A shot of the Binghai New City in Fuzhou, east China's Fujian Province. [Photo by Lin Shuangwei]

On the eve of the 2024 Spring Festival, amidst the blare of a loud whistle, the "Fuyuanyu 8731" deep-sea fishing boat laden with a bounty of deep-sea fish leisurely glided from the mouth of the Minjiang River channel into the home port at the core area of the Fuzhou (Lianjiang) National Far-Sea Fishery Base in Lianjiang County, east China's Fujian Province.

"The construction and operation of the fishery base's home port will facilitate direct access of a greater variety of global seafood to the dining tables of Fujian consumers," stated the service center chief.

More than 30 years ago, on April 22, 1990, Xi Jinping became secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Fuzhou Municipal Committee. Fuzhou was then a city characterized by a feeble industrial foundation, meager fiscal revenue and limited transportation links.

Confronting these challenges, Xi believed that "Fuzhou ... must first cultivate a long-term strategic vision grounded in science and practicality." 

'3820' project

From April 1990 to May 1992, Xi devoted over two-thirds of his time to grassroots surveys and research, conducting studies involving 10,000 individuals to validate the "3820" strategic project.

In November 1992, the CPC Fuzhou Municipal Committee approved and unveiled a 20-year economic and social development strategy for Fuzhou City, planning the goals, steps, layout and priorities of its development in three years, eight years and 20 years, known as the "3820" strategic project. It aimed to double the principal economic indicators from 1992 to 1995 within three years; endeavor to attain the development standards of leading domestic cities across major indices such as urban and rural per capita levels within eight years, by 2000; and by approximately 2010, strive over a 20-year period to achieve or approximate the average development level of moderately developed countries or regions in Asia at that time.