A new material factory in Xianyou. [Photo by Zhang Li to fjsen.com]

Xianyou county in Putian, East China's Fujian province, with a population of over one million, is known for its strong industrial foundation and convenient transportation links. The county was ranked among the top 100 counties in China for investment competitiveness in 2023.

Traditional industries such as arts and crafts, footwear and textiles, and machinery manufacturing are the mainstays of Xianyou's economic development. Meanwhile, the county is also focusing on strategic emerging industries like new energy, new materials, and the digital economy to foster industrial transformation and upgrade its development methods.

The arts and crafts industry has seen a revival in recent years, with the renowned Xianyou redwood furniture gaining popularity through digital channels such as live streaming, crowdfunding, and auctions. The county is home to over 20,000 arts and crafts enterprises and achieved a total output value of 70 billion yuan ($9.67 billion) in 2023. It aims to further optimize its industrial structure and utilize digital empowerment for global brand-building.

In the footwear and textile industry, Xianyou has encouraged enterprises to invest in research and development, adopt new materials and technologies, and embrace digital transformation to unleash new quality productivity. This industry achieved a total output value of 18.35 billion yuan in 2023, accounting for 29.4 percent of the county's industrial output value.

Xianyou has actively aligned with national industrial policies, focusing on new energy areas such as power batteries, energy storage, and hydrogen energy. The county is fostering new regional development advantages by accelerating the construction of major industrial projects and introducing leading companies in the new materials industry.

In summary, Xianyou is committed to transforming traditional industries and embracing emerging ones, interpreting the dialectical relationship between old and new, and preserving and innovating through its industrial development practices.