Decade of efforts usher in changes in way of life for local residents
With the drive to follow a new development pattern, Qingdao city in Shandong province, has made notable progress in industrial innovation, ecology and people's well-being over the past decade.
This decade has been a period in which the efforts of transforming new and old driving forces have resulted in high-quality economic development and enhanced economic innovation and competitiveness, said local officials on Sept 27, noting that the GDP of the city has exceeded 1.4 trillion yuan ($195.2 billion).
Qingdao in Shandong province is a city brimming with creativity and dynamism. ZHANG JIANHUA/FOR CHINA DAILY
The general public budget revenue has doubled to 136.8 billion yuan. The real economy saw an impressive rise accompanied by the completion of 24 key industrial chains. The industrial cluster of smart home appliances and railway and transport equipment were also recognized for their national leading standards.
The industrial scale of seven pillar industrial clusters, such as new energy vehicles and food and beverage, has exceeded 100 billion yuan. Major projects from FAW Volkswagen, SiEn (QingDao) Integrated Circuits, BOE Technology Group and other leading enterprises were put into operation.
As part of efforts to implement an innovation-driven development strategy, the city has accelerated the construction of a number of national-level research and development platforms which produced many results such as the first high-speed maglev transportation system with a top speed of 600 kilometers per hour and the deepsea manned submersible Jiaolong.
The number of high-tech enterprises in the city has reached 5,554, accounting for 27 percent in the province.
Through fixed-asset investment, which has seen annual average growth of 13 percent, the city is raising confidence in investment.
The total retail sales of social consumer goods stands at 600 billion yuan.
The number of market players has exceeded 2 million. Qingdao is now home to 76 listed companies and 2.57 million talented people.
With efforts to revamp the urban area, more than 1,500 kilometers of urban roads have been completed, with more than 24 million square meters of old urban communities renovated.
The Zhongshan Road area and other historic urban areas have embraced a new look after a series of face-lift projects.
Qingdao Jiaodong International Airport, the first 4F-level airport in Shandong province opened in 2021. The total mileage of the city's subway system has entered the top 10 list of Chinese cities.
With regard to serving the ecological protection and high-quality development strategy of the Yellow River Basin, the city took the initiative to tap into the development of Jiaodong Economic Circle and strived to build itself into a model pilot area for rural vitalization in Shandong province.
The Qingdao SCODA Pearl International Expo Center. XIU XIANGKE/FOR CHINA DAILY
Executives attend the Qingdao Multinationals Summit this year. CHINA DAILY
The world's first high-speed maglev train, with a top speed of 600 kilometers per hour, is developed by CRRC Qingdao Sifang Co. CHINA DAILY
The Qingdao Jiaodong International Airport is a key transport hub in East China. CHINA DAILY
