Decoding the Qujiang model “system” Qujiang model system

The Qujiang system, which is well known to the public, consists of the Management Committee of Xi'an Qujiang New District and its huge cultural industry cluster. With a series of large-scale planning, large-scale financing, and generous efforts, the Qujiang Department has created tourism projects of national concern such as the Big Wild Goose Pagoda North Square, the Daming Palace National Heritage Park, the Tang Dynasty Furong Garden Scenic Area, and the Louguantai Road Cultural Exhibition Area.

In 2007, Qujiang New Area became one of the first batch of national cultural industry demonstration zones. After that, many groups of officials from other provinces came to Xi'an to "learn lessons." In September 2012, a mainstream media group from French-speaking African countries visited Qujiang New Area to interview and examine Qujiang’s development model.

However, as the project progressed and problems were exposed, people began to criticize the Qujiang system more and more. In September 2010, "People's Daily" published "Shaanxi Qujiang Model: Does the winding path lead to "excellence" or "worry", openly criticizing the "Qujiang Model". A series of questions about the Qujiang system gradually emerged: What kind of organization is the Qujiang New District Management Committee? In what ways has its cultural industry cluster become bigger and stronger? What is the essence of the "Qujiang Model", the core value of the Qujiang Clan? In 1995, Xi'an Qujiang Tourist Resort was established, and in 2003 it was renamed Qujiang New Area. Chen Fengyi, a professor at the School of Tourism at Xi'an International Studies University and a senior tourism consultant for Xi'an for a long time, said: "Qujiang New District is an independent section that is separated from Yanta District and is different from the high-tech development zone. The original intention of the Xi'an Municipal Government By establishing this new area, we can use the potential advantages of cultural tourism in this place to create a new urban living room. However, this place is not achieved overnight. Many real estate companies that invested in it in the early stage have lost money, which fully shows that it does not have the resources. Making money requires a suitable business operation model. ”

Official information shows that the Qujiang New District Management Committee has multiple administrative departments such as the Education and Health Bureau and the Tourism Development Bureau, but it does not have the National People’s Congress, the CPPCC and other departments. According to the "Xi'an Qujiang Cultural Industry Investment (Group) Co., Ltd. 2011 First Phase Short-term Financing Bonds Prospectus" (hereinafter referred to as the "Prospectus"), "The Qujiang New District Management Committee is an institution directly under the municipal government and is a bureau-level organization. "It performs municipal management authority within its jurisdiction and has responsibilities such as approval of construction projects in the area, planning and construction management," an official from Xi'an told the media that the Qujiang New District Management Committee is "an agency dispatched by the municipal government." , business establishment, enterprise management. ""Every department has delegated power to our place. We are an office in one building, and one chapter is responsible for it. It is the chapter of the Qujiang Management Committee that has replaced all the chapters."

As the most important strategic operation platform of the Qujiang New District Management Committee, Xi'an Qujiang Cultural Industry Investment (Group) Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Quwen Investment") was registered and established in 1998 as a wholly state-owned enterprise. Ltd. It is the main entity and financing platform for regional operation and development of Qujiang New Area, and plays a core role in the structure of Qujiang companies.

The "2012 Annual Report of Xi'an Qujiang Cultural Tourism Co., Ltd." introduces that the Qujiang New District Management Committee controls Quwen Investment through Xi'an Qujiang Cultural Holdings Co., Ltd. The Qujiang New Area Management Committee holds 99.83% of the shares of Xi'an Qujiang Cultural Holdings Co., Ltd., while Xi'an Qujiang Cultural Holdings Co., Ltd. holds 100% of the shares of Quwen Investment.

The Management Committee of Qujiang New District and Quwen Investment have completed the integration of politics and business at the management level. Industrial and commercial information shows that Li Yuan, director of the Qujiang New District Management Committee, is also the chairman of Quwen Investment and the legal representative of Xi'an Qujiang Culture Holdings Co., Ltd. Qujiang New Area and Quwen Tou are integrated into one, and huge amounts of assets can be transferred directly. The "Prospectus" mentioned that in 2009, Quwen Investment's capital reserve was transferred to increase its paid-in capital by 1.5 billion, which came from the Qujiang New District Management Committee's allocation to Quwen Investment for Daming Palace Investment Group and Shaanxi Cultural Industry Investment Co., Ltd. 100% equity of the company.

An insider told Nandu reporter, "Qujiang Company acts as a government when the situation is unfavorable, and becomes a company when the situation is favorable." The most typical one is the golf course incident. In 2012, Qu Wentou illegally built a golf course project in the name of "Weihe City Sports Park", which was later exposed. According to "Daily Economic News", the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection sent personnel to investigate. This incident caused strong shock within the Qujiang Clique. It was against this crisis background that on October 22 of that year, Xi'an Qujiang Cultural Holdings Co., Ltd. was registered to control Quwen Investment, which formally severed the political and commercial cooperation between the Qujiang New District Management Committee and Quwen Investment. One form. Industrial and commercial information shows that on October 23, the nature of Quwentou changed from "solely state-owned" to "solely owned by a legal person".

Golf course plans in Qujiang are not uncommon. In 2012, the Shaanxi Provincial Environmental Protection Department’s “Letter on the Review Opinions on the Environmental Impact Report of the Master Plan of Hancheng Fengchui Sima Cultural Scenic Spot in Shiji” confirmed the Qujiang Group’s business plan in Hancheng. “New villas and golf courses are prohibited in the planning area. Projects such as golf courses and racecourses are prohibited from carrying out tourism activities in the wetland reserve.” Previously, Shaanxi Cultural Industry (Ansai) Investment Co., Ltd., a joint venture between Shaanxi Cultural Investment and Yan’an locals, had plans to build a mountain golf driving range.

The "Prospectus" shows that in terms of policies, Qu Wentou has a monopoly position and can "have priority in obtaining cultural industry resources, urban construction resources, and real estate resources under the same conditions" and "also enjoys certain rights. Policy support, such as the Qujiang Management Committee, provides cultural industry support funds, cultural industry venture capital and loan guarantees to solve the financial bottlenecks faced by cultural groups and affiliated companies in their development. ”

Qu Wen. Quwen Investment also has a monopoly on cultural industry projects in Qujiang New District. This part of the business is entrusted by Qujiang New District Administrative Committee to undertake the construction of Quwen Investment. After nearly 10 years of exploration, the turning point for the rapid development of Qujiang New District occurred in 2002. "At that time, there was a powerful person in Xi'an High-tech Zone, Duan Xiannian. The 'Garden City' he built was a typical landscaped community. It was beautifully done and sold very well. So, the Xi'an Municipal Government directly transferred Duan Xiannian to Qujiang The new district started a series of commercial operations and has undergone extraordinary changes today," said Chen Fengyi, a professor at the School of Tourism of Xi'an International Studies University.

The Qujiang system is famous as the North Square of the Big Wild Goose Pagoda. On December 31, 2003, the Big Wild Goose Pagoda North Square in Qujiang New District was completed and opened to the public. The highlight is Asia's largest matrix eight-level water musical fountain. The North Square of the Big Wild Goose Pagoda is very successful from a tourism perspective, attracting more than 100,000 citizens on the day it opened.

Wang Tianding, professor and dean of the School of Journalism and Communication at Xi'an International Studies University, believes that "The North Square of the Big Wild Goose Pagoda caters to the cultural anxieties of Shaanxi people. In the past, the area around the North Square of the Big Wild Goose Pagoda was a 'scar' in the city. But the sound of this square The modernization of optoelectronics has completely cut off the relationship between the Big Wild Goose Pagoda and the surrounding communities. People like to go to the Big Wild Goose Pagoda North Square. They can only say that they need a fountain square, but whether this square should be built next to the Big Wild Goose Pagoda is a problem.

Chen Fengyi said: "When the musical fountain came out, it was really shocking. It not only brightened the eyes of people traveling to Xi'an, but also gave citizens a sense of belonging and pride in the city. But I thought at the time that it should be based on Buddhist culture To create the space of the Big Wild Goose Pagoda. Using very modern techniques would destroy this sacred Buddhist space and lose the Zen artistic conception. I suggested that a water surface could be built, but it was not appropriate to build a musical fountain square. But at that time, Xi’an was too backward and needed a square. It’s a very shocking and generous thing, and this fashionable packaging idea has the absolute upper hand.”

Following the North Square of the Big Wild Goose Pagoda is the Tang Furong Garden, which was opened in 2005 and is China’s first full-scale park. A large-scale royal garden-style cultural theme park that displays the style of the prosperous Tang Dynasty. Chen Fengyi said that Tang Furong Garden established Qujiang’s work style of “high starting point and generous efforts”.

“After the Tang Dynasty Furong Garden and Big Wild Goose Pagoda North Square projects were completed, the land value in Qujiang New District increased rapidly. The land that was originally undeveloped, to be developed, and to be demolished in Qujiang quickly changed from raw land to mature land. , the potential value became a real business. In my impression, the land price in Qujiang New District was doubling every day. If you don’t sign a contract today, the price will change tomorrow.” Chen Fengyi recalled. After the completion of the two major projects, the "Qujiang Model" of "culture + landscape + real estate" gradually took shape. After the rise of Qujiangchi (Nanhu) Heritage Park, Qujiang's image as a landscape real estate developer and capital master has been successfully established at home and abroad. "The "Qujiang Model" is the core model for operating cultural tourism in the Qujiang system.

"Xi'an Qujiang New District Cultural Industry Development Outline" introduces, "Cultural tourism takes the lead in the entire cultural industry system And its core position is the leader and engine of Qujiang's cultural industry. "The "Qujiang Model" has the same basic characteristics in all projects, that is, first to enclose large areas of land around famous cultural sites, and then to build basic supporting facilities, and to hype up cultural concepts to raise surrounding land prices. After the land prices appreciate, they will be sold at a high price. The variant of its real estate is the cemetery business (see the article "Xingjiao Temple Application for World Heritage"). The book "Xi'an Qujiang Model: A City's Cultural Journey" summarizes the specific operating methods of the "Qujiang Model" as "reverse order." "Method": "Build the city first, and then let industries and capital come in."

"The support point of this business model (Qujiang model) is land that can be replaced and generate huge economic benefits. . Qujiang New District relies on policies to obtain land at low prices, while Quwentou sells land at high prices. The prerequisite is that there must be sufficient land reserves. As a result, land enclosure and land hoarding became inevitable, and the consequences of this demonstration effect were large-scale land enclosure and landscaping movements. "Chen Fengyi believes that "there is another important core element (of the Qujiang model), which is that cultural resources are attractive enough to generate cultural monopoly. Xi'an alone has no shortage of such cultural resources. ”

In the Qujiang system’s land enclosure and landscaping movement, the most profitable project from land sales was the Daming Palace National Heritage Park project opened in 2010. The entire Daming Palace heritage area has a planned area of ??19.16 square meters for protection and reconstruction. kilometers, of which the Daming Palace National Heritage Park covers an area of ??only 3.2 square kilometers, while the surrounding reconstruction area covers an area of ??12.74 square kilometers. This is the real estate business in the "Qujiang Model" formula. The huge 12.74 square kilometers of land enclosed by the Qujiang System has rapidly appreciated in value. A person close to the senior management of the Qujiang System told Nandu Reporter, “Qujiang has made a lot of money from the Daming Palace project, with billions in it. ”

“After Qujiang took on this project, it put forward a concept of large-scale heritage protection. Objectively speaking, it's great.

Because if the Daming Palace area is built completely and steadily according to this concept, it will be a transformation example of a cultural city," Chen Fengyi told Nandu Reporter. "This huge project integrates cultural heritage protection, community transformation, and future business district construction. The integrated project is a new urban complex construction concept that requires innovative capital operations to succeed. Therefore, Qujiang's business elite effectively solved this problem by using land swap. That is, you help me build scenic spots, and I will match the land to you. All of these lands are prime locations. ”

The Daming Palace National Heritage Park project is a “gift” project, and its full construction time is only one year, “to ensure that the Daming Palace National Heritage Park will be grandly opened during the National Day in 2010.” A person close to Qujiang Group A source told Nandu reporter, “When building the Daming Palace Heritage Park, gravel is sometimes filled in. Qujiang spends tens of millions every year on park maintenance alone. "A reporter from Nandu saw near the Daming Palace Hanyuan Hall ruins project that this project, which was only completed for two years, had a large number of "scars" on the bricks, and some bricks were completely warped.

Xingjiao The demolition incident of the temple's "incorporation into cultural heritage" revealed the Qujiang Clan's business plan to promote the concept of "incorporation into cultural heritage". One of its major "incorporated" commercial projects is the Han Chang'an City Site Project, which covers a total area of ??75.02 square meters. square kilometers, of which the total site protection area is 65 square kilometers, and the remaining land leaves a broad space for Qujiang system real estate operations. The project launch area is the Silk Road World Cultural Heritage Site of Han Chang'an City in July 2011. In August, a briefing meeting on the conceptual planning plan for the protection of the Han Chang'an City ruins was held at the Qujiang Management Committee. It is worth noting that the international participants were not well-known cultural relics protection experts, but personnel from internationally renowned planning and design companies.

< p> "The Qujiang phenomenon' is not accidental. It is an inevitable phenomenon induced by a unique urban hunger and thirst syndrome. This urban management mechanism in which the government leads market development is closely related to the community environment of "big government, small society" in which we live. " Chen Fengyi commented, "We reflect on the 'Qujiang phenomenon' because excessive commercial development will harm culture, and Xi'an is a world-class ancient civilized city with seven series of world-class cultural resources. The reconstruction of cultural landscapes must be done with caution and along the path of public welfare construction. "In addition to the concept of world cultural heritage, another card played by the Qujiang Clan is the concept of religion, and the main method is to use fake temples to "kidnap" the real temple. Among the scenic spots for non-religious activities built by the Qujiang Clan, the most famous The most "realistic" one is the Xingjiao Temple Scenic Spot, and the most "realistic" one is the Zhao Gongming God of Cai Cultural Scenic Spot in Zhouzhi County, Xi'an.

The registration certificate for religious activity sites shows that the Taoist temple named "Cai Shen Temple" is located in Zhouzhi. The person in charge of Zhaodacun, Jixian Town, is called Du Zongzhen, whose number is "Zongchang Zhengzi (Shaanxi) D 010130004." The reporter verified from the Zhaodacun Caishen Temple Management Committee that Du Zongzhen is the real Taoist priest of the Caishen Temple. , has nothing to do with the Caishen Temple scenic spot.

The real Caishen Temple is a temple with a small courtyard. There is a huge ingot-shaped incense burner in the courtyard. The official name is "Zhao Gongming Temple" as shown on the stone tablet next to it. , the temple was built in the Ming and Qing Dynasties and is one of the fifth batch of key cultural relics protection units in Shaanxi Province.

The scenic spot is operated by Xi'an Qujiang Louguandao Cultural Scenic Area Management Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of Qujiang Cultural Tourism. , the 60 yuan ticket has the words "Zhao Gongming God of Wealth Temple" written on it

This Zhao Gongming God of Wealth Cultural Scenic Area, packaged as a temple, covers an area of ??about 531 acres and has many antique buildings, far larger than the real God of Wealth. Temple. The Temple of Wealth in the center of the scenic spot is magnificent, 34 meters high, and divided into four floors. The scenic spot is located in Zhaodacun, one kilometer away from the Temple of True Wealth. This place has no direct relationship with Zhao Gongming’s life experience, but it is shown on the tour guide map. But there is a scenic spot called "Zhao Gongming Tomb". In fact, this scenic spot has only been built for two years.

A senior person in Zhongnan Mountain's religious circles told Nandu reporters, "There are regulations within the scenic spot company. Tourists tell us that the temple was built on the original site. "The reporter's experience in the scenic spot confirmed the person's words. After passing through the huge archway in the scenic spot, a staff member he met said: "This temple is old and has been around for many years. Zhao Gongming was born here. "In another place where gold coins of "Lucky Golden Toad" are sold, a staff member said, "The old temple was also in this place before, but this one was rebuilt. "In the Temple of Wealth in the scenic spot, a third staff member told Nandu reporters, "The temple was newly built on the site. ”

This place is not a place for religious activities, but there are many merit boxes placed. There are five in the God of Wealth Temple, and there are also temples on both sides. The reporter did not check from the official website of Zhao Gongming God of Wealth Cultural Scenic Spot Explain the whereabouts of these merit box donations.

Before the Qujiang System, the commercial value of the Temple of Fortune had already been noticed. The business contract obtained by the reporter showed that in 2008, Zhao, Jixian Town, Zhouzhi County. Dacun Group Four signed a contract with Zhang Qiang, authorizing Zhang Qiang to exclusively operate and manage Zhao Gongming Temple and Gongming Mausoleum for 15 years.

In the spring of 2010, the Qujiang Group began to build the Zhao Gongming God of Wealth Cultural Scenic Area, which was announced to the outside world. Temple of Wealth. In March and April of that year, someone from Xi'an Qujiang Cultural Tourism (Group) Co., Ltd. came to contact relevant people in Zhaodacun and proposed to close the real Temple of Wealth and use it as a museum, and then put religious activities in the scenic spot. Twice but failed to get a response.

A relevant person recalled that in May 2012, the full name of Quwen Investment’s subsidiary Xi’an Qujiang Cultural Tourism (Group) Co., Ltd. (on September 13, 2012) was changed to “Xi’an Qujiang Tourism Investment ( Group) Co., Ltd., hereinafter referred to as "Qujiang Tourism Group") planned to backdoor ST Changxin (Chang'an Information Industry (Group) Co., Ltd.) and put assets such as Zhao Gongming Caishen Cultural Scenic Spot on the market, which caused huge controversy. "Later (Qujiang Company) put the words 'God of Wealth Cultural Area' on the sign of the scenic spot, and the 20 or 30 fake Taoist priests there sent them back overnight. They said at the time that this was the God of Wealth Cultural Scenic Area, built like a temple but not a temple. "Chang'an Information Industry (Group) Co., Ltd. changed its name to Xi'an Qujiang Cultural Tourism Co., Ltd. on September 26, 2012, referred to as "Qujiang Cultural Tourism". On September 28, 2012, "Qujiang Cultural Tourism" officially landed on the A-share market as a subsidiary of Qujiang Tourism Group. “To deny the Qujiang model is to deny the development path of Xi’an in recent years.” In an interview with a reporter from Time Weekly in 2010, a Xi’an official quoted another official as saying. The "Qujiang Model" has not been rejected due to doubts and has received support from the policy level, and it continues to radiate outwards.

The operating platform of Qujiang Group’s external export of “Qujiang Model” is Shaanxi Cultural Industry Investment Holding (Group) Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “Shaanxi Cultural Investment”). With Shaanxi Cultural Investment as the core, Qujiang Group has laid out a group of cultural investment companies in Shaanxi Province. Industrial and commercial information shows that Shaanxi Cultural Investment has a registered capital of 2.033 billion yuan and is engaged in strategic investment, financing and venture capital in major cultural industry projects. The legal representative and chairman of Shaanxi Wentou is Duan Xiannian. Duan Xiannian is also the deputy mayor of Xi'an and secretary of the Party Working Committee of Qujiang New District.

The equity structure table shows that Shaanxi Wentou has Qujiang’s “bloodline”. Shaanxi Cultural Investment has four major shareholders. Its controlling shareholder Qu Wentou invested 1.143 billion yuan and held 65.58% of the shares. The time of investment was June 22, 2009. Quwen Investment Holdings guarantees Shaanxi Wentou’s “Qujiang Model” approach.

In order to have the convenience of development in the province, Shaanxi Cultural Investment absorbed capital from Yan'an and Yulin three months later. On September 22, 2009, Yan'an Dingyuan Investment Co., Ltd. invested 100 million yuan, accounting for 5.74% of the shares; Yulin City Investment Management Group Co., Ltd. injected 100 million yuan, accounting for 5.74% of the shares.

In order for Shaanxi Cultural Investment to have the pedigree of a provincial state-owned enterprise, in 2009, the Shaanxi Provincial Department of Finance invested 400 million in Shaanxi Cultural Investment. This number increased to 690 million in 2012, accounting for 33.94% of the shares. The capital injection from the Shaanxi Provincial Department of Finance made Shaanxi Cultural Investment a department-level unit. A person in charge of Shaanxi Wentou once told a media reporter, "When we go to various prefectures and cities, they are all at the prefectural and municipal level. If this company has no level, can you talk to the mayor? Can you talk to the mayor about how we can Development? No way!”

The Qujiang Group relies on huge loans to operate its large businesses. So far, only Qujiang Cultural Tourism has realized the listing plans of its multiple subsidiaries. Under the pressure of huge debts, the Qujiang Clan is constantly looking for new cultural resources and land. However, various places in Shaanxi Province generally lack the planning and operational capabilities of the Qujiang Clan, and the two parties often hit it off immediately. In 2012, Yulin City officials said they would "go to Xi'an and other places to inspect the projects completed by Shaanxi Cultural Investment Group, and learn advanced concepts while broadening their horizons."

On June 23, 2010, Shaanxi Cultural Industry (Hancheng) Investment Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Hancheng Cultural Investment") was established. This is a typical clone product of the Qujiang family. Hancheng Cultural Investment is a state-owned cultural industry investment enterprise jointly established by Shaanxi Cultural Investment, Hancheng City Government and six local private enterprises in Hancheng, with a registered capital of 1 billion yuan. Industrial and commercial information shows that the legal representative and chairman of Hancheng Cultural Investment is Ding Peisheng, a private entrepreneur in Hancheng City. But the controlling shareholder of Hancheng Cultural Investment is Shaanxi Cultural Investment. Hancheng Cultural Investment is developing the area from the ancient city to Sima Qian Temple in Hancheng City, Shaanxi Province. (See "Hancheng Ancient City: Demolition Protection?" below for details)

Other provincial clones of the Qujiang system include Yan'an Cultural Industry Investment Co., Ltd., Shaanxi Cultural Industry (Ansai) Investment Co., Ltd. and Yulin Cultural Industry Investment Co., Ltd., etc. At the beginning of 2011, Shaanxi Cultural Investment established the Yellow Emperor Mausoleum Spiritual Home Project Team, which will combine high-tech elements such as sound, light and electricity to build a Yellow Emperor cultural experience area.

In an article "New Strategies for Qujiang" on the official website of Qujiang New District, the Qujiang Clique described its expansion path this way: "Qujiang wants to use the power of the masses to promote urban reform. The opportunity of urban reform has benefited thousands of people and set off a new urbanization revolution.

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