In the Xiangxi Prefecture Museum, there is still a photo of a train entering Jishou City for the first time more than 40 years ago. In the photo, a steam train with billowing white smoke was passing through the city, with crowds waving flower bouquets standing on both sides of the railway.
In September 1936, the Hunan-Sichuan Highway was opened to traffic, opening the first land transportation route of Xiangxi Prefecture to the outside world.
In December 1978, with the opening of the first railway—Jiaozuo-liuzhou Railway in Xiangxi Prefecture, Jishou City became a transportation hub for the Xiangxi region and adjacent counties and cities, which sped up Xiangxi Prefecture’s reform and opening up.
In December 2008, the Changde-Jishou Expressway, the first expressway in Xiangxi Prefecture, was opened to traffic, marking the beginning of an “era of high-speed transportation”.
In December 2019, the Qianjiang-Changde Railway was put into operation and the first bullet train entered Xiangxi. In December 2021, the Zhangjiajie-Jishou-Huaihua High-speed Railway opened, and in July 2022, the Fenghuang Maglev Express, the first maglev line in Xiangxi Prefecture, was operated, with stations turned into scenic areas.
Tourists may have steamed stuffed buns in Beijing for breakfast, a pot of preserved pork stewed with dried tofu in Shibadong Village, Huayuan County, Xiangxi Prefecture for lunch, and a leisurely walk along the Zhujiang River in Guangzhou at night.
On March 31, 2023, the Xiangxi Biancheng Airport completed its test flight. On August 18, 2023, the airport will officially open, bringing Xiangxi Prefecture closer to the world.
Airport contributes to Xiangxi’s soaring development
In order to prepare for the opening of the airport, Xiangxi Prefecture is working hard to improve relevant software and hardware facilities.
With the grand station buildings, magnificent navigation lighthouses, beautiful navigation light strips, lush green belts, and wide runways, Xiangxi Biancheng Airport is a 4C-level domestic tourism branch airport, located 10 kilometers from Huayuan County and about 30 kilometers from the downtown area of Jishou City.
The airport covers an area of 235 hectares (2,350,000 square meters), with a terminal area of 11,000 square meters. It has an average annual passenger throughput of 300,000 people and a cargo and mail throughput of 450 tons.
At present, it is planned to open flights from and to Beijing Daxing Airport and Guangzhou Baiyun Airport.
In the process of airport construction, all participating units have stepped up construction, and especially in the terminal project, they have overcome the impact of special geology on pile foundation construction, in a bid to build an airport with the highest altitude, the most beautiful natural scenery, the strongest ethnic characteristics, the most practical facilities, and the warmest services in Hunan.
As the countdown to the opening of Xiangxi Biancheng Airport begins, Laotianping Village in Huayuan Town of Huayuan County, less than 1 kilometer away from the airport, is greeting a marvelous development opportunity. The observation deck, the sightseeing road winding through mountains and tea grown on the mountains shrouded in mist have made the village an excellent airport scenic spot, attracting many photography enthusiasts.
There are currently 32 people from Laotianping Village working at the airport, engaged in cleaning, security, facility maintenance, and other work. After the completion of the airport, supporting industries and the logistics industry will develop accordingly, and there will be a large passenger flow. The villagers are full of expectations for the upcoming “aviation era”.
The construction of the observation deck was started in June and completed in July, where planes can be seen to take off and land, and it has attracted surrounding tourists before the airport is open to traffic.
In recent days, in Shibadong Village, Huayuan County, about 18 kilometers away from the airport, villagers have been actively preparing for the upcoming Miao Ganqiu Festival. Many village representatives will take the first flight on August 18, along with other tourists, business personnel, and media reporters, to Beijing directly.
An important opportunity to reshape its economic geography popped up for Xiangxi
Xiangxi Prefecture, which was once separated by mountains, will closely connect with the Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Circle, the Changsha-Zhuzhou-Xiangtan Urban Agglomeration, and the Wuhan Metropolitan Area with the opening of the airport. It will also stimulate new momentum and demonstrate new advantages in the new development pattern formed by it with the Yangtze River Delta, the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Area, and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.
As the only ethnic minority autonomous prefecture in Hunan, Xiangxi Prefecture has 1 world geological park, 1 world cultural heritage site, 1 world intangible cultural heritage item, and 28 national intangible cultural heritage items.
Besides, there are 39 national-level tourist attractions, including Aizhai-Shibadong-Dehang Grand Canyon Scenic Area, Fenghuang Ancient Town, and Furong Town, 178 traditional Chinese villages, over 400 national ecological and cultural tourism brands, and 1,517 historical and cultural sites.
Xiangxi Prefecture has a forest coverage rate of over 75%, and negative oxygen ion content of more than 20 times the national average. With the air and water environment quality ranking among the top in the country, it has become a model city for green development in the country.
Meanwhile, Xiangxi Prefecture has launched a series of preferential tourism policies. Passengers taking flights to the airport on August 18, 2023 will be given a lifetime free admission to scenic areas. From August 18 to October 18, 2023, passengers taking flights to the airport will be given a half price discount on one ticket for the graded tourist attractions in the prefecture.
“The opening of Xiangxi Biancheng Airport provides an important opportunity for Xiangxi Prefecture to reshape its economic geography,” said Wu Xiongzhou, a professor of the School of Business, Jishou University, who has long been committed to the research in industrial, regional and agricultural economics.
