Zhu Di, a United Nations Young Cultural Ambassador for Chinese Language Day and a prominent German blogger, recently explored Taicang, a county-level city in Suzhou, Jiangsu province, to uncover how it got the reputation "hometown of German enterprises".

Zhu's journey began at Chiron Machine Tool (Taicang), a subsidiary of the renowned German Chiron Group. Established in 2012 with a modest rented facility, Chiron has thrived in Taicang over the past 12 years, with its business scale and factory size having grown threefold. 

Willi Riester, chief technology officer of Chiron's Taicang base, attributed the company's success to the city's strategic location and robust logistics network, as well as the highly industrialized Yangtze River Delta, which offers access to suitable suppliers. He also praised the Taicang government's efficient services and support. The group's second factory, for example, took just four weeks to go from approval to construction.

To address the skilled labor shortage faced by local German enterprises, Taicang adopted Germany's dual-system vocational education model as early as 2001. This system, which combines company and school efforts in talent cultivation, ensures a steady supply of technicians to support enterprise growth.

Zhu Di also visited Rothenburg Waterfront Street, a German-style commercial district in Taicang, where she spoke with Erwin Gerber, owner of the German bakery Brotecke. Gerber noted that Taicang provided him with the same level of support as it does large enterprises, helping his business expand from a single shop to three branches. With a deep sense of belonging, Gerber now considers Taicang his true hometown.

Professor Liu Xinghua, director of the Center for Chinese Economic Studies of the China Institute for Innovation and Development Strategy, remarked that Taicang's comprehensive collaboration with Germany, spanning from economic to cultural exchanges, exemplifies Chinese modernization and showcases an open and evolving China to the world.