Licang looks to new engines for growth

Licang, a thriving district in the coastal city of Qingdao with a long history, plans to generate new growth momentum from modern service sectors, transportation, industrial transformation and environmental development.

Spreading across 9,910 hectares, which is half the size of downtown Qingdao, Licang is home to more than 540,000 residents.

The district's civilization can be traced back 3,000 years and it has been considered the cradle of modern industrial development in Qingdao since the beginning of the 20th century.

With such a strong industrial heritage, the district is upgrading its industries with high technology and Internet connectivity. Finance, business services, modern trade circulation, cultural creative industry, tourism and leisure, electric businesses and logistics are expected to become dominant industries in the district. An increasing number of startups in sectors such as 3-D printing, biomedicine, design, e-commerce and research and development are being fostered.

With the Qingdao North Railway Station and Jiaozhou Bay Bridge located at the tip of the district, Licang boasts excellent transport connectivity.

The Qingdao North Station is designed to process nearly 50,000 passengers a day with 75 passenger services, and transport 15 million passengers each year. Travel time from the city to Shanghai via the station has been cut to four hours from the previous seven and it is a connecting hub to major metropolitan areas in the Yangtze River and Pearl River deltas as well as industrial bases in Northeast China.

By 2020, six of the 10 metro lines in Qingdao will pass through Licang, to take passengers from the district to south Qingdao's dazzling coastline within 10 minutes.

Covering 3,600 hectares, the Qingdao Transport Business District, an area around the Qingdao North Railway Station, is expected to grow rapidly. Shopping centers, high-end hotels, a convention and exhibition center and a history and culture center are due to be built near the train station. A number of head offices of Qingdao enterprises have moved into the area and it is attracting more companies.

With a thriving commerce history dating back to the 1930s, Licun in the hub of Licang District is one of the five major Qingdao business areas. Sprawling across an area of 200 hectares, Licun accommodates more than 30,000 businesses and six mega-shopping malls, with another 16 large retail complexes underway. By building a "one-stop shopping paradise", the district aims to become the largest business area in Shandong.

As host of the 2014 Qingdao Horticulture Expo, Licang plans to leverage the event to develop an eco-friendly environment for citizens, visitors and investors living in the district. It has already moved out all heavy industries to eradicate pollution. In addition, an area covering 19,400 hectares around the expo park will be built into an eco-friendly demonstration area with tree plantations, superior water treatment and parks development thorough 2025.

huqing@chinadaily.com.cn