Ningde in East China's Fujian province has made great strides in its social and economic development. [Photo/ndwww.cn]

Ningde in East China's Fujian province has made great strides in its social and economic development since it was turned from a prefecture to a city in 2000, according to a symposium held in Ningde on Nov 14.

Over the past 20 years, the city has promoted the integrated development of urban and rural areas, with its urbanization rate increasing by 21.8 percentage points from 2000 to 2019. The per capita disposable income of farmers increased to 17,804 yuan ($2,704.43) in 2019 from 2,850 yuan in 2000, while that of urban residents rose from 5,745 yuan to 35,887 yuan during the same period.

The city has also achieved remarkable progress in helping the poor, helping lift 300,000 residents out of poverty.

For example, the city's Xiadang village, which was once a poor area and old revolutionary base, is now a thriving ecotourism village. Relying on its strong ecosystems and tourism resources, the village has vigorously promoted the development of rural tourism, optimized its industrialized business model, and boosted people's incomes as part of its poverty alleviation efforts.

The city has also accelerated construction of its transport infrastructure and made it a key strategic goal, and continued to increase investment to build a comprehensive transport system. Currently, every county in Ningde has road access, and the total length of its expressways stands at 578 kilometers.

Local authorities said that Ningde has developed itself from a poor, remote place to a modern and rich city, with its urban economic vitality and competitiveness ranking 72nd in China and 5th in Fujian this year.