On February 24, 2018, Guilin the famous tour city of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, was approved by the State Council to be one of the first three “National Sustainable Development Agenda Innovation Demonstration Zones”((NSDAIDZ)) in China.

It took Prof. Wang Xiaoming and his team almost one year to finish the planning and construction scheme of Guilin as NSDAIDZ. Since February 2017, entrusted by local government of Guilin, Professor Wang and his team have investigated all the 13 counties including Yangshuo and Gongcheng in Guilin for dozens of times. Over 200 projects have been collected and more than ten seminars were held. Finally, cooperated closely with more than 20 departments and local experts, Wang and his team finished the two reports named “Sustainable development planning for Guilin, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region” and “Construction scheme for establishing NSDAIDZ in Guilin, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region”, which stood out of all the bidding documents at the national conference of Establishing Advisory Committee for NSDAIDZ and the following review meeting held in Beijing. Only three cities -- Guilin, Shenzhen, and Taiyuan were approved in the first round competition.

In the official approval from the State Council, Guilin with the theme of sustainable benefit of landscape resources, was expected to set an example for middle and western regions with different nationalities and fragile ecological environment to achieve sustainable development, and at the same time provide practical experience to implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

As the pioneer expert in sustainable development in China, Professor Wang has presided over ten projects in establishing national sustainable development test zones. He is now director of Research Society in Sustainable Development in China, expert for NSDAIDZ. At present, Wang and his team are cooperating with Guilin Municipal to push the program forward.

The successful application of this program also indicates that Huazhong University and Science and Technology (HUST) is playing the leading role in regional sustainable development in China.

This program is a practical part of implementing the commitment of China to UN at the UN Development Summit in September 2015. President Xi Jinping promised at the Summit that Chinese government would implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development proposed by the UN, and would give full play to the leading role of science and technology innovation to support sustainable development. He also promised to set examples of sustainable development for other parts of China, and would share China's successful experience of sustainable development with the rest of the world.

Picture 1. Professor Wang (No.1 on the right in the front row) is introducing plans

Picture 2. Professor Wang and his team are investigating

 ecological tourism with folk culture and models for construction.

Picture 3. State Council's Reply on

 Establishing National Sustainable Development Agenda Innovation Demonstration Zone 

in Guilin.