Featured towns are grown in the market soil, which in turn ought to play a leading role in the cultivation and construction of featured towns.

At a press conference of the State Council Information Office, Zhao Hui, the Chief Economist of the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development suggests that, given the wave of headlong construction of featured towns in various regions, public opinion guidance should be strengthened to promote positive experience, and local governments should resolve to avoid sprawl development in the name of featured towns.

The development project of featured towns is a development goal set by MOHURD and other government authorities. In July 2016, Notice on the Cultivating of Featured Towns was issued by three ministries/commissions, an indication of resolution on nationwide cultivation of featured towns, it's expected that, about 1000 "featured towns" of local features and full activity will come into being by 2020, so as to lead and drive national construction of towns. In October 2016, MOHURD published a list of the first featured towns of China, in which 127 towns were included.

  China is a big country, with numerous towns of local colors distributed in vast rural areas, including many famous towns in possession of unique natural resources and cultural heritage of historical legends. These towns are social wealth. The decision of MOHURD on cultivation of featured towns is a catalyst, which will surely help preserve and develop some towns with special endowment. With MOHURD's initiation of this campaign, it arouses ardent reaction of local people, if it turns to rash advance without correction, it's likely to grow to a tide centering one state development.

To prevent the herd effect in the construction of featured towns, the key is the market-oriented development. The best advantage of government-arranged construction is investment of financial funds in large-scale development project, existing features will certainly be bragged, in this atmosphere, however, the so-called featured towns become a commercial stunt for soliciting tourists and tourism resources, and original features are commercialized, left nothing special.

To build featured towns, local governments may take a part, except as a booster, that is to avoid government function in taking everything in control in the development project. Featured towns are grown in the market soil, so market factor ought to play a leading role in the cultivation and construction of featured towns. With urbanization in progress, county cities are seeing concentrated population in many regions, and some towns are hollowing, a tendency that needs to be corrected. For local governments, things to be done include simultaneous development of urbanization and construction of rural towns, all towns should be benefited from supporting government policies, instead of "broad irrigation" of so-called featured towns. Featured towns should be developed naturally with growing market, rather than potted landscape from which government performance is sought.