Yuhang, located at the southern end of Hangzhou-Jiaxing-Huzhou Plain and the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, is the central area of the Yangtze River Delta. On this 942-square-kilometer land, it carries the charm of 5,000 years of history, which is fascinating.
Season after season, from the summer cicadas to the falling snow, Yuhang never stops moving forward, creating its own story of glory and dreams. In the first half of 2023, Yuhang achieved a regional GDP of 145.61 billion yuan, an increase of 10.8%, maintaining its number one ranking in the province by total volume. It achieved a total fiscal revenue of 47.54 billion yuan, an increase of 16%, and local fiscal revenue of 24.66 billion yuan, an increase of 15%, both earning it the first rank in the city regarding total volume.
Yuhang, apart from being a top-performing district in economic development, has also been recognized for its comprehensive progress, being the only district in the entire city selected as a national demonstration county for rural revitalization and the construction unit for a national demonstration area of agricultural modernization. For several consecutive years, Yuhang has won numerous awards including the province’s highest honor for scientific and technological innovation, commendations for deepening reforms, and recognitions for rural invigoration. It has continuously ranked first in the city’s comprehensive evaluation among all districts and counties for six years.
At present, Yuhang is firmly implementing the “Double-Eight Strategy”, advancing the construction of the important new center of Hangzhou City, and striving to set sail on a new journey.
Building a new center for the city of innovative vitality
With a focus on becoming a global source of innovation, a talent pool for innovators, and the preferred location for the transformation of technological achievements, Yuhang is vigorously propelling a sustained climb in innovation capabilities.
Zhijiang Lab has been incorporated into the national laboratory system, and Liangzhu Lab, Hupan Lab, and Tianmushan Lab have all made significant strides in producing innovative results. The total R&D investment has increased to 4.51%, with a talent pool of more than 385,000, maintaining Yuhang’s leading position in talent resources in the province for 13 consecutive years.
Adhering to the “dual-engine” drive of the digital economy and advanced manufacturing, Yuhang fully leverages the leading role of digital economy front-runners such as Alibaba, ByteDance, and Hikvision. In the first half of 2023, Yuhang achieved a value-added of 95.22 billion yuan in the core industries of the digital economy, and completed a total online retail sales of 104.38 billion yuan, leading the entire province in terms of total volume.
In terms of enterprise echelon, Yuhang has identified a total of 44 national-level specialized, sophisticated, unique and innovative “small giant” enterprises, with 22 companies being publicized in the fifth batch of national-level specialized and unique small giants. As of August, there are a total of 32 listed companies in the region, among which 13 are listed overseas, and three new enterprises were listed in the first half of the year.
Building a new center for the city of historical and cultural heritage
Yuhang has high-level plans to construct the Liangzhu Cultural Corridor, which along with the West City Innovation Corridor and the Millennium Development Axis, forms a new spatial development pattern of “two corridors and one axis”.
The cultures of the 5,000-year-old Liangzhu, the over 2,000-year-old Canal, the over 1,000-year-old Jingshan, and the millennial old towns converge and blend on the ancient land of Yuhang, leaving behind three world-class cultural heritage sites: the Archaeological Ruins of Liangzhu City, the Grand Canal, and the Jingshan Tea Ceremony.
The profound historical and cultural accumulation has given birth to generations of distinguished scholars and celebrities. Shimmering figures like Shen Kuo, Chen Yuanyun, Hong Sheng, Zhang Taiyan, and others have contributed to Yuhang’s longstanding reputation as a gathering place of culture and scholarship.
Riding the tailwinds of the digital age, Yuhang’s digital culture, new economy, and new industry formats are developing vigorously, attracting numerous leading enterprises and projects in the cultural field. Innovation, entrepreneurship, and diligent effort have become the new driving force of Yuhang’s humanistic spirit in the new era.
In this new era and journey, new cultural classics are continuously emerging. In July last year, the Hangzhou branch of the National Archives of Publications and Culture located in Yuhang was officially opened, continuing the millennium-long cultural vein as a cultural landmark. In June this year, the torch for Hangzhou Asian Games was successfully collected from the Archaeological Ruins of Liangzhu City, marking a splendid Asian Games moment for Yuhang.
Building a new center for the city of ecological civilization
Yuhang, blessed with mountains, rivers, forests, fields, lakes, and grasslands, boasts attractive urban areas, beautiful villages, and stunning, livable landscapes.
Looking around Yuhang, the Dajing Mountain, which reaches to the Tianmu Mountain, serves as an important ecological barrier in the northwest of Hangzhou. The East Tiaoxi River, which “collects the waters of thousands of mountains in Tianmu”, runs through the area. Wetland resources such as the Xixi Wetland, the Hemu Water Town, the Wuchang Water Town, the Nanhu Lake, the Beihu Wetland, and the Sanbai Lake are scattered about.
At present, Yuhang is deeply implementing the “Thousand Villages Demonstration and Ten Thousand Villages Renovation” project, aiming to create beautiful rural environments, prosperous industries, and rich living conditions for the people, thereby vigorously broadening the path of transforming “lucid waters and lush mountains” into invaluable assets.
Building a new center for the city with the best sense of happiness
Transportation is essential in people’s lives. Yuhang is advantageously located with a great transportation network, including the important hub of the “Yangtze River Delta on Rails”—Hangzhouxi Railway Station, as well as dense subway, highway and rapid urban road networks, continuously enhancing the travel experience.
The Beihang Sino-French Aviation University, China Academy of Art (Liangzhu Campus), Yuhang No.1 High School (Hangzhou No.2 Middle School Yuhang School), Zhejiang University First Hospital Liangzhu Branch (Yuhang District First People’s Hospital), and other high-quality education and medical resources, as well as a comprehensive public service system, bring a greater sense of achievement and happiness to all the people in the district.
In addition, Yuhang has introduced four unique Asian Games themed tours like “Tracing to the Sacred Land of Civilization”, along with various Asian Games city experience spots, forging a “10-minute tourist circle” in the Liangzhu Culture Corridor. This not only accentuates the charm of Yuhang as an Asian Games city but also fuels the excitement and passion of the people for the Asian Games.