Why is Gansu's economic development so slow?

Our work in China initiated by China is to help small and medium-sized enterprises solve the financing problem, especially in those areas where the number of listed companies is small, and Gansu is one of them. One of our clients is building a commercial real estate project along the Yellow River in Lanzhou, with a total investment of over 5 billion RMB. Generally speaking, I think the future of Gansu is bright. However, Gansu's recent development is slightly slower than that of neighboring provinces and cities. What is the root cause? I happen to have a colleague in Lanzhou, Gansu. His name is Liu Yongduo, and he has just received his doctorate from UCLA. Here we ask him to talk about his own views: I grew up in Lanzhou, and I love and hate this land in my childhood memory: I love the specialties and snacks in my hometown, but I hate the harsh natural conditions and serious air pollution here. After graduating from high school, I went to Beijing to study, and then went across the ocean to the United States, during which I went home only a handful of times. But every time I come back, I have to make up the authentic Lanzhou beef noodles and hand-grabbed mutton. I will also pay attention to the economic construction and people's mental outlook in my hometown while eating a lot. The conclusion is the same: except for the traffic jam, the others seem to have changed little! When it comes to why Gansu has become a forgotten corner in the reform and opening up and even the development of the western region, it is certain that various objective factors are listed: for example, the geographical location is remote and the transportation cost is high; The climate is dry and rainy, and sandstorms are rampant; The outflow of mineral resources, national policies and so on. Some people complain that the local government is inefficient and short-sighted; Some people also complain that the central support is not enough. Generally speaking, the investment environment is poor. Undoubtedly, all the above are important reasons for Gansu's backwardness, but it ignores the most fundamental reason: human factors. Why can't Gansu retain talents? Some people will jump out and say, because the economy is not good, but this has become a recycling ownership of laying chickens or laying chickens. Is there a deeper reason? I think we still need to find the problem from the culture. Due to the double absence of traditional culture and advanced culture, people lack centripetal force and creativity, which is caused by many factors such as history, nationality and propaganda. Take Lanzhou, the provincial capital, as an example. Lanzhou has not formed its own characteristic culture, and there is no local folk art form. When foreigners mention Lanzhou, they almost only know Lamian Noodles in Lanzhou, but only think of the scene of Lamian Noodles, a Hui master in a white hat. Lamian Noodles has since become the business card of Lanzhou, and the Hui master has since become the representative of Lanzhou people. This makes Lanzhou people laugh and cry, but we have to admit that Lanzhou has no own characteristics except Lamian Noodles. Whether it is catering, entertainment, architecture, or the habit of weddings and funerals, they all follow the rules, and there is not even a dialect they are proud of. There are fewer and fewer young people in Lanzhou who can speak Lanzhou dialect, so it is a bit embarrassing to speak Lanzhou dialect in a slightly more serious high-end occasion. A region lacks local culture to be proud of, and people lack cohesion and sense of belonging. People not only have no attachment to this land, but also do not have much sense of responsibility. This first stems from the history of Lanzhou as an immigrant city. The immigrants here come from all over the country and bring local customs, so it is reasonable that Lanzhou does not have its own characteristics. The war in the last century led to Gansu becoming a strategic rear, and a large number of immigrants entered Lanzhou; After liberation, supporting the third-line construction is another round of immigration. Most immigrants finally settled here, but they and their descendants rarely felt the cultural identity and dependence on this land. Here, there are not many Lanzhou people who were born and raised three generations ago, and most of them are unwilling to take refuge in or support the construction of that year. Deep down, they think they are just guests, so they want to escape from Gansu whenever they have the chance. I heard some middle school teachers educate their students like this: "You must study hard and leave this hellhole in the future." This seems to be an idiom of a teacher in a poor ravine. I wonder when Lanzhou became such a poor ravine. Secondly, Lanzhou and even Gansu is a multi-ethnic area, which has been in the crisscross zone between the Han nationality in the Central Plains and the ethnic minorities in the west since ancient times. There are 55 ethnic groups in Gansu, including 16 with a population of over 1000, Hui, Dongxiang, Tibetan, Tu, Manchu, Mongolian, Baoan and Yugur. Different customs and concepts in different countries lead to inconvenience in management and it is difficult to form a unified pattern in culture. The education level of minority youth here is generally lower than that of Han nationality, and the fierce folk customs often become some unstable factors in some areas. In fact, what depresses me most in Lanzhou is not being poor or dry, but being dirty and messy. Only by creating a living environment that everyone loves can Gansu people truly love and miss Gansu. The future development of Lanzhou and even Gansu needs the efforts of Gansu people themselves. Gansu people need to stop complaining and act immediately, starting with small things, such as not littering and spitting. The cultural and educational departments should increase the propaganda of loving Lanzhou and building Gansu, and call on successful people such as Gansu entrepreneurs from outside the province and abroad to invest in and return to their hometowns. From local governments at all levels to ordinary people, we should strengthen cultural, economic and ideological exchanges with advanced regions, strive to improve the quality of the people and change the way of thinking of the masses. Gansu's development depends on others and only on itself. Editor in charge: NF075 (This article Source: Forbes Chinese Network. For more exciting content, please visit Forbes Chinese website.