Licang, an urban district in East China's Qingdao city, Shangdong province, is aspiring to be a new regional innovation center and a vibrant eco-friendly residential area with a thriving commerce sector.

With a rich heritage of historic sites traced back to 3,000 years ago, Licang is the cradle of Qingdao's modern industrial sectors. To preserve the environment, the district with a population of 660,000 is now transforming its economy, driven by an influx of first-rate research and development projects, as its traditional dominating sectors such as automobiles, steel, petrochemicals and textiles are moving out.

Amazon Web Services will establish the Qingdao-AWS joint innovation center in Licang, the first of its kind in China. The project will create and apply new technologies, including cloud computing, big data and the internet of things.

Meanwhile, the Qingdao International Academicians Port is an incubator community targeting high-end projects including IT, bio-medicine, high-end equipment manufacturing, new energy, materials and design.

Professor Yuan Longping, of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, and director general of the China National Hybrid Rice Research and Development Center, is currently leading a team to develop rice that could be grown in seawater in Licang.

In addition, China Mobile Communications Corp is building an application center for 5G communications technology, while China Post Group Corp is developing a cross-border e-commerce industrial park.

Licang's geographic and transportation advantages in particular attract many high-tech projects.

Connected by the Jiaozhou Bay Bridge, the world's longest cross-sea bridge, the district is becoming a powerful transportation hub. It is home to the Qingdao North Railway Station, which is expected to see annual passenger fl ow of 20 million by 2020.

As Qingdao gains momentum in urbanizing its new development zones to the north and west of Jiaozhou Bay, Licang is seizing the opportunity to become a central hub, absorbing the development energy.

With convenient shopping facilities and reasonable property prices, Licang is becoming a primary choice for migrant workers, investors and local citizens who are seeking a better house.

To provide residents a superior natural environment, the district has launched a number of environmental restoration projects among its 12 hills, eight rivers and 9.6-kilometer coastline.

In 2014, the district hosted the Qingdao International Horticulture Expo. Leveraging its legacy, Licang has built a massive ecofriendly residential area around the expo, with more than a dozen residential compounds, satellite parks, schools, fitness centers, retirement homes, a kindergarten, clinics and hospitals.

The author is deputy director of Licang district, Qingdao.