The government of Taicang, a city in the southeastern part of Jiangsu province, has an ambitious plan to build it into a modern city that balances urbanization with protection of the natural environment.

"We want to map out the urban design from the perspective of ecological sustainability," said Lu Liusheng, municipal Party secretary of Taicang.

The plan for the general layout of Taicang is to construct a green center in the urban area as well as a port city and three small towns - Shaxi, Liuhe and Hengjing.

According to the local government, each newly developed area will have its own advanced system of modern infrastructure and facilities to meet the demands of local residents.

"Ultimately, the city will be composed of farmland, forests and canals. And those who live in the area can live in harmony with nature," Lu said.

Official statistics show the urbanization rate of Taichang is 28.5 percent, which means there is great potential to tap into its industrial and commercial resources.

Taicang has more than 400,000 mu, or 26,667 hectares, of farmland, of which 252,500 mu is considered fertile.

The average rice yield in the city has reached more than 650 kilograms per mu, with the average net income exceeding 1,000 yuan per mu.

"Farming is very lucrative if we apply mechanized farming and upgrade the technology, " Lu said.

In the future, the city will set aside a large amount of high-quality farmland and nurture talented farmers to encourage modern agriculture.

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