Xiangzhou District, Zhuhai

A bird's-eye view of Xiangzhou District

Xiangzhou remains the major force behind Zhuhai's economic growth, with its GDP soaring from 120 million yuan ($18 million) in 1984, the year of the district's establishment, to 132 billion yuan last year.

In addition, the district's expenditures on improving livelihoods increased from 2.1 million yuan in 1984 to 5.2 billion yuan in 2018, while the percentage of general public budget expenditures rose from 9 to 51.8 percent, according to statistics.

In Xiangzhou's early days, the primary industry made up the bulk of its economy. The secondary industry surpassed the primary industry for the first time in 1988, and has made up more than 50 percent of the district's economy since 1989. In 2005, the size of the tertiary industry exceeded the secondary industry for the first time, and accounted for more than 50 percent of the economy in the following years. The ratio of the three industries in 2018 was 0.1:41.1:58.8.

Xiangzhou is the source of Zhuhai's industrial strength and continues pushing its development forward.

Gree Electric Appliances, headquartered in Xiangzhou, sets a benchmark for innovation.

Xiangzhou invested 450 million yuan into industrial development in 2018. As a result, the output value of industrial high-tech industries above a designated size increased by 16.4 percent year-on-year. With 94 National High & New-Technology Enterprises (38.3 percent of the city's total) generating innovative ideas, Xiangzhou ranked first in terms of number of HNTEs and patents.

2019 marks the 40th anniversary of the founding of Zhuhai City and the 35th anniversary of the establishment of Xiangzhou. Xiangzhou plans to take full advantage of historic opportunities offered by the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, which is aiming to become a world-class urban agglomeration.

Xiangzhou's Lovers Avenue is an iconic part of the district. [Photos provided by Xiangzhou District]