A New City Rises by Yellow River

In September, the banks of the Yellow River are lush with greenery. In the Jinan Start-up Area for Replacement of Old Growth Drivers with New Ones, a modern new city is beginning to take shape, brimming with vitality.

Jinan Start-up Area spans both banks of the Yellow River, with a planned area of approximately 798 square kilometers. It is a new demonstration zone for ecological conservation and high-quality development of the Yellow River Basin. It is also positioned as a new engine for the comprehensive pilot area for replacement of old growth drivers with new ones in Shandong, a new platform for high-level openness and cooperation, and a green, intelligent, and livable new urban area. The area plays a significant role in the future development of Jinan.

Jinan Start-up Area takes the real economy as the key driver for fostering new growth. It has established a leading industry that mainly focuses on new-generation information technology, high-end equipment and intelligent manufacturing, new energy and new materials and is supported by the high-end service industry. The area has clearly defined the main direction of industrial development, which includes intelligent vehicles, new energy, new materials, robotics, metaverse, new finance, new e-commerce, new exhibitions, pan aviation, modern seed industry, and leisure agriculture.

Currently, Jinan Start-up Area has attracted 162 high-end and high-quality projects such as BYD new energy vehicles, with a total investment of over 399 billion yuan. Moreover, several major industrial parks, such as Zhongke New Economy Technological Park and the International Sample Area Investment Industrial Park, have been put into operation. Shandong Digital Economy Industrial Park has been selected as a key provincial-level digital economy project, and the Yellow River Basin Ecological Conservation and High-Quality Development Master Fund has been successfully registered. The Zero Carbon Smart Innovation Operation Center Project has been awarded the "Global Human Settlements Award for Planning and Design."

In Jinan Start-up Area, blue-green spaces such as water system wetlands, park green land, farmland, and forest land account for over 70% of the total area. Within 5 years, the energy consumption per 10,000 yuan of GDP has decreased by 20%. The most significant aspect of ecological priority is the integration of the strategic orientation and target requirements of carbon peak and carbon neutrality into the development planning. This has led to a strong promotion of green and low-carbon development, with every project reflecting the green concept and every building being constructed as a green building that is energy-saving and environmentally friendly.

Jinan Start-up Area has established a highland for technological innovation, and has been approved to build Shandong University Science and Technology Park in Jinan. The area is experiencing a growing agglomeration effect of technological innovation. In 2022, the number of effective invention patents increased by 31.2% compared to the previous year, while the number of high-value invention patents increased by 114.3% compared to the previous year in the Jinan Start-up Area.

Source: Information Office of Jinan Municipal People's Government