Booming business sectors, cultural tourism spur impressive economic growth
Bortala Mongolian autonomous prefecture in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region is an important hub in China's land route access to Central Asia, West Asia and Europe. It has also become an integral node in the construction of the Silk Road Economic Belt, forging high-quality development of the industrial economy, cultural tourism and opening-up.
Thriving industry chains
By leveraging the advantageous resources of its counties and cities, Bortala is advancing development of 12 key industry chains across six major sectors including the deep processing of agricultural and sideline products; cultural tourism; green mining; new energy and materials and on-site processing for imports and exports. It has achieved a cumulative increase in the added value of its enterprises above designated size for 10 consecutive months, with a growth rate of over 20 percent.
The prefecture's traditional limestone industry is one example of the strong growth momentum. Bole Juxin Mining Development, a company that is based in Bortala's Bole city, is now engaged in equipment commissioning and debugging. Once completed, it will mine 3.6 million metric tons of limestone and produce 400,000 tons of calcium oxide annually.
"Bortala has rich limestone resources and a good business environment, so we chose to establish our operations here," said Zhao Chun, the company's general manager. "We are committed to building the complete limestone industry chain, including mining, initial processing and calcium oxide production. We will further increase our focus on technological innovation to integrate the upstream and downstream of the industry chain."
Meanwhile, Chinese goji berries from Jinghe county, Bortala, have achieved fame far and wide. Focusing on the quality of the source, the prefecture has nurtured multiple enterprises and cooperatives for goji berries, developing more than 30 innovative products and techniques. The Suoxian variety of goji, for example, can maintain freshness in long-term storage through technology that solidifies and cools the moisture inside the berries and then achieves a drying effect while retaining their waxy outer layer.
Liu Dongdong, general manager of a local goji enterprise, said: "We showcase various extended products of Jinghe goji berries, including goji enzyme and peptide drinks developed in collaboration with Xinjiang University. We will continue to extend the industry chain, enhance the added value of Jinghe goji berries, and contribute to the development of the industry."
In the green energy field, a 100,000-kilowatt thermal storage co-generation project is under construction in Bortala. Li Juan, supervisor of the planning department of the power dispatch control center at State Grid Bortala Power Supply Company, said the photovoltaic part of the project was scheduled to start operation in December, while the solar-thermal part will commence operation in the first half of 2025, providing a guaranteed power supply of 100,000 kW.
Another industrial breakthrough is Bole's modern agriculture science and technology demonstration park — built in cooperation with Shouguang of Shandong province — a project that was signed at the eighth China-Eurasia Expo in Urumqi in June. To date, three greenhouses have been put into use for vegetables such as bell peppers and tomatoes.
"Based on the temperature and soil of Bortala, we have designed a greenhouse type that has the characteristics of wind and drought resistance. In the future, we will cooperate with local enterprises, cooperatives and farmers to develop facility agriculture with Bortala features," said Zhang Huayou, who is in charge of the local project. "We will also explore foreign markets and actively integrate into the construction of the Belt and Road Initiative."
Local government departments are striving to optimize the business environment and boost enterprises' confidence with convenient services and guarantees to further strengthen characteristic industries. In 2024, the Bole Border Economic Cooperation Zone established an enterprise service center, allowing companies to complete project approvals and permits without leaving the industrial park.
Natural assets attract visitors
When it comes to tourism in Xinjiang, the popularity of Sayram Lake continues to fuel the daily visitor flow. In 2024, the Sayram Lake scenic area launched tourism products such as low-altitude flights, featuring immersive experiences, aerospace-themed halls and other new formats. The ice and snow tourism season at Sayram Lake is currently in full swing, with the scenic area preparing for an ice and snow carnival, inviting top domestic experts to plan a series of fun and exciting activities.
All staff members are undergoing comprehensive training for excellence in offering services and guest reception etiquette to create a comfortable and high-quality travel experiences for visitors.
"We will develop winter tourism projects that integrate culture, entertainment, fun and participation, covering areas such as ice and snow experiences, sports and folklore, promoting Bortala's winter ice and snow tourism economy to a new level of high-quality development," said Wu Lan, a member of the Party committee of the management committee at the Sayram Lake scenic area.
Over the past year, Bortala has also played a pivotal role in bolstering development of Xinjiang's cultural tourism ecosystem through measures such as deepening institutional reforms, improving industry mechanisms and implementing cultural projects for the benefit of the people.
Meng Hui, deputy secretary of the Party group and director of the Bortala culture, sports, radio, television and tourism bureau, said the prefecture will launch a series of activities including cross-country skiing championships, competitions, snow football, skiing winter camps, Sino-Kazakh intangible cultural heritage exchanges, hotpot food festivals, horse racing on snow, a hot spring ice and snow carnival, ice and snow parent-child tours, and more than 60 characteristic ice and snow festival events. It will also invite domestic and foreign ski athletes to interact with tourists.
Gao Xinxin, secretary of the Party group and deputy director of the culture, sports, radio, television and tourism bureau in Wenquan county, Bortala, said: "In 2024, Wenquan county launched an array of preferential packages including trips to Sayram Lake, hot springs and skiing, with the newly opened hotels and spa centers, and the joint operation of wetland parks and ski resort products, allowing visitors to enjoy free lake tours, discounted hot springs, and half-priced hotel stays."
Gao noted the hot spring snow lotus soaking pool in the wetland park is open to the public for free, where visitors can enjoy views of snow-capped mountains, grasslands and playful swans. "At the same time, we are actively preparing for the operation of the Wenquan cross-country skiing resort, offering a unique experience of hot springs and skiing."
In 2024, Bortala added a total of 35 hotels and launched campaigns to upgrade the tourism industry in various regions. In particular, Bole has improved tourism formats such as catering, shopping, bathing and spa, performing arts and dances; Jinghe county has developed Xinjiang specialty foods, fresh goji berries, highway shopping, and hotel homestays; and the Alashankou national border tourism pilot zone is steadily advancing in its creation and has reached an intentional border tourism cooperation agreement with relevant departments in Kazakhstan.
Leveraging its rich cultural and tourism resources, Bortala also participates in programs such as Homeland Dreamland, a travel television series by China Media Group, and joins exhibitions such as the China-Eurasia Expo and local tourism expos. Furthermore, the prefecture hosts cultural tourism promotion events in Chengdu, Sichuan province, and Wuhan, Hubei province. Collaborating with the Cyberspace Administration of Hubei, Bortala has launched the "tour Bortala, know Xinjiang" national network celebrity tour, attracting over 60 million fans. It has reached cooperation with 16 cultural and tourism enterprises, with the promotion activities receiving over 6.2 million exposures on various media platforms.
Westward opening-up
Under the BRI, Bortala has made solid strides in high-level opening-up.
On Dec 4, a train loaded with mechanical parts, daily necessities, electronics and other goods departed from Alashankou Port for Malaszewicze, Poland, on the China-Europe freight train route. In 2024, Alashankou Port set a record with the highest daily transit volume of 29 trains, with the average daily transit volume remaining at 21 trains.
"We mainly handle agency services for the Chongqing-Xinjiang-Europe and Zhengzhou-Xinjiang-Europe freight trains," said Qi Shuai, a customs broker at Xinjiang Alashankou Jiean Logistics. "The business volume significantly increased last year, with agricultural and electronic products as the main goods. Thanks to the double improvement in the quality and efficiency of train transport, our business foundation has been solidified."
In recent years, Alashankou Customs has facilitated efficient customs clearance of goods by implementing models such as embedded supervision, parallel operations and touchless clearance. It has also explored the "road port and direct access" format by carefully constructing an integrated intelligent customs supervision system and streamlining the clearance process.
On Sep 29, 2024, with the opening of the Alashankou comprehensive inspection yard, the second line along the Jinghe to Alashankou section of Lanzhou-Xinjiang Railway was in full operation, increasing the narrow-gauge transport capacity by 15 percent and the wide-gauge transport capacity by 30 percent. This has given Alashankou an advantage in serving and integrating into the new development pattern, laying a solid foundation for its participation in the construction of the BRI.
At the Alashankou highway port joint inspection hall, daily inbound and outbound tourists lined up for security checks in the Year of Tourism of Kazakhstan in China. In response to the growing demand for inbound and outbound travel, the Alashankou border checkpoint has introduced advanced inspection equipment and established credit checks and risk prediction mechanisms, among other measures. This has significantly optimized the clearance process.
Duan Xiaoyan, deputy team leader of the fifth team on duty at the border checkpoint, said: "We will continuously optimize service processes, further improve clearance efficiency, and spare no effort to create a convenient, efficient and safe clearance experience for every traveler, building a solid and reliable barrier for customs clearance in the BRI construction."
According to statistics from the Alashankou border checkpoint, as of Dec 3, the number of inbound and outbound travelers in 2024 had reached 201,278, a significant surge of 70.1 percent compared to the same period of 2023.
For decades, Alashankou has always regarded foreign trade as a top priority, grasping enterprise needs and development trends. It encourages companies to participate in domestic and international well-known exhibitions such as the China International Import Expo, the Canton Fair, and the China-Eurasia Expo, supporting them in expanding in international markets.
Alashankou's emerging industries, such as cross-border e-commerce and market procurement trade, have opened new paths for foreign trade growth, building a bridge for companies to reach global markets. For example, the Alashankou Comprehensive Bonded Zone, as Xinjiang's first comprehensive bonded zone, fully leverages its unique location advantages and policy dividends to promote the prosperity of the import and export trade.
wangjinhui@chinadaily.com.cn
