Wuzhen riding wave of Internet development

Lu Wei, minister of the Cyberspace Administration of China introduces the 2nd World Internet Conference at the press conference on Dec 9. [Photo/China Daily]

The booming Internet industry has been fueling the growth of Wuzhen, a historic water town in China's Zhejiang province, putting the eastern settlement on the fast track to smart transformation.

"Underpinned by the Internet Plus strategy, Wuzhen has been shifting to a culture-enriched historic town equipped with smart and innovative technologies," said Lu Wei, head of the Cyberspace Administration of China.

As a permanent venue for the World Internet Conference, the ancient town has significantly benefited from the event and will continue to in years to come, said Lu during a news conference on Wednesday.

The town has been riding high on smart technologies in recent years, as more projects get under way including online medical services, smart elderly care, government administration, makerspace, smart transportation and tourism.

Wuzhen attracted more than 6.92 million tourists last year, up 22 percent from a year earlier, with daily average visits reaching 190,000 in the same period.

The Internet has increasingly become a new growth engine for not just Wuzhen, but the entire Zhejiang province.

Statistics show that added value of the information industry stood at 228.8 billion ($35.75 billion) in the first nine months of this year, contributing 7.7 percent to the province’s GDP.

In 2014, the Informatization Development Index of the province hit 97.98, while the integrated index of industrialization and informatization reached 86.26, both ranking third in the country.

Meanwhile, emerging industries, including e-commerce, Internet finance, Internet of Things, intelligent logistics, cloud computing and big data and other Internet Plus industries have all been in full swing and upped the ante over other provinces.

"The WIC will help Zhejiang better attract Internet talents globally and fuel local innovation and entrepreneurship," said Ge Huijun, director of the publicity department of the CPC Zhejiang Provincial Committee and vice-chairman of the WIC organizing committee.

Breaking ground and starting new businesses have become a phenomenon in Zhejiang. The Dream Village in Hangzhou has ushered in 4,100 talents with more than 380 startup projects since it was launched half a year ago, she said.

The conference, between Dec 16 and 18, is co-hosted by the Cyberspace Administration of China and the government of Zhejiang province. For the first time, the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, International Telecommunication Union, World Intellectual Property Organization and World Economic Forum have joined as co-organizers.

Dai Tian contributed to this story.