Hunan Province a powerhouse.
By VIOLET
MENGO
Changsha,
China
I arrived
in Changasha in Hunan Province today June
9, 2025 for a five day tour of the province under the media fellowship of the
China International Press Communication Centre (CIPCC).
Hunan is located
in the central part of China and in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River.
Since most of its area is south of Dongting Lake, it is called “Hunan”.
The
Xiangjiang River, the larges river in the province, runs through the whole
territory, so it is shortly called “Xiang”,
Since the
ancient times, hibiscus has been widely planted in Hunan. Mao Zedong even
praised Hunan with a poem. “The land of hibiscus is bathed in the morning
sun”, so it is also known as the “land of Hibiscus”.
Hunan is
the hometown of great men and a place that has produced numerous military
leaders. It has magnificent mountains and rivers and profound cultural heritage.
With a population of over 73 million, ranking eighth in China, its total area is 211, 800 square kilometres, ranking 10th in China.
In 2024,
its regional Gross Domestic Product (GDP) reached 5.3 trillion yuan ranking 10th
in China, with a year-on-year growth of 4.8 percent. The economic development
shows the characteristics of “overall stability steady progress, structural optimisation
and improved quality”.
Hunan has
several characteristics. First, it faces unprecedented strategic opportunities.
Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China,
General Secretary Xi Jinping has visited Hunan four times.
Strategic
opportunities such as jointly building the Belt and Road Initiative, the
Yangtze River Economic Belt and high-quality development in central China are
intertwined.
National level
platforms like the Hunan Pilot Free Trade Zone, the Pilot Zone for In Depth
China-Africa Economic and Trade Cooperation and the World Computing Conference
are gathering momentum.
Second, it
has a solid industrial foundation. Hunan has six trillion- yuan industries, 16 hundred-billion-yuan
industries and five national advanced manufacturing clusters.
The “4x4”
modern industrial system is being accelerated, the low-altitude economy has
created the Hunan model, green intelligent computing is accelerating its layout
and the Intelligent empowerment for the ten thousand Enterprises” initiative is
helping ten thousand enterprises take off.
Third, it
has abundant innovation momentum. Hunan, ranking 5th in China, the
number of full-time students is 1.9 million, ranking 8th in China.
It boasts 3 “985 project universities, ranking third in China. The “4X4”
Science and Technology Innovation Project is in full operation, the “1 +2”
national laboratory system is being accelerated, the construction of Changsha
as a global Research and Development hub and Xiangjiang Science City is in full
swing. The investment in research and development funds of the whole society
ranks nineth in China and second in central China.
Fourth, its investment environment has been upgraded. Expressways form a network, high speed railway form a loop and transportation hubs have taken shape.
Electricity,
computing power and power are providing efficient support . The Five-Good Parks
are full of vitality, the Garden Hibiscus” fund is integrating forces and the
Send Policies Solve Difficulties Services” action is helping enterprise
wholeheartedly.
The business
environment has achieved a three-year-level leap. The whole province and
Changsha city continue to rank among the top in China and first in central China
and western China.
I am glad
to have visited Hunan Province for the second time, first being in 2012.
#chinadiaries #CIPCC #environmentaljournalist #traveldiaries #knowchina
No comments:
Post a Comment