Superior advantage of locality. Shijiazhuang City lies in the center of north China as a transportation hub with prosperous trade and logistics and is also a major grain producing area and a base for pharmaceutical and textile industries. The city is of economic cost advantage and industrial talent gathering and strongly attracts more population with a larger population density in the main urban area. The city also has a glorious tradition and time-honored history and culture with the simple and honest folkway.

Profound history and culture. The area under Shijiazhuang City has an earlier human civilization and profound cultural heritage. Baifokou cultural relic, to date, is the earliest hominid site in plain region founded within the city, 6000-7000 years approx. before present; Ancient Fuxi site in Xinle attests that Fuxi, Chinese human ancestors, used to live here more than 6000 years ago; Zhongshan Kingdom of the Warring States has its culture be one of important links in the history and culture of Shijiazhuang, also another world remarkable culture after Taixi Shang dynasty site in Gaocheng. There are 6 millennial ancient counties. As a national historical and cultural city, Zhengding County, from the Northern Wei Dynasty to the end of Qing Dynasty (over 1500 years), has always been a seat of local government of different levels and used to be one of “Three Northern Strategic Towns”, together with Beijing and Baoding. Xibaipo is the last CPC command post, from where the Party Central Committee entered Beijing and a new China comes.

Strong attraction in population. As a provincial capital and a famous city in northern China region, Shijiazhuang City attracts many urban and rural population in North China during the past 100 years and grows to be the biggest immigrant city of Hebei Province from a little village with less than 10 thousand population, which benefits from, on the one hand, Beijing population overspill and alleviation during the coordinated development of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, on the other hand, Shijiazhuang’s booming city construction and development.

People-oriented blessed city. Shijiazhuang is selected to be Top 10 The Happiest Cities nationwide for 6 times based on the survey of family life experience, economic situation, consumption and investment expectation, people’s livelihood and subjective well-being. Shijiazhuang government works practically for the people with the financial expenditure on the people’s livelihood be among the top nationwide. For instance, Shijiazhuang introduces policies to relieve poverty in education that arranging the students living in remote mountainous area for free at the boarding schools in urban area newly-built or expanded, providing the convenience for the college graduates employment and the hosted service for the pupils of 218 public primary schools in main urban area; to reinforce the management in urban safety and environmental sanitation that reducing the police arrival scope and time; to assist the small and micro enterprises in loan application and the migrant workers in claiming salary back; to guarantee the housing and medical security; and to advocate the benevolence and mercy.

Strong scientific and technological capability. In Shijiazhuang, there are 84 scientific research institutions of provincial/ministerial levels, 14 of municipal level, 70 universities/colleges, and some research institutions, enterprises and innovation platform such as The 54th Institution and The 13th Institution, China Electronics Technology Group Corporation and Tunghsu Optoelectronic, with strong innovation ability and a competitive industrial cluster led by communication and navigation equipment, new display, integrated circuit and application electronic and software having been initially formed.

Obvious innovative advantage. Further integrated in the coordinated development of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, 4 platforms for Zhongguancun Tianhe Technology Transfer Service, high-tech product promotion and application, smart transformation of traditional industries and Hebei industrial design innovation are established as well as 5 centers like Hebei Military/Civil Technology Transaction Center. In 2017, 194 companies were authenticated as hi-tech enterprises and 2,912 companies as small and medium-sized hi-tech enterprises, with the total number of such types of enterprises coming up to 803 and 9105 respectively. By issuing Talent Green Card, more than 2,900 high-level talents have been introduced to Shijiazhuang, and a highland of talents is emerging.
Lower per capita economic aggregate. Shijiazhuang ranks in the middle of the list of economic aggregate in the provincial capitals of China in 2017, and is on the rise. However, its per capita economic aggregate is lower than that of other twenty-odd provincial capitals. Furthermore, Shijiazhuang accounts for 18% of the entire Hebei Province in economic aggregate, which reflects Shijiazhuang, as a provincial capital city, contributes less to the economic/social development of the entire province. This is not coordinate with Shijiazhuang’s strategic orientation and locality advantage, which shows a great potential for industrial economic development in Shijiazhuang.

Economy

Shijiazhuang has GDP in 2018 of RMB 608.26 billion Yuan with the year-on-year growth rate of 7.4%. The revenue in the general public budget and the total fiscal revenue are RMB 51.97 billion Yuan and RMB 107.55 billion Yuan, increasing by 12.8% and 13.5% respectively. The total investment in fixed assets increases by 6.1% than that of the previous year and the total retail sales of consumer goods by 9.1%. For the primary industry, the value added is RMB 42.05 billion Yuan, increasing by 3.2% than that of the previous year and accounting for 6.9% of GDP; for the secondary industry, the value added RMB 228.55 billion Yuan, increasing by 4.8% and accounting for 37.6%; and for the tertiary industry, the value added RMB 337.67 billion Yuan, increasing by 10.2% and accounting for 55.5%. The per capita GDP is RMB 55,723 Yuan, increasing by 6.6%.

After the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, on the basis of the resource condition and environmental capacity, existing industrial development foundation and advantages, universal law of industrial development and tendency and the practical needs of industrial connection and integration with Beijing and Tianjin and Xiongan New Area, Shijiazhuang works to improve the supply system quality and determines “4+4” modern industrial development strategy and deployment, i.e. making stronger and better 4 industries as next-generation information technology, bio-pharmaceutical health, advanced equipment manufacturing and modern trade and logistics, and making efforts to cultivate and expand 4 industries as tourism, finance, science and technology service and cultural creativity, and energy conservation and environmental protection.

Next-generation information technology industry. In Shijiazhuang, there are some research institutions, enterprises and innovation platform such as The 54th Institution and The 13th Institution, China Electronics Technology Group Corporation and Tunghsu Optoelectronic, with strong innovation ability and a competitive industrial cluster led by communication and navigation equipment, new display, integrated circuit and application electronic and software having been initially formed with the main business income of RMB 43 billion Yuan and the industrial added value reaching up to RMB 10 billion Yuan, accounting for 30% of the same industry in Hebei Province.

Bio-pharmaceutical health industry. Shijiazhuang is firstly selected to be one of the national bioindustry bases and a pilot city for national high-end bio-pharmaceutical regional agglomeration development. 5 enterprises as CSPC, NCPC, Yiling Pharmaceutical, Shineway Pharmaceutical and Shijiazhuang No. 4 Pharmaceutical are listed top 100 in China’s pharmaceutical enterprises, with 4 academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Chinese Academy of Engineering, 2 experts of The Recruitment Program of Global Experts, 2 Nobelist workstations, 15 academician workstations and 151 innovative platforms of city level. The sale proceeds of both class I new drug Butyphthalide by CSPC and Tongxinluo Capsule by Yiling Pharmaceutical reach up to RMB 1 billion Yuan. In 2017, the main business income of the bio-pharmaceutical industry is RMB 75 billion Yuan, with the value added of RMB 15 billion Yuan, accounting for 70% of the same industry in Hebei Province.

Advanced equipment manufacturing industry. In Shijiazhuang, there are some leading enterprises as Shijiazhuang Aircraft Industry (AVIC), Zhongbo Truck and Enric Gas Equipment, 18 engineering labs of city level, and 42 enterprise technical centers of city level, forming several characteristic industrial clusters in general aviation, rail traffic and new energy. In 2017, the main business income is RMB 181.7 billion Yuan, with the value added of RMB 41.5 billion Yuan, accounting for 1/5 of the city’s industry and the economic aggregate ranking the second of the same industry in Hebei Province.

Modern trade and logistics industry. In Shijiazhuang, there are 201,000 commercial sites, 714 commodity transaction markets, well-known commercial trading enterprises and wholesale markets as Beiguo-Renbai Group, Nansantiao and Xinhua Bazaar, and some logistics enterprises of Class 3A as Hebei Logistics Industry Group and Hebei Jitie Group, forming a commercial economic zone along Zhongshan Road, several high-end consumption trading areas centered on Beiguo, Lerthai, Wanda and Huaite, and e-commerce cluster as Gaoxin District and Zhengding Modern Service Industrial Park. Shijiazhuang is the only provincial capital city being oriented as a key commercial port in China and a node of national regional logistics network, with the total retail sales of consumer goods of RMB 329.6 billion Yuan in 2017, accounting for over 20% of the entire province and the value added of logistics industry of RMB 52 billion Yuan, accounting for 1/5 of the entire province.

Tourism industry. Tourism has become one of the most dynamic and the fastest growing key service industries. In Shijiazhuang, there are 36 scenic areas of Class A and 33 demonstration sites for industrial and agricultural tourism. In 2017, Shijiazhuang successfully holds such key exhibitions as Along Beijing-Hong Kong-Macao High-speed Railway “7+31” Tourism Marketing Alliance Meeting, The 18th North China Tourism Fair, China (Hebei) Health Tourism Conference and Shijiazhuang Tourism Fair as well as The 1st Conference of Shijiazhuang Tourism Industry Development, winning initial success of the brand of Shijiazhuang Tourism and entertaining over 90 million person-time tourists from home and abroad with a total income of RMB 96.3 billion Yuan ranking the first of entire province in scale and income.

Finance industry. As a provincial capital, Shijiazhuang has unique advantages in finance and in recent years, gradually forms a local financial organization system with full range and wide coverage. In 2018, the value added in financial industry is RMB 53.34 billion Yuan, accounting for 16.6% of the service industry and further supporting the service industry development.

Science and technology service and cultural creativity industry. In Shijiazhuang, the industrial scale is growing with various categories of service agencies, appearing a superior effect. The numbers of both innovative platforms and cultural enterprises are rank first place in Hebei Province and the average annual growth rate of the value added of cultural industry maintains 15% or so.

Energy conservation and environmental protection industry. In Shijiazhuang, there are more than 180 enterprises with leading ones as Hebei Sailhero Environmental Protection, Hebei Boyu Energy Conservation and Hebei Daqi Photoelectric. In 2017, the main business income is RMB 32 billion Yuan, accounting for 19% of the entire province and the profits and taxes are RMB 4.5 billion Yuan, ranking top 3 in Hebei Province.

In 2018, Shijiazhuang has the completed investment for 1788 “4+4” modern industrial projects account for 58.3% of the investment in fixed assets of the entire city with the investment contribution rate of 65.6%. “4+4” modern industries realize a tax payment growth of 14.6% and the industrial pattern is established basically, becoming a major engine leading Shijiazhuang’s high-quality development.