European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - May 14, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse Hainan Tife rth Korea South Korea treasure Misiani trom cargo a the of the it an Ion. I letting Tatton. May 14, 19b8 Taiwan continued irom Page 13 Iho Lush Countryside. In the capital cily of Haikou. Population about 300.000. The Central District s streets Are lined with worn iwo Story buildings that Date Iran inc Early decades of the Colury in Iho Countryside some peasants live in huts of baked mud and Straw and go without electricity. Nearly Lour decades of communist Ruto has tailed to quash ancestor worship and the belief in spirits. For exempts clansmen accompanied by musicians with horns Drums gongs and cymbals can be seen walking in procession Down the Island s main Road in a ceremony 1o implore their Long deceased ancestors to return Home. In the mountainous Region Ottrie Island s Interior. The i ethnic minority stil ends of its dead amid elaborate rituals thai include burials peppered by the noise of firecrackers and Vintage flin Toek rides and by drinking parties at which Rice wine Hows for several Days and nights. The people understand their Baek Waler Island is to become a special economic Zona China s name or regions where economic practices can Spray from the marxist straight and narrow to Spur development and Hope it will mean More Money. We re very Happy about the plan says a Man surname Zhen who earns $16 a month at a Haikou firecracker store. Ouf Standard of living will go up our wages will go employee of the Singlong overseas chinese farm in South Eastern Hainan taking a Arlel Pauss irom burning Brush to speak with visitors said that in the future our wages will Rise and so will Bui scholar Huang Youying a a year old researcher of Hainan s minorities said he was unimpressed with government efforts to build up tha area. Speaking in Tonga the minority Region s Central City whom markets Are Well locked and apartment buildings Are popping up All Over Huang said the government had neglected the Countryside. I know what i m going to say will bring me trouble Huang an ethnic a said intently within earshot of a foreign affairs official. The Central government has spent a Tol of Money to Pul up buildings and give outsiders the impression of a flourishing and Rich minority area. But in reality the people s Standard of living is very Tow. The Central government is not providing Money to improve the Standard of living in areas Lar irom tha View of visitors he said. Whether Ellinb � grandiose plans Tor Hainan development will be realized remains to be seen. The record of the Lour existing special economic zones along China s Southern coast Alt much smaller than Hainan geographically is mixed. In Zhenzhen which Borders Hong Kong nine years of special Slatus a transformed a sleepy Rural area into Boom town of a halt million people. Bui development has been haphazard and the economic incentives homered foreign developers have attracted primarily Basic Assembly plants instead of High technology Industry. And chinese authorities Are painfully aware thai a previous Effort to build up Hainan s Economy led to a widespread racketeering scandal three years ago. From 1980, Hainan was allowed to import duty free vehicles and 1s Oiher luxury goods for its own use to help Speed development but Wilh she complicity of local authorities enterprises irom kindergartens Banks and newspapers turned themselves Inlo importers and resold the goods to the chinese Mainland the Trade in 3.3 million cars color television sols video recorders and motorcycles lined the pockets of individuals and enterprises with millions of illegally earned dollars. This time aul homilies warn such behaviour will not be tolerated. Our policy is that galling Rich through labor is glorious. However you should get Rich according to our Hainan party oleic lat Yao Wennie planned at a news conference in Beijing last year Oki Cipis say those policies will include of Liening 50 year leases on land relaxing foreign currency controls waiving duties on imported production material and granting the now province decision mailing autonomy China has said that details of the vague promises will be announced this year. Reported plans to build a modern Infra Structure Havo been vague Loo although some financing details have started to surface. For example about $100 million in world Bank Loans Are logo to construct the Dagmang hydropower station which is expected to generals 240,000 kilowatts of electricity and irrigate about 164,500 acres of Farmland by 1990, a press report said. Tha need Lor a stable electricity Supply was made Clear to visitors recently when Power Oula jes occurred three evenings in a recent week at one of Haikou s pricier , whose investments and know How Ore urgently needed to develop the Island remain largely , however development is stirring new hotels geared to overseas visitors arc going up Many in recant weeks. By the end of 1987, according to people s daily Loreign businessmen signed More than. 200 contracts committing More than $80 million to joint ventures co operative enterprises and factories. Many chinese trom inc Mainland believe Hainan s the place to be and Are applying to move to Iho Island by the Lens of thousands officials say. This is an open place that has a future said one Young Doclot who travelled boo Miles from Wuhan in Central Tebei province to seek a Job Al a local Hospital Bui his Chance of Success was slim a said while relaxing Al a Seaside tourist area because too Many people Are the stars and stripes Page 15
