Chengdu Eyes China’s Silicon Valley, Not Just “Panda City”

CHENGDU, China, Sept. 27, 2016 /Kyodo JBN/ --

Located in the southwestern hinterland of China, Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province, is pushing to become China’s Silicon Valley, not just a place known for giant panda bears and spicy cuisine. The megalopolis is assisting start-up businesses, developing a huge “state-level new area” ー “Tianfu New Area” ー encompassing industry, high-tech R&D facilities and residential quarters, and forging international cooperation parks for entrepreneurship promotion.

As China’s economic growth slows, hopes are pinned on Chengdu as an engine spearheading regional development that will help it catch up with Shanghai and other advanced coastal areas. In fact, Chengdu’s economic growth is accelerating. Chengdu’s gross domestic product (GDP) grew 7.5% in the first half of this year, and is expected to grow 8% in the second half.

A dozen gleaming office buildings bristle in Chengdu’s “Tianfu New Valley” area, offering ambitious young talent a place to inaugurate new businesses. At a brand-new office on the sixth floor of the No. 10 building, about 20 young men and women work for Tinman Technology Co., engaging in the development of online education apps for children and other digital technology. One of apps developed by the start-up enables a chicken-shaped “smart toy” wirelessly connected to the Internet to act as a communication tool for parents and children through a smartphone, allowing them to exchange voice messages via the “talking” toy while parents are away from home. “We have above 200 original applications concerning early education, reading, puzzle games and so on for children,” said Tinman co-founder Wen Mingjun. “We have already attracted 30 million users, mainly Chinese, who altogether contributed to a download of more than six million apps.”

In October 2014, the State Council officially approved of establishing the Sichuan Tianfu New Area, which marked it as a national-level park. It is said that the Tianfu New Area is building Science City with the initial planning area of 15 square kilometers. It is laid out around the Xinglong Lake, focusing on the development of innovative incubators, big data design and R&D, and high-tech manufacturing and other high-end industries. It strives to forge Chengdu’s high-tech engine in 5-8 years.

Chengdu is also seeking to acquire expertise for industrial development by partnering with four foreign countries, including South Korea with which an “entrepreneur park” is being developed for start-up incubation. “We hope Japanese companies with excellent technology will come to Chengdu,” said an official from the city’s Development and Reform Committee.

In the tourism sector, Chengdu has a number of attractive tourist spots, including the globally famous panda center, officially known as the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, the Wuhou Memorial Temple museum dedicated to Zhuge Liang, a chancellor of the state of Shu during the 220-280 Three Kingdoms period, and the Sichuan opera that features a rapid change in face masks. With direct flight service in operation between Narita and Chengdu airports, the city is a potentially promising destination for Japanese tourists.

Source: Chengdu City