Zhoushan has experienced dramatic development since the founding of the Communist Party of China 100 years ago. [Photo/WeChat account: zjzsrbs]

Zhoushan in East China's Zhejiang province has experienced dramatic development since the founding of the Communist Party of China 100 years ago, according to a report released by the local statistics bureau on June 30.

Zhoushan has grown from a run-down city to a city with a strong marine economy. In 1951, the city's GDP only totaled 40 million yuan ($6.18 million), while that figure was 151.21 billion yuan in 2020. In addition, the total output of the fishing industry in the city was valued at 28.21 billion yuan, 705 times and 134 times more than those in 1951 and 1978.

Zhoushan has become a leading open-door city in East China. In 2020, its foreign trade reached 166.7 billion yuan, including 58.8 billion yuan in exports. In 1979, Zhoushan brought in four foreign-invested projects worth $7.82 million while in 2020, 64 foreign-invested companies were established in the city and its actual utilization of foreign capital amounted to $402 million.

Zhoushan has evolved from a fishing village island to a garden city as its infrastructure facilities and appearance have changed dramatically. Putuoshan Airport was put into service in 1997, the Zhoushan-Ningbo railway was open to traffic in 2020, and Zhoushan currently has 24 cross-sea bridges, spanning a total length of 81 kilometers.

Zhoushan has built a moderately prosperous society in all respects. The per capita disposal incomes of its urban and rural residents increased from 736 yuan and 702 yuan in 1985 to 63,702 yuan and 39,096 yuan in 2020 respectively. In 2020, the registered unemployment rate in the urban area of Zhoushan was 1.55 percent. In addition, 840,000 local residents and 1 million local residents have participated in an old-age insurance program and basic medical insurance program respectively.