Chongqing - Wushan County, located in the heart of China's Three Gorges area, is targeting economic output of more than 40 billion yuan (about 5.95 billion U.S. dollars) by 2030 as it expands tourism, ecological industries, agriculture and transport links, local officials said on August 21.

The landscape of Wushan County, Chongqing. (Photo/Wushan County)

The target is part of Wushan's development plan for China's 15th Five-Year Plan period, covering 2026 to 2030. Liu Benwan, secretary of the CPC Wushan County Committee, said the plan focuses on economic development, opening-up, urban-rural integration, public services, environmental protection and resilience.

Wushan's GDP reached 27.11 billion yuan over the past five years, with average annual growth of 6%, Liu said.

Located along the Yangtze River in eastern Chongqing, Wushan has developed road, rail, water and air transport links. During the next five years, the county plans to further improve connections with neighboring parts of Chongqing, Hubei and Shaanxi. Projects include the Dingjiaping port and the Wushan-Guandu Expressway.

Tourism remains a major part of Wushan's development plan. Scenic areas in the county recorded more than 3 million ticketed visits in 2025, according to Liu.

Wushan plans to upgrade the Lesser Three Gorges and Mini Three Gorges scenic area, seek a national 5A rating for the Wu Gorge-Shennü scenic area, and develop three tourism routes covering land, water and air.

A tourist attraction in Wushan County, Chongqing. (Photo/Wushan County)

The county is also expanding "ecological industry," focusing on food and agricultural processing, traditional Chinese medicinal materials, new energy and new materials.

Agriculture will center on fruit, medicinal herbs and livestock. Wushan aims to develop itself as a major supplier of specialty agricultural products in Chongqing, with rural residents’ per capita disposable income targeted to rise by more than 40% by the end of the five-year period.

Environmental targets include keeping water quality along Wushan's section of the Yangtze River at China's Class II standard, maintaining good or excellent air quality on more than 98% of days and raising forest coverage above 68%.

Urban development is also being tied more closely to tourism.

Deng Tao, County Governor of Wushan County, highlighted the Shennü Escalator, a 905-meter-long transport system that began trial operations in February 2026.

The Shennü Escalator is built along the mountainous terrain of Wushan County, Chongqing. (Photo/Wushan County)

Built across Wushan's steep terrain, the system includes 21 escalators, eight elevators and four moving walkways, overcoming a vertical difference of 242 meters. A journey that previously could take residents nearly an hour on foot can now be completed in about 20 minutes.

The route connects five streets as well as government offices, schools, hospitals, residential areas, commercial districts and the Yangtze River waterfront. Around 50,000 residents live along the corridor.

For visitors, the transport system has also become part of the tourism experience. A member of a Malaysian tour group said after riding it: "It was my first time taking such a large escalator beside a river. Walking up would have been possible, but the escalator makes it much more convenient."

Wushan plans to build on the project by connecting museums, public squares and commercial areas along a vertical consumption corridor, while developing nighttime commercial areas along its riverfront.