“At midnight, boites are crowded with lights on. In the distance, music and songs are heard. Weifang compares favorably with Suzhou.” It is Zheng Banqiao’s praise on Ancient Weifang and strong emotions to the hometown everlasting in his heart.
Weifang was prosperous in the memory but now is getting better by development.
In a new era, Weifang undertakes its missions by standing at start point of high quality development and treading on the transition from old to new motivations of growth. It upgrades the “Four Cities” construction under the guidance of transition from old to new motivations of growth and in return provides a broader area for the transition from old to new motivations of growth with the “Four Cities” construction. It ensures to be No. 1 of the province in the transition from old to new motivations of growth with deep planning and high positioning. Last year, it made remarkable achievements in the transition from old to new motivations of growth and the “Four Cities” construction, ranking the 11th in the GDP of prefecture-level cities and the 7th in the general public budget receipts of prefecture-level cities.
By exploring the construction speed of strong industrial city, we can feel the charm of Weifang in Shandong as a famous cultural city, encounter the torrent surge of the energetic city and embrace the beautiful life owing to the city quality. By appreciating Weifang in the process of “Four Cities” construction, we can see the upgrading urban and rural appearance and the improving civil livelihood and benefits bring a brand new chapter of development with strong economy, wealthy residents, beautiful environment and high social civilization degree.
Standing on a high platform for rise, Weifang has stepped into a new stage of high-quality and quick enhancement after commencing the meeting of Comprehensive Development of Major Project of Motivation Transfer and Improvement of “Four Cities” Construction. In the world of striding development, the 1st Development Meeting of Weifang brings guests and friends all around to reminisce about hometown, plan for new development and create better future. We have much more to expect about Weifang in the future.
Industry as Basis, Speeding up the Transformation and Upgrading of Economy
Industry is a direct cause deciding the rise and decline of a city. Strong industries bring the prosperity of a city.
Through years’ accumulation, our city, in the “Weifang Model” of strong industrial basis and top agriculture in the provincial and national level, is a national key equipment manufacturing industrial base with profound industrial basis of manufacturing. However, as the whole province, the problem of large proportion of industries still exists.
In order to comply with the trend of industrial development and seize the opportunity of industrial transformation and growth driver transition, Weifang has taken the initiative to propose the construction of “1699” Modern Industrial System in China in 2013, to transform and upgrade traditional industries and strengthen the emerging industries. In 2017, the “1347” target mission and strategic point proposed by the 12th Congress of Party Representatives of Weifang aims to make breakthrough in the constitution of modern industrial system, to formulate the striving goal of strong industrial city and to lead the transition from industrial city to strong industrial city.
In the past year, Weifang focused on the construction of strong industrial city to research and formulate the 5-year Planning and 3-year Action Plan and quicken the construction of “10·30·100” Core Project; it is overall ranked in the top of the province by striving to implement the Major Project of Motivation Transfer and planning and initiating 500 key projects including “4 Districts, 4 Bases and 1 Pass”.
In the past year, it made further optimization in industrial structure for 3 times and made the industrial system become more appropriate. Last year, under the situation of safe production inspection, statistic inspection and high pressure in transformation development, it become the 1st National Agricultural Opening-up Cooperation Pilot Zones with increase value of “1699” industry over RMB 400 billion, covering 69% of the GDP, 6 strategic emerging industries increase at the speed of 22.3%, and modern service industry ratio ranking 1st in the province.
Build strong industrial city with “6 industrial incomes” in agriculture leading the development of agriculture. Weifang has taken the initiative to publish the implementation opinion on speeding up the cultivation of “6 new industrial incomes” in agriculture, striving to build “6 new industrial incomes” development model zone in the province even in the country. This year, the Provincial “6 new industrial incomes” Spot Meeting was held in Weifang to summarize and spread experiences and methods of Weifang. By insisting on the opening-up development, Weifang is concentrating on establishing Weifang National Agricultural Open-up Development Comprehensive Test Zone, one of the Old-to-new Transiting Growth Motivations “10+2” Major Projects.
It is building strong industrial city with more solid manufacturing basis and ranking Top 10 in the total amount of prefecture-level cities in China. A large batch of backbone enterprises including Weichai, Chenming, Goertek, Sunvim, Lovol, Himile, Delicious and Zhongbai keep the lead and speed up their growth and a batch of enterprises speed up to become 100-billion enterprises and step into higher goals. The income of Weichai Group exceeds RMB 200 billion, earning it Chinese Brand Gold Award. Lovol Heavy-manufacturing is rated as the 1st national industrial design center in agricultural machinery industry.
With the construction of strong industrial cities as the basic advantage in the new round of industrial ruffle, Weifang has 106 events and engineering projects (the maximum excluding those in Jinan, Qingdao and Yantai) listed in the provincial implementation planning and opinion during the comprehensive conduction of Major Project of Motivation Transfer.
It is the key for the industrial transformation and upgrading of Weifang to comprehensively conduct Major Project of Motivation Transfer. In combination with the transition, Weifang has planned a batch of major projects, major engineering and key platforms related to its long-term development. Following the trend of transition in the whole province, Weifang will speed up the construction of strong industrial city by insisting in the basis of industry and striving to promote industrial transformation.
In connection with the Implementation Opinion and the Implementation Planning of the province and on the basis of “1669” industrial system, Weifang will pointedly develop traditional competitive industries (including modern agriculture, high-end chemical engineering, vehicle manufacturing, modern logistics and cultural tourism) as well as emerging industries (including new generation of information technology, high-end equipment, new energy and new materials, medical care and health and modern financing), strive to build 500-billion industrial clusters of high-end chemical engineering and equipment and 100-billion industrial clusters of vehicle manufacturing, new generation of information technology, medical care and health and cultural tourism by 2020, and promote the transformation and upgrading of 200-billion industrial clusters of textile clothes and food processing and 100-billion industrial cluster of papermaking and packaging on the basis of focusing on10 industries.
By virtue of the driving force of industrial key leading enterprises, Weifang is striving to build international driving city, international intelligent agricultural machinery equipment base, national VR industrial base, national high-end chemical industrial base Weifang integration zone and national medical care combined model province Weifang model zone, taking the explosive growth opportunities of emerging industries including digital economy, AI, Internet of things etc. and achieving advantages in 1-2 areas by selecting breakthrough for special planning and integrated policy, forming new support for transformation and upgrading and new content for motivation transfer.
Insisting in the goal of strong industrial city and making efforts in industrial transformation and motivation transfer bring Weifang great potential.
Cultural as the Soul, Building Cultural Confidence by Telling Weifang Stories
Culture is the soul of a city, directly connected to the charm and opening-up influence of the city. Rich cultural resources and profound depositions make it a proper chance for Weifang to build famous cultural city by telling Weifang stories and building Weifang’s reputation.
The construction of famous cultural city requires us to evacuate and arrange cultural resources properly. Last year, Weifang has made great achievements in the evacuation and arrangement of cultural resources with 480 special cultural resources and cultural materials of 200-thousand words, ensuring it listed in the primary “9 famous cities”.
As cultural brand is the key to build “famous cultural city”, Weifang will bring forth the new through the old in the urban cultural subject brand “Cultural Hot Land, Brilliant Weifang”, proposed in the Famous Cultural City Five-year Plan, and create a new world.
On the one hand, Weifang will upgrade the old brands including World Kite Capital, China Painting Capital and Capital of Epigaphy etc. and continue to hold high-grade and high-quality cultural festivals including Kite Festival, Chinese Painting Festival, Chen Jieqi Artistic Festival and Qingzhou Painting · Yearly Chinese Calligraphy and Painting Festival etc.
On the other hand, Weifang is establishing new brands including National Renowned Historical and Cultural City, UN Handicraft and Folk Art Capital and Chinese Hometown of Folk Arts, etc.
At present, it has achieved the titles of “Capital of Epigaphy” and “Chinese Hometown of Folk Arts” last year and formally submitted the establishment application letter to and gained the support of the National Committee of UNESCO in the name of Weifang Government for the establishment of “UN Handicraft and Folk Art Capital”. Building a national Renowned Historical and Cultural City has been included in the key strategic goal of Weifang during the “13th Five-year Plan” and promoted with a quickening speed as it is the key “breakthrough” to maintain historical, local and cultural characters and correctly reflects the space-time continuance between development process and historical culture of Weifang.
Weifang makes innovation in the inheriting and developing system of traditional cultures, implements school intangible cultural heritage and Weifang embroidery training project of “9,000 embrodiers”, organizes and holds free skill trainings of intangible cultural heritage including Weifang Walnut Sculpturing Class and Folk Handmade New Year Painting Training Class etc. to make traditional cultures yield unusually brilliant results. Weifang successfully activates the internal driving force of cultural development to make traditional cultures integrate with modern life, modern cultural innovation industry and public cultural service system. Nowadays, it is common to see brilliant activities including traditional folk festival celebration, cultural heritage day and intangible cultural heritage month etc. and community traditional culture show and presentation in the civilian cultural lives.
Cultural industry is a new market and new driving force of development. As cultural & creative industry has been listed in the Top 10 industries pointedly cultivated in Shandong, Weifang completed the Implementation Plan of Supply-side Structural Reform in Weifang’s Cultural Area last year, 3 enterprises including Goertek, 2 projects including Huaan · Innovative Cultural Tourism Industrial Park, and 5 parks including Zhongchen International Artistic Town rated in the 5th provincial key cultural enterprises, cultural industrial projects and cultural parks.
By virtue of the carrier of cultural & creative industry, the cultural energy has been released for several times as before. At present, thousands of artists participated in the projects of Weifang Kite, New Year painting and paper cutting etc., which are commonly seen in the public. According to the incomplete statistics, Weifang has 1847 traditional handicraft enterprises and family workshops with an annual output value of over RMB 25 billion.
Weifang is striving to develop cultural tourism industry by building Hanting Yangjiabu Folk Customs Park, Weicheng Cultural Block of Shihu Garden and Qingzhou Intangible Cultural Product Exhibition Area and other cultural parks integrating cultural exhibition, tourism, experience and product sales, which has become important carriers to popularize Weifang’s cultural tourism products and folk art product sales.
Weifang is stepping on a new stage in the innovative conversion and development of traditional cultures by innovating protecting and inheriting system. Last year, in the China Urban Competitiveness Report No. 14 published by CASS, Weifang ranks the 1st in the urban intangible culture index of the second-tier cities in China.
Liquor quality may be influenced by the length of lane. Quality cultural resources shall be cultivated in an open environment. Weifang takes advantage of multiple methods to conduct overall publication, including organizing activities: “Writing, photographing, showing, painting and singing of Weifang”, arranging the editing, publishing and publicity of General History of Weifang, Artistic History of Weifang and novel Painting Capital, and preparing and issuing the song of Painting Capital MV Chinese Ink.
This year, Weifang focuses on the cultural resources of “9 famous cities”, prepares developing and utilizing plan and quickens the implementation in terms of the thought of project and engineering. It intensively integrates cultural resources of Impressive Old Weixian County, Fangci Town, Yangjiabu Cultural Innovative Dreamy Town and 1532 Cultural Industrial Park etc., upgrades a batch of key projects including Qingzhou Ancient City, Zhucheng Dinosaur, Shandong Liquor Base and Gaomi Dongbei Hometown etc., continuously strengthens the construction of National Weishui Cultural and Ecological Protection Trial Pilot, and quickens the construction of cultural centers to promote the development of cultural industry by publicizing “renowned cultural city”.
Weifang has the sufficient cultural confidence, clear development path and broad development space to build “famous cultural city”.
Energy as Essentials, Accumulating the Magnetic Attraction Force of Innovation and Startup
Energy is the source of urban development driving force and decides the future development prospect of a city. The development gap between each place, especially the North-South gap, exists in economy superficially but in energy at the root.
Building energetic city requires us to comprehend the situation of south, seize the essential of energy and exert the source of energy to provide current for the city development and old-to-new growth driver transition. To build energetic city, Weifang makes efforts in deepening reform, releasing innovation driving force, strengthening startup attraction and releasing opening-up potential, achieving good start after effectively and efficiently promotion.
Deepening reform takes effect. In 2017, Weifang has achieved quantities of characteristic and influential system and institution innovation results. Achievements are made in a large batch of national and provincial pilot reform such as comprehensive reform of modern agriculture and innovative development of vocational education. Administrative approval and review reforms including “1 integrated certificate for multiple certificates”, “door-to-door service” and “1-time handling” are conducted in order. Prior effects are seen in the reforms of “large sector system” and “dual rail system” in Binhai District.
Business environment is comprehensively optimized. Weifang takes the initiative to build soft environment enterprise service platform in the province to smooth the reflection channel of enterprise demands, handling 142 enterprise problems, reaching 100% in the handling rate and satisfaction rate, and adjust 163 power matters of municipal direct departments, increasing over 30% of the administrative approval and review speed. Hi-tech Zone, with “the spirits of racing with entrepreneurs”, promotes the project construction parallel and steadily to strengthen the development energy. Exerting the spirits of perseverance, Comprehensive Bonded Zone has become the 1st “2-area” comprehensive bonded zone in China after successfully establishing the Northern Area together with Municipal Financial Bureau, Customs and Inspection and Quarantine Bureau, etc. on Jul. 1 of last year. Enterprises are able to handle settle-in procedures within 95 minutes in Fangzi District; the duration between project establishment and operation is shortened at a large scale after the implementation of related approval and conditional proper certificate-absent approval in Changle County; the time limit of project approval is pressed to 32 working days after the implementation of “plate” approval of construction engineering project in Zhucheng City, which saves the time cost of 275 working days; Shouguang City simplifies the approval procedures with affairs handled by only one visit accounting for 80% of the approval matters.
Innovation energy. Weifang ranks the 2nd in the quantity of various market subjects in the province, ranks the 2nd, 3rd and 2nd respectively in the quantity of province-level above innovation platforms, quantity of invention and patent authorizations and the quantity of international patent applications, and covers 1/5 of the 1st provincial SME hidden champions. Municipal Industrial Institute and 10 Industrial Innovation Centers are listed for establishment, the hydrogen cell project is listed as a national major innovation special project and 37 universities and institutes including Peking University Modern Agriculture Institute, Beihang Goertek Robot and Intelligent Manufacturing Innovation Technology Institute and Weifang Laser Radar Technique Institute etc. are settled in Weifang. Numerous new highlands of integrated development empty continuous powers for the industrial transformation and upgrading of Weifang and attract more industrial energies and new opportunities for cities.
Start-up attraction has obviously been enhanced. The development history after Reform and Opening-up is a history of start-up in the final. Superior regional conditions, sound human settlement and industrial foundation, low cost of living and start-up, especially opened high-speed rails have turned Weifang into a natural paradise for start-up. Weifang earnestly advances “185” start-up campaign, accelerates the construction of start-up demonstration city, and takes the initiative in the province to pilot “certificate-card integration” of employment certificate, start-up certificate and social insurance card, promoting the brand of “Weifang for start-up and start-up in Weifang”. Last year, social financing and direct financing were higher than those of the whole province by 163.7% and 1,152.2% respectively. Currently, Weifang is sparing no effort to implement a new round of development plan of start-up base, and striving for “three doubles” of area, graduation enterprises and quantity of employment in 3 years.
Talent is the main part of innovation and start-up, and also the first resource of motivation transfer. At present, talent competition in places has reached its climax. Weifang newly issued 20 new talent policies with unprecedented policy strength to win in the talent battle. Around key industries and fields of motivation transfer, Weifang quickens its step to create talent public service platforms including start-up plant and mass start-up space, etc., so as to gather talents in the best start-up environment.
Openness potential is further motivated. Openness is the inexhaustible source of urban vitality. The higher the degree of openness and internalization is, the stronger the urban vitality is. Weifang has developed well since Reform and Opening-up owing to opening to great extent. Last year, Weifang was approved to build the only “national model city of agricultural-commercial interconnection standard” in the country, and became the first batch of national pilot areas of agricultural opening-up and cooperation. Weichai, Goertek, Lovol and Shengrui walk more steadily on the path of going out for international cooperation. This year, Weifang focuses on construction of national integrated pilot area of agricultural opening-up and development, builds a national cross-border e-commerce integrated experimental area, and featured and professional foreign trade integrated service platform to drive 1,000 small and medium-sized foreign trade enterprises to make breakthroughs.
Based on City, Comprehensively Upgrading Function and Quality
City is the carrier of development which stores great new motivations. Different urban qualities carry different industries and talents. With quality city as the goal, Weifang is building a city suitable for living, business, education, commerce and tourism.
Urban quality is determined in major aspects. If any problem occurs in major aspects, other measures cannot make up for it. Seeing the urban development from different angles of citizens, talents, tourists and investors, Weifang examines and controls urban planning and layout in a wider scope with a broader vision, carries out urban planning upgrading action by grasping the major opportunity of editing and revising urban overall planning, and guides quality city construction by upgrading and planning according to second-tier city standards.
Traffic is related to both the urban efficiency and the urban quality. To enhance its regional advantages and traffic advantages, Weifang takes a new step to forge an efficient and smooth comprehensive traffic system by integrating sea, land and air traffic, becoming a national comprehensive traffic hub and one of 100 regional high-speed rail hubs over the country.
In Weifang today, 5 expressways pass through, Weifang Port is a national Class I open port, and Weifang Airport has opened 14 domestic and international routes; in the medium and long-term planning of National Railway Network, 5 high-speed rails converge here. Passage II of Beijing-Shanghai High-speed Rail will build a fast track of “1.5h to Beijing and 2.5h to Shanghai”; airport relocation and urban rail transit construction are advanced in order.
This year, Weifang focuses on ten projects including rail transit, port extension, Jinan-Qingdao High-speed Rail, Passage II of Beijing-Shanghai High-speed Rail and ensures on-time operation of Jinan-Qingdao High-speed Rail. In this year, the Feasibility Study Report of North Section of Passage II of Beijing-Shanghai High-speed Rail has been examined and approved, rail transit has been approved, airport relocation will start, and the southeastern external ring road will start. 18 interchange over Qingdao-Yinchuan Expressway and Qingdao-Jinan Railway will be completed in 2-3 years, fully optimizing urban traffic system.
Urban quality is achieved through construction first of all and shall be equipped with solid infrastructure.
Large area in the south of Weifang Railway Station, from Bailang River to the east, Qingping Road to the west, Weijiao Road to the south and Qingdao-Jinan Railway to the north, covers an area of about 33km2 in total. Over years, underdeveloped due to south-north division of Qingdao-Jinan Railway, the south of the station almost becomes the area with the poorest infrastructure in the core region of the city. After 3 times of relocations all failed over the decade, Weifang window area where Weifang Station is located affects Weifang’s city image.
In the early 2017, CPC Weifang Municipal Committee and Municipal Government resolutely cast their eyes to here, and positioned the old problem as No. 1 Project of the city. Main leaders of the Municipal Party Committee visited and investigated the site. Rivaling their working style, enthusiasm and responsibility in the Weixian Battle, party cadres only spent 25 days completing the land acquisition and relocation of 1.08 million m2. The subsequent development and construction is advanced. In the near future, here will be a new landmark of Weifang.
The area of High-speed Rail Weifang North Station was started simultaneously with the area of Station South Plaza. In 2017, three relocations were completed successively, including 35km area along the high-speed rail, Phase I of plaza core area, and extension of peripheral road, having spared land of nearly 5,000mu. High-speed Rail North Station is constructed simultaneously with Jinan-Qingdao High-speed Rail. A batch of domestic and foreign famous enterprises including Xinchang Group, CRCC come here to negotiate on cooperation. “New Hot-land along Beijing-Shanghai High-speed Rail, New Highland of Shandong Peninsula and New Weifang Urban Space” are accelerated.
Urban quality is seen in details. For construction of quality city, Weifang sturdily promotes fine management. It opens micro circulation, carries out micro governance and creates micro space through fine planning, fine construction and fine management by the standards of first-class city. Weifang endeavors to open all the dead ends and T-junctions in 3 years. Hi-tech Zone of Weifang has planned and built a batch of small greening and pocket parks by using idle plots, street space and surrounding space of public buildings, having received great effects.
To build a smart city model suitable for living and business through fine management, Weifang advances rapidly in exploration of smart city building. On Nov. 16, 2017, the World Smart City Expo with the greatest scale and influence was held in Barcelona, during which Weifang stood out from more than 600 cities over the world and won “Finalist of City Award” with “Smart City 3.0”. Only 5 cities in the world won the award and Weifang is the only winning city in China.
This year, Weifang carried out the construction of “Smart Weifang 3.0” with “city brain” as the core, and is built into a national model city of new-type smart city. With proposal of “Smart Weifang 3.0” concept and settlement of “Huawei-Weifang” Internet of Things Industrial League, a picture of new-type smart city construction is gradually unveiled in Weifang.
To let people have more sense of acquisition, Weifang continues to make efforts in education, elder care, medical care, shantytown transformation, ecological environment improvement and other aspects. Last year, over 300,000 people were benefited through shantytown transformation in Weifang; the city has 277 days “with white cloud and starry sky”; with new energy buses accounting for 56.2%, it has become a national building city of bus city. This year, Weifang earnestly implements a new round of 3-year shantytown transformation and upgrading plan of community management service, and forges a 15-min life service circle with complete functions of education, medical care, elder care and commerce.
Whether the industry is strong, cultures are famous, city is energetic and quality is high is not only a process of vertical promotion, but also a process of horizontal game and mutual competition. Whether it is able to correspond to the pressure and challenge of competition and take the lead in a new round of competition lies on “how to think” and “how to do” after all. Since last year, Weifang launched “Year of Working Style Construction” campaign in the city, activating the potential for work, start-up and endeavor stored in the city, which is the fundamental guarantee promoting transition of new and old growth motivations and accelerating the building of “four cities”. This year, Weifang carries out the working style construction through to the end. By enhancing working style with conversed working style, limitless combat effectiveness will be activated.
New era brings new journey. Today’s Weifang is in the period of strategic opportunity for great accomplishment and golden development period of undertaking and start-up. Weifang expects more talents can share opportunities, jointly seek development, create brilliance and move Weifang advance on the path of high-quality development.
Source: Weifang Release
