Above the rippling blue waves of Dong’an Lake, Chengdu, water birds are playing from time to time… In less than a year, the lake has become a new brand and attraction in Longquanyi. In the first half of 2022, more than 6 million people visited Dong’an Lake Park, where Silver Beach became an Internet famous site.
A library, Hotel Kapok, a theater and an art center gather around the lake. In the distance, one stadium and three gymnasiums and Longquan Mountain add radiance to each other… A new city where nature, people and city coexist harmoniously is vividly portrayed.
In 2019, riding the “east wind” of the World Universiade, Dong’an New City came into being. Nowadays, the city is put into service in an all-round way, aiming at a new urban center, new industrial scenario, and new regional landmark.
The future city is reshaping the urban pattern of Longquanyi. Some people think that it creatively solved the problem of no heart in the city in the past years. This “heart” is not only the geographic center of the new city, but also the central carrier to bridge the two ends (R&D and post service) of the smiling curve in manufacturing. Thanks to the rising new city, the urbanization in Longquanyi has been expedited by 5-10 years, and the industry-city integration has also reached a new height.
Change in pattern: Dong’an New City, the answer for a city with no heart
Around Dong’an Lake Eco-Park, the new landmark in the Park City, the north is Universiade Vitality Bay centering on the stadium, the west is the Innovation, Intelligence, Arts and Culture Port with the theme of auto culture exhibition, and the east is Headquarters Economy Core Area highlighted by the international business center.
Hotel Kapok, Marriott Hotel, Dong’an Pavilion Hotel and other supporting facilities have been put into service. More and more corporate annual meetings and industrial forums have been held. Here has become one of the highlights in Chengdu’s new development pattern of “a mountain connecting two wings”. Boasting enough high-standard supporting facilities for a future city, it will gradually arouse the surrounding areas.
It creates a heart for the city, which not only expands the urban map and encourages the optimization of transportation and even energy structure; but more importantly, bridges R&D and post service at both ends of the smiling curve and facilitates its integration with local industries. This logic is corroborated by the advent of VM’s global R&D headquarters, Dahua Technology and Tencent.
Change in mode: energy level transition driven by ecosystem building and industrial chain strengthening
Looking back over the past decade, Longquanyi has transformed from a hometown of honey peaches to an international auto city, from a large industrial area with few functions to a central urban district with multiple functions. The unremitting industrial evolution drives the transition of the city’s energy level time after time.
Longquanyi is ushering in a new round of evolution. Responding to the comprehensive implementation of Re-creation and New Three Transformations in auto industry, the district has taken new energy and ICV as its main tasks. So far, six auto manufacturers have introduced new energy models. Besides, no effort has been spared in introducing auto giants.
The successful landing of two projects of CALB and EVE Energy in power battery, the “heart” of new energy vehicles, makes Longquanyi take the lead in the layout of new energy industry and become a key power battery manufacturing base in southwest China. As one of the main auto manufacturing areas in Southwest China, Longquanyi owns excellent industrial foundation, which enables the power battery industry to enjoy a handier market.
“We now have 10 auto manufacturers, including Volkswagen and Toyota, and more than 560 parts suppliers, such as Volkswagen’s engines and Bosch’s chassis,” introduced by the person in charge of Longquanyi Automobile Industry Functional Zone Development Service Bureau. An auto ecosystem is initially formed where R&D, inspection and testing, and manufacturing and all the links along the industrial chain coordinates well with each other.
The supporting role of Longquanyi in Chengdu’s strategy of prospering the city with manufacturing is more and more important. Following the logic of “prospering the city with industries and booming industries by the city”, the momentum accumulated during industrial upgrading is bound to further the transition of Longquanyi’s energy level.
Change in management: renewed concept of a future city
From west to east, there are Qinglong Lake Park, the Urban Eco-Circle, Dongfeng Canal Park, and then turning to the south, there are Dong’an Lake Park, World Universiade Park, Yima River Park and the core area of Jinxiu Tianfu. An eco-park system has formed throughout Longquanyi embraced by mountains and waters. Based on this, the district aims to improve itself by building the city, governing mountains and waters and optimizing administration services. With the goal of “Longquanyi, a vigor auto city embraced by mountains and waters” and on the basis of its eco and industrial resources, it is exploring a green development path of new urban industry and building a future city where nature, people and city coexist harmoniously.
The National-level Ecological Industry Demonstration Park, the Sino-French (Chengdu) Eco-Park, Toyota and other near-zero carbon pilot projects are all vivid indicators of a future city. As the only demonstration base for international cooperation in ICVs in China, the Sino-German ICV Center has been completed and put into operation in Longquanyi. Tencent and other Internet giants have also invested heavily in Internet of Vehicles here. The ecosystem’s aggregation effect has gradually become prominent.
The park city and urban industry are integrated and mutually promoted here. Dong’an New City takes the lead in the exploration of future cities. In other words, to expedite the urban industrial evolution by building a park city demonstration area is the answer given by the auto city Longquanyi.
