 China's future lies in the west. Gansu is situated in the heart of China. And thanks to favorable geographical situation, abundant resources and acomplete range of industries, Gansu is now capable of functioning as a link for the development of the west and opening to the outside world. However, problems exist in the process of economic growth: droughts, water and soil erosion, an underdeveloped high-tech industry, and lack of personnel for scientific research to name a few. These are to be solved step by step according to the actual needs of Gansu.
Yindaruqin project is the largest transbasin gravity irrigation scheme in China's water resources history. The project created a lot of advancements for China, and in some respects, even for the world.
 Gansu has an agricultural history of more than 3000 years. There are altogether over 3,530,000 hectares of farm land available for the plantation of crops, wheat, corn, cotton and flax. However, droughts seriously curb the agricultural development. The same problem haunts the Qinwangchuan region in the north to Lanzhou. It occupies an area of 1200skm, and 100，000 hectares of farm land. Droughts have crippled the development here for nearly a thousand years. In the 1950s, the government in Gansu began to consider irrigating Qinwangchuan by diversion methods.
Interview: Chang Zeguo, commander of the command post for Yindaruqin construction
In the mid-80s when China's reformation and opening up to the outside world entered a key phase, the government of Gansu accepted a loan of US$123 million from the world Bank. The loan served as part of the construction funds to construct the Yinda project and the rest of the funds were collected by the government. Meanwhile, advanced equipment and management was imported from abroad. "FIDIC" was adopted as the international practice in our management. After years of effort, the supportive project has been completed and has produced benefits.
 The Yindaruqin Project is to divert water to Qinwangchuan in Gansu from the Datonghe River which originates in Qinghai Province The project is comprised of 250km of main canals and branch canals, cutting through two provinces and four regions. The Guangmingxia Siphon with two 107meter waterways is the first of its kind in Asia. Both two siphons are double rows of parallel steel pipes of 2.56 meters. With an annual grain production of over 140 million kg, the irrigation area is supporting nearly 400,000 people. The Yindaruqin Project is also an ecological success. It has changed the desert landform in the Qinwangchuan region and formed a green area in the north of Lanzhou. Dingxi County is located in the center of Gansu Province. This is a drought-plagued poor county in need of special help from the state. The average annual rainfall, which comes exclusively in autumn, stands at only 380mm while the average annual evaporation reaches 1526mm. Droughts pose the biggest threat to people involved in agriculture. In 1983, Dingxi County was listed by the state as one of the key treatment areas. Then, a comprehensive treatment for water and soil was staged to improve the environment and basic conditions for agricultural growth.
Interview: Zhang Junde, Person in Charge of Project of Water-Soil Comprehensive Treatment, Dingxi
Here is Jiuhuagou treatment area. From the mountaintop to the valley, we have combined biological approaches with engineering ones. We have adopted biological measures by planting trees and grass on the mountaintop, solving ecological problems. By developing level terrace fields on the mountainside, we have changed the sloping ground to level ground and alleviated the shortage of farming land. A dam has been built in the valley in order to conserve soil and water. Thanks to this kind of comprehensive ecological program and the assistance given to the farm households, the farmers' living standards have improved gradually and the net per capita income has reached 1600 yuan.
 Shu Jia Shan tree farm is a famous patch of greenery in Lanzhou. It has been established for over 50 years and has achieved over 130 hectares of reforestation. The tree farm has also enjoyed international recognition. In the 1940's a deputy president of the United States, Mr. Henry Wallace, visited the area. Also 10 hectares of the farm stand as a symbol of friendship between China and Japan. The trees in this friendship area were planted by both the local Chinese and the visiting group of Japanese. From a barren, lone mountain to a green oasis, Shu Jia Shan displays the spirit and ability of the people to transform their arid environment.
Greenery might be taken for granted in the South of China. It is, however, a colour of wonders in Gansu where the annual rainfall stands at only 300 mm. The two mountains sitting in the north and south respectively in Lanzhou used to be so dry that it was estimated that it would take at least 300 years to reforest them. Lanzhou began a large-scale forestation in the 1950s. Barren mountains were devided up and assigned to each working group and water was diverted for irrigation. Now the forestation area has been enlarged to more than 66oo hectares with over 2700 living trees. A green wall has been erected around Lanzhou. Gansu now puts an emphasis on environmental construction.
They have planned to afforest and return more than 5 million hectares fields to grass land. This will not only help local people but also the whole China in the sense that the effective control over soil loss in Gansu which situated near the upper reach of Yellow river will reduce earth and sand flowing down stream. The improvement of the environment needs a large sum of capital investment that depends on the economic growth of Gansu. Gansu is one of the petrochemical centers in China. These traditional industries are confronted with the challenges from new business ventures, utilizing more recent technology. The government of Gansu has made plans to develop high-tech industries, exploring a new path for economic growth.
Although Lanzhou is situated in western China, its level of education, science and research is of a very high standard. Lanzhou University is well known throughout the country and the laboratories, which are funded by the central government, are world leaders in their fields. For this reason here is a high concentration of scientists, professors and lecturers in Lanzhou and their research will assist the development of the west.
Li Fashen, president of Lanzhou University, is a professor of physics. Founded in 1909, Lanzhou University is a renowned comprehensive university in China. Under the guidance of Professor Li, Lanzhou University stands out in the area of research and is based in the northwest of China.
Interview: Li Fashen, president of Lanzhou University
The applied organic chemistry laboratory of Lanzhou University is a key laboratory peopled by many accomplished senior researchers. Li Weidong was granted his postdoctoral degree by the chemistry department of Harvard University. His tutor E. J. Corey won a Nobel Prize for chemistry in 1990. Li came back to China in September 1998 and now he works as an assistant director in this laboratory.
Interview: Li Weidong, Assistant Director of Applied Organic Chemistry Laboratory
With numerous fully reinforced institutes and scientific personnel research, Gansu claims an edge in fields like biological technology, new materials, electromechanical integration, electronics and information. The Lanzhou Research Institute of Modern Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences enjoys a high reputation as one of the excellent research centers of medium and low-energy heavy ion physics. They have accomplished a number of world-leading achievements in their field of scientific research.
Interview: Xu Shuwei, Research Fellow in the Research Institute of Modern Physics
The equipment behind me is the main laboratory equipment in our national laboratory, It is called the Separator Fan Vortex Accelerator. With a diameter of 6 meters, it can claim to be sophisticated, compared with those in foreign laboratories of the same kind.
Interview: Zhan Wenlong, Director of the Research Institute of Modern Physics
This research institute in Lanzhou has about 700 staff, some of whom are an academician from the Chinese Academy of Science, 9 foreign specialists, and 53 research fellows. In the last few decades, we have made an outstanding achievement in the synthesis of the new nuclide of an atomic nucleus. In 1999, this project was awarded the first and second national prizes for progress in science and technology.
The Lanzhou Research Institute of Modern Physics has benefited from the introduction of foreign experts in technology. Gansu is creating a favorable environment for investment. They are going to attract investment because of their resources and projects. Recently, Gansu put forward a series of favorable policies to introduce capital and qualified personnel, permitting foreign businesses to develop and process resources, produce and operate in the form of a holding company. The geographic location, existing economy, technological strength and the perfect investment environment all make Gansu a latent bridge for the development of northwest China and enable Gansu to turn resource advantages into economic ones, step by step.
The mysterious Mogaoku Caves and the Glorious Silk Road, once gained the praise of the world. In the new millennium, the development of the west will again catch the world's attention. Combining economic reform with the promotion of tourism, Gansu will transform from an ancient city to a thriving and vigourous province. We are looking forward to these changes in Gansu and the local people can expect a very bright future.
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