Editor’s note:

Shenzhen is composed of nine administrative districts, one new area, and the Shenshan Special Cooperation Zone in Shanwei. While all 11 areas share Shenzhen’s defining spirit of innovation, each has its own unique characteristics. This page reveals the key drivers behind Longhua District's rapid development in 2024. With a focus on emerging sectors like the digital economy and advanced manufacturing, the district located in northern Shenzhen is recognized as a hub of innovation and high-quality development.

Wang Haolan

Holly_cn@163.com

LONGHUA District will celebrate the eighth anniversary of its establishment as an administrative district tomorrow.

Over the past 14 years since its transformation from a township into a new area of Shenzhen in 2011, Longhua has achieved remarkable progress. Its development has been highlighted by its integration into Shenzhen’s core area and its designation as a pilot demonstration area for the digital economy and a regional hub for emerging industries in 2020.

Longhua District aims to double its regional GDP to 600 billion yuan (US$84 billion) by the end of the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025), as revealed during a recent press conference highlighting the district’s dedication to high-quality growth.

The following are the key drivers that had defined Longhua’s development journey in 2024.

Investment promotion

In 2024, Longhua attracted the settlement of 140 investments projects with a total registered capital of over 10 billion yuan.

Focusing on targeted investment attraction and prioritizing Fortune 500 companies, large Central and State-owned enterprises, foreign-invested enterprises, and leading private firms, Longhua has successfully attracted the establishment of regional offices for major players such as Costco Wholesale Corp., Hexagon, Huawei, Meituan, Mindray, Great Wall Securities, CITIC Offshore Helicopter (COHC), China Construction Eighth Engineering Division, State Power Investment Corporation Ltd., HiTHIUM Energy Storage, and Kelai Electronics.

By November 2024, the district’s total industrial investment surged by an impressive 40% year on year, reaching 42.87 billion yuan. Of this, 6.538 billion yuan was allocated to technological upgrades, marking an 11.1% year-on-year increase.

In December, the district inaugurated its first artificial intelligence and robotics industrial park at GS Park in Guanlan Subdistrict and began construction on several key projects, including the Huxi Industrial Park in Guanhu Subdistrict. This industrial park will host global headquarters and research and development bases for Liande Equipment, Shenzhen JPT Opto-Electronics Co. Ltd., and Mindray Animal Medical.

Going global

Longhua has actively participated in major domestic and international events by sending business delegations to CES 2024, Mobile World Congress 2024 (MWC 2024), the Canton Fair, the China International Consumer Products Expo, COP 29, and more.

At MWC 2024 in Barcelona, Spain, fourteen enterprises from Longhua showcased their latest innovative products, including power equipment, global positioning systems, wireless local area networks, and handheld terminals. The delegation achieved impressive results, securing cooperation agreements worth over 290 million yuan, signing orders exceeding 120 million yuan, and acquiring over 1,200 new clients.

The district launched the Industry Outbound Alliance during an exchange conference for outbound enterprises at the Longhua International Cooperation Center (LICC) on Sept. 26. This organization aims to support Longhua-based companies in expanding their global presence and enhancing their influence in international industrial and supply chains. To further this mission, 16 experts specializing in areas such as law, taxation, and intellectual property rights were appointed as Longhua District’s outbound business consultants.

Industrial systems

Longhua District has outlined comprehensive development strategies for its advanced manufacturing and modern service industrial systems, which are viewed as the key driving forces behind its high-quality growth.

According to the district’s strategies, the advanced manufacturing sector will be anchored in the digital economy, supported by new energy and high-end medical equipment manufacturing industries, and driven by innovation in semiconductors and integrated circuits, low-altitude economy, and modern fashion industries.

The modern service sector will adopt a “3+3+2” framework, comprising three leading industries: software and information services, commercial services and creative design; three emerging industries: industrial finance, smart logistics and digital cultural tourism; and two high-potential industries: professional services and high-quality lifestyle services.

As a result of implementing these strategies, Longhua saw the addition of 1,450 national high-tech enterprises, 47 nationally recognized “little giant” companies, one research institution, and 35 innovation platforms in 2024.

Notably, by November of the same year, the district’s software industry output surpassed 12.84 billion yuan, reflecting growth of 9.8% year on year. The total number of low-altitude economy enterprises in the district reached 432, accounting for 15% of the total in the city.

Key areas

To meet its development goals during the 15th Five-Year Plan period, Longhua is expediting the construction and development of its seven key areas, which account for over 60% of the district’s total area.

The key areas, according to a general development guideline published by the district government in 2023, are Longhua Digital Industry Core Zone, Jiulong Hill Digital City, Luhu Central Town, Longhua Super Business Circle, Dalang Fashion Town, Guanlan Cultural Town, and the Meilin Pass area.

These key areas will drive Longhua’s high-quality growth by promoting the integrated development of urban infrastructure, industries, and public well-being. Efforts will focus on building livable and smart urban centers while enhancing education, healthcare, employment opportunities, housing, and social insurance.

Since its establishment, Longhua District has added, renovated, or expanded over 61 public schools, creating more than 110,000 new school seats. Additionally, it had introduced three new municipal hospitals by the end of 2024 — Shenzhen Second People’s Hospital Longhua Hospital, Shenzhen Children’s Hospital Longhua Campus, and Shenzhen Xinhua Hospital — bringing the total number of public hospital beds in the district to 8,000.

New urban centers

According to the national territorial spatial plan for Shenzhen for the 2021-2035 period, approved by the State Council last September, the southern part of Longhua District will be incorporated into Shenzhen’s urban core area, while the northern part will be developed into one of Longhua’s new urban centers.

The southern urban core will encompass the Longhua Central Digital Industry Core Zone, the Meilin Pass area, and the South China Logistics Park. Leveraging its strategic location near the Shenzhen North Railway Station and Meilin Pass, this area aims to become a hub for corporate headquarters and commercial complexes, with a particular focus on the digital economy, technological innovation, office spaces, and leisure and entertainment.

The district’s new northern center will include Luhu Central Town, Guanlan Cultural Town, and Jiulong Hill Digital City. This area features clusters of public facilities and higher education institutions, including the district’s new library, cultural hall, grand theater, and the Shenzhen Institute for Advanced Study of the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China (UESTC). The center is expected to cultivate advanced productive forces, thereby driving the growth of Longhua’s emerging industry clusters.