An aerial view of the Xiongan New Area Citizen Service Center, the first major project being built in the area. The 800-million-yuan ($126.27 million) project is being undertaken by China Construction Third Engineering Bureau Co Ltd and when complete will be used for events such as exhibitions or large gatherings. (CAO XIAOWEN/FOR CHINA DAILY)
The Xiongan New Area, a new economic zone in Hebei province, some 100 kilometers southwest of Beijing, will mark the first anniversary of its inception on April 1 this year. The new zone is seen as an important area of national significance after the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone and the Shanghai Pudong New Area and a historic project "crucial for the millennium to come". Xiongan New Area is also a historic and strategic choice made by the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee with Xi Jinping as the core. It will help phase out some non-capital functions from Beijing, explore a new model of optimized development in densely-populated areas, restructure the urban layout in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, promote high-quality development and create a new engine for the modernized economy. On Thursday, senior CPC leaders stressed efforts to build Xiongan New Area into a "high-quality modern socialist city." Design of the new area has made significant progress on the basis of thorough investigation, feedback from various parties, and revisions and improvements. Here, we provide our readers with some glimpses of the progress that has been made.
