A traveling Anqing businessman always prefaces questions about his hometown with pride stating, "I'm an Anqing native." Such replies often win him the respect and friendship of inquirers. Reflecting the city's recognition and esteem, people have positive thoughts about Anqing's past and present.

Prior to 1949, the year the People's Republic of China was founded, Anqing was regarded as a "cultural" city. In its 785 years as capital of east China's Anhui Province, Anqing developed a diverse and brilliant culture, greatly influencing Chinese history. The ancient Anhui civilization embodied by Zen Buddhism, the Qing Dynasty's (1644-1911) Tongcheng School and the New Culture Movement (around the time of 1919's May 4th Movement) led by Chen Tuhsiu, an Anqing native, and his followers are considered the city's three main cultural achievements during this period. Anqing fostered two of China's five major forms of operas: Peking Opera and Huangmei Opera. Anqing is also the cradle of modern Chinese tales and the birth place of the country's current vernacular.

From 1949 until today, the local cultural heritage continues in Anqing, even as the city shifts its emphasis from culture to economy. With no rail or air link to the outside world Anqing developed slowly for many years gradually loosing its position as a provincial capital and becoming a quiet common town beside the Yangtze River. However, since the beginning of the 1980s, when China began to adopt its reform and opening-up policies, the city has regained much of its vigor. With its burgeoning private economy and increasing foreign trade, Anqing led the national competition of economic development, matching Wenzhou City in east China's Zhejiang Province in the middle of the 80s. Deplorably, Anqing gradually lost its position of dominance, for a number of reasons, and now lags well behind other regions.

"To some extent, Anqing's local culture has affected its development. Rich culture doesn't necessarily bring about material affluence. People tend to be more conservative where traditional cultural heritage is concerned and many of these influences remain. As everything in today's China is changing so quickly, it's no surprise that orthodox thinking may result in missed opportunities," said an Anqing native, when talking about his hometown's dramatic change of fate.

To clear away old ideas deemed as obstacles to economic development, last year Anqing launched a citywide "mind-liberation" discussion campaign. This year, Anqing has carried out similar programs such as the "Learning from Shaoxing (an opulent city in east China's Zhejiang Province)" activity in a bid to speed up the birth of a new Anqing.

The new Anqing is depicted as a developed metropolis quite different from its present lackluster profile as a developing city. Zhao Shucong, the municipal Party secretary of Anqing, described the future of Anqing as "a key regional transportation hub and commercial center for the Yangtze River Valley as well as a beautiful and well-off modern metropolis."

"Big" is an essential characteristic for any metropolis. This is one obstacle Anqing doesn't have to overcome. Strolling down the streets of this 800-year-old riverside city, it's easy to see that Anqing has grown significantly over the past ten years.

(Xin'an Evening Paper [新安晚报], translated by Chen Chao for china.org.cn, December 10, 2002)