Huaxi Village
Huaxi Village (simplified Chinese: 华西村; traditional Chinese: 華西村; pinyin: huā xī cūn), located in the east of the city centre of Jiangyin, in Jiangsu Province, claims to be the richest village in China.[1] Huaxi calls itself a model socialist village.
About the village
Huaxi Village is known as the "Number One Village Under The Sky". It was founded in 1961.[2]
All the villagers (but not the much more numerous migrant workers) have a wealth of at least 100,000 euros, according to the local authorities. This is a substantial amount by Chinese standards (and more substantial by some western standards, where properties and products are not always owned by individuals, but sometimes by banks). (A net value of 100,000 euros is not considered wealthy in most Western countries.) The village has a multi-sector industry company that is listed on the stock exchange, has bought airplanes and plans to buy ships. The villagers are shareholders and are paid one-fifth of the company's annual profits. In 2011 the company's turnover is expected to grow by about 6.5 billion euros.
In addition to 2,000 villagers, there are in the area about 20,344 migrant workers and 28,240 nearby villagers.
Wu Renbao (simplified Chinese: 吴仁宝; traditional Chinese: 吳仁寶; pinyin: wú rénbǎo), the former secretary of Huaxi Village Communist Party Committee, developed a plan to turn what used to be a poor rural locality into a modern rich community. Wu Renbao was an investor in raw materials such as aluminium. His son, Wu Xiéen, is the current village chief.
A new landmark skyscraper in Huaxi Village,[3] the 328-meter Longxi International Hotel was opened when the village celebrated its 50th anniversary.[4][5]
See also
References
External links
- Huaxi: A Journey to the World's Richest Village
- Story of Huaxi Village
- Independent on Huaxi
- City of Huaxi official website (Chinese)
- City of Huaxi official website (English)
Coordinates: 31°49′58″N 120°25′32″E / 31.83285°N 120.425477°E