Xiangzhou District, Zhuhai

Xiangzhou District in Zhuhai brought in 54.4 billion yuan ($8 billion) in GDP in the first half of 2017, up 8.6 percent year-on-year.

The added value of industries above a designated scale topped 20 billion yuan ($3 billion), increasing by 8.3 percent year-on-year, 15.5 percentage points higher than the same period last year.

According to government officials, the good results come after a series of innovative industry upgrades, such as a stepping-up of the intelligent manufacturing sector, and a substantial boost in the real economy.

Manufacturing line at a Xiangzhou sci-tech enterprise [Photo by Zhang Zhou / Zhuhai Daily]

Industry leaders such as Gree Intelligent Manufacturing and Zhuhai Seine Technology received extra help thanks to government's encouraging policies and big incentives for business.

The first half of the year also saw sci-tech enterprises with strong potential come together to form a large number of industrial clusters in areas including smart appliances, intelligent equipment manufacturing, and office automation.

Meanwhile, Xiangzhou is currently undergoing a series of renovations and restructuring of its old industrial areas to make room for these emerging business. Three refurbishment projects have finished so far, with two nearing completion and nine in the process.

Refurbishment of Xiangzhou's old industrial plants is underway. [Photo courtesy southcn.com]

The target set for Nanping Science & Technology Industrial Park, one of the largest in the district, is to maintain an annual growth rate of more than 15 percent in the output value of industries above a designated scale, reaching 200 billion yuan ($30 billion) by 2021.