobellaureateRonaldH.Coase(1910-2013)calledChina’sprocessofembracingthemarketeconomyanextraordinarystory.Noonewouldhavebelieveditbeforeithappened.Butthemiraclehappenedjustthesame.
XieGuopingresearchesandsurveysPudongfromahistoricalperspective.byQiaoZhenqiCP:WhatisthesignificanceofPudong’sreformanddevelopmenttoShanghai,toChina,andtotheworldatlarge?WhatarethedifferencesbetweenPudongandShenzhenintermsofreformanddevelopment?
Xie:ForShanghai,thedevelopmentandopeningupofPudongsolvedmanyproblemsrelatedtobackwardurbaninfrastructureandalackofstructuraldiversitywhilepromotingShanghai’stransformationasawhole.BeforethedevelopmentofPudong,Shanghaiwasanindustrialcitywithasimplestructure.AsixthofChina’slightindustrialproductsweremadeinShanghai.Now,Shanghaiisaninternationaleconomic,financial,tradeandshippinghub,aswellasascienceandinnovationcenter.ItisfairtosaythatthedevelopmentofPudonghasdriventheoveralltransformationofShanghai.IttransformedShanghaiintoamulti-functionalcentralcityonpareconomicallywithNewYorkandTokyo.Inthe1980s,ShanghaiservedastherearguardofChina’sreformandopeningup.However,afterPudong’sdevelopmentandopeningup,Shanghaibecameastrikerandusheredinagoldenageofeconomicdevelopment.
Intheearly1990s,China’seconomyfacedmultipledifficultiesandthecountry’sreformwasalreadyatacrossroads.Atthiscriticalperiod,thedevelopmentofPudongwaslaunched,whichresultedinastrongdemonstrationeffect.Asayinggoes:“EconomicfocuswasonShenzheninthe1980sandonPudongNewAreainthe1990s.”ThedevelopmentandopeningupofPudongsentasignaltotheinternationalcommunitythatChina’sreformandopeningupwouldonlygodeeperandbroader.DengXiaoping,consideredthechiefarchitectofChina’sreformandopeningup,calledPudongChina’s“trumpcard.”“IfShanghaiachievesfastdevelopment,itwillprovideashortcutforouroverallreformandopeningup,”Dengonceasserted.
PoisedattheforefrontofChina’sreformandopeningup,Shenzhenblazedanewtrailandfoughtitswayoutofobscurityinthe1980s.IfShenzhenranthefirstlegofChina’sreformandopeningup,Pudongtookupthebatonforthesecondleg.IfthereforminShenzhenbroketheice,thedevelopmentofPudongwasacrucialbattle.IfShenzhenservedasawindowofChinatotheworld,Pudongopenedadoor.Overthe40yearssinceChina’shistoricreformandopeningup,theChinesegovernmenthasbeenperformingexperimentswithpoliciesandinstitutionsinvariousdesignatedareasstepbystep,withapragmaticattitudeof“crossingtheriverbyfeelingthestones.”Whatawonderfulexperiment!Lookingbackataprocessthatstartedwithspecialeconomiczonesbeforeexpandingtonewareasandcomprehensivereformpilotareasandfinallytopilotfreetradezones,themainthreadhasalwaysbeenevident:thegreatexperimentofChina’sreformandopeningup.DulwichCollegeShanghaiPudong,aninternationalschoollocatedinPudong.Toprovideabetterlivingenvironmentforforeignexecutives,theBiyuninternationalcommunityinPudongconstructedseveralinternationalschoolsforexpatkids.courtesyofPudongNewAreaInformationOfficeCP:Inyouropinion,whatinfluenceshasPudong’sreformexertedonmodernsensibilities?AndhowhavechangesinmindspoweredPudong’sdevelopment?
Xie:ItisinterestingthatPudongwaslabeledan“experiment”allalongduringitsdevelopment.Forexample,itbecameChina’sfirstcomprehensivereformpilotareain2005.China(Shanghai)PilotFreeTradeZone,whichwaslaunchedin2013,isalsolocatedinPudong.Theword“pilot”wasusedintheEnglishtranslationofthefreetradezone’snamebecauseitcarriesthemeaningofboth“servingexperimentally”and“leadingthewaythroughunknownplaces”inEnglish.DengXiaopingonceaskedShanghaito“furtheremancipateminds,bebolderandgofasterinconductingreformandopeningup.”XiJinping,generalsecretaryoftheCPCCentralCommittee,emphasizedthatShanghaishouldfindthecouragetocarryoutexperiments,drivereformtoadeeperlevelandmakereformonitsown.Thus,thebuildersofPudonghavebeenbestowedapioneering,determinedandambitiousspirit.Theyopenedpassagesthroughmountainsandbuiltbridgesoverrivers.Today,PudonghasbecometheverypioneerandforerunnerofChina’sreform,openingupandinnovation-orienteddevelopment.Forexample,consideringChina(Shanghai)PilotFreeTradeZone,Pudongiscurrently“makingover”itslocalgovernmenttokindlebiggerchangesingovernmentalfunctions.Thismovecallsfordeterminationandthewillingnesstotakeonmajorresponsibilities.ItdemandsthatPudongbecourageousenoughtocarryoutexperimentsanddrivereformtoadeeperlevel.TheLingangpassengervehiclebaseunderSAICMotors.AutomobilemanufacturingisapillarindustryofShanghai.byWuHuiquanCP:Againstthebackdropoftheanti-globalizationtrend,whatisthesignificanceofPudong’scontinuouslyexpandingreformandopeningup?
Xie:ThedevelopmentofPudongisasuccessfulexampleforChina’sreformandopeningup.Today,PudonghasprovedthesignificanceofChina’sreformandopeningupandthatChinahastakentherighthistoricpathtomergewiththeworldeconomy.Backthen,DengXiaopingrequiredShanghaitocarrythetorchtoanevenmoreopenChina.Thankstoitsopeningup,Pudong’sGDPsoaredfromsixbillionyuanin1990toanexpectedfigureofonetrillionyuanin2018,anincreaseofaround160-fold.ItisfairtosayopeningupisembeddedinPudong’sDNA.Thesedays,theanti-globalizationtrendispopularglobally.Ibelievethatasarolemodel,Pudongprovidessignificantreferencesforothercountriesandregions,especiallyfortheeconomicandsocialdevelopmentofcountriesandregionsalongtheBeltandRoad.
PudongalsogivesChinaconfidencebecauseitmakesclearthatthenationhastakentherightpathsincethebeginningofitsreformandopeningupinthelate1970s.Today,whenforeignerssaythattheBeltandRoadInitiativewon’tberealized,IpointtoPudonganditshigh-degreeindustrializationandurbanizationthattookdevelopedEuropeancountriestwocenturiestoachieve.JustasChinesePresidentXiJinpingputit,theCPCandtheChinesepeoplenowhavetheconfidencetoprovideChinesesolutionsforhumanexplorationofbettersocialsystems.