Beijing Journal: A city that has transformed
Our guest Zhu Shaobin takes you on a special trip to see modern Beijing up-close through his journal
Peking Ensight is honored to have Zhu Shaobin, a journalist of Xinhua News Agency, joining us in this edition to share his journal on the development of Beijing, a city he just returned to after being posted overseas seven years ago.
Mr. Zhu was previously based in Nairobi, Kenya as a correspondent. In October 2024, he went on a field trip to different areas in Beijing. This is his personal observation and does not represent the views of Xinhua.
Contact the reporter at: allenzhushaobin@qq.com
In October, the time of the year with notably the best weather in the Chinese capital Beijing, an opportunity arose for me to join in a media tour to discover the city’s changing landscape, with a question on my mind: How do Beijingers relate to high-quality development, a new strategy and development approach essential to China’s economic future?
Within three days, my peers and I had a lot of "city walks” and discovered many lovely corners along the way, such as the Solana area in Chaoyang District where light shows during the night were just dazzling, and the Bell and Drum Towers in Dongcheng District where we had the opportunity to talk to native Beijingers, visit their renovated homes, and see in person their way of life in typical Beijing hutongs. We also visited several industrial parks, high-tech firms, and government service centers and felt the spirit of innovation and efficiency of administrative work.
As the trip went on, the city impressed me deeply for its dynamism through constant evolution, green development, high-tech innovations, and people-centered services, all feeding into people’s improved life quality and happiness.
Without further ado, I will share the interesting tidbits of the trip in text and photos, hoping to show you what the Chinese capital looks like and share some updated information on the concept of high-quality development in China through the case of Beijing.
OLD CITY, NEW IMAGE
I want to start sharing my trip with this photo showcasing a section of the 2.8 km Chaoyangmen South and North streets in downtown Beijing. The photo well illustrates what you will typically see today in the city — a harmonious blend of well-preserved history and culture with modern life.
Walking through this neighborhood, I saw clean streets adorned with delicately designed miniature gardens, well-refurbished restaurants and convenience stores bustling with life, and residents basking in the sun on a late autumn day.
First established in ancient China's Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), the streets have defied the age by being constantly renewed throughout history to become what it is now. More than 700 years later, the ancient streets remain a vibrant hub while a recent street renewal project has only made them into a more beautiful and livable place.
A guide told us that before the renewal, vehicle traffic lanes took away too much space, and traffic barriers hindered people’s movement. However, with the rise of greener transport modes such as metro lines near the neighborhood as well as the popularity of shared bikes, the streets’ past design featuring fast-paced urban life was out of date.
To meet people’s growing needs for more space for leisure and more greeneries to enjoy, the renewal project was implemented in 2023, which successfully turned a highly stressful and noisy environment of the past into one that’s more tranquil, slow-paced, and livable.
An Zhifeng, a local resident, told me with a healthy glow on her face that after retirement, she had plenty of time to pursue hobbies such as dancing and socializing. She gave credit to the renewal project that made all this happen easily and naturally with the improved environment.
Jiang Xiuping, another resident, was happy about a new multi-level parking facility built in her residential community. "Before the renewal, the hutongs were very narrow and residents parked cars in quite a limited space, and parking is such a hassle. With this newly built multi-level parking facility in our neighborhood, we have more parking lots and it helped strengthen the harmony and unity within our community."
The changes in Chaoyangmen South and North streets epitomize city-wide urban renewal projects conducted across various districts based on local conditions in the Chinese capital. The Beijing municipal government data shows the city has completed the renovation of 565 residential communities from 2021 to 2023, with more such projects being carried out.
The streets’ function-based and people-centered development, along with renewal projects carried out around other cultural spots such as Qianmen and the Bell and Drum Towers, which are part of the Beijing Central Axis, a newly added UNESCO cultural heritage, have raised the interesting topic of history and culture preservation and development, and Beijing could provide a good case for study in this regard.
The city, with its many cultural attractions such as the Great Wall and the Forbidden City, remains one of the most popular tourist spots in the country, having welcomed nearly 22 million tourists during the National Day holiday from Oct. 1 to 7, marking an increase of 18.35 percent year-on-year.
Li Xinyang, an official of the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, told us that Beijing is at the forefront of Chinese cities in terms of urban renewal while paying attention to protection. "In recent years, Beijing has promoted urban renewal by balancing the preservation of historical culture with sustainable development models, while actively encouraging market participation."
GREEN IS GOLD
In China, a well-known saying goes: "Lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets." This concept has over the years been an important guiding principle that emphasizes environmental protection amid economic growth. From what I observed during the trip, Beijing has been taking active measures to materialize the concept.
I can still recall a time when air quality was quite an issue in Beijing more than a decade ago and public concerns about the smog problem often made the news. However, both I and my friends and colleagues based in Beijing deeply feel that smoggy days are indeed a lot fewer in the city in recent years. In the first three quarters of this year, the average density of PM2.5 continued to decrease, down 9.4 percent year on year. The number of days with excellent or good air quality reached 208 in the first three quarters, up 16 days from a year ago, according to the local environmental authorities.
The picture below shows part of the beautified Liangma River in eastern Beijing’s Chaoyang District which we visited during the trip.
Thanks to ecological protection and commercial planning, the river has transformed from the heavily polluted, sediment-filled waterway of decades past, once lined with illegal structures, into a vibrant destination.
As night falls, the Solana commercial hub along the riverbank is bustling with vibrant energy. Visitors could be seen strolling through the area, shopping and gathering around tables for drinks and exotic cuisine, all set against the romantic backdrop of European-style buildings glowing softly in the dark, while gentle music fills the air. Solana is also a hotspot for vloggers and a key part of the thriving night economy along the banks of the Liangma River. The river offers night boat tours, with mesmerizing light shows that captivate visitors.
Zhang Guanbin, deputy head of the Chaoyang district government told us that the integrated development of business, tourism, culture, sports and health is an important part of the high-quality development in Chaoyang District. He said that the Liangma River cultural and economic belt, for instance, has become a bright spot for tourism consumption targeting global visitors in the Chinese capital.
Zhang's remarks underscored Beijing's ambition to enhance its appeal and livability through urban renewal and ecological protection, as part of its commitment to high-quality development.
The high-quality development concept, first raised by China’s top leadership in 2017, has become a buzzword that points to the future path of China’s development. It means a change from merely seeking growth to seeking better growth and seeking quality over quantity. In the Chinese context, high-quality development aims at meeting people's ever-growing desire for a better life. It reflects the new development philosophy featuring innovative, coordinated, green, open and shared development.
In this sense, I think the Liangma River’s transformation and Beijing’s progress in greening up, in general, has been a vivid example of high-quality development.
Beijing’s public transport system also offers another perspective on high-quality development. Local government data shows that the city now has the world’s largest fleet of clean-energy public buses, with nearly 95 percent of its public buses being clean energy. Since the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, the city’s fleet of public buses has grown from 164 to over 23,000. Since the city’s first metro line with a length of 23.6 km was inaugurated in 1969, the number of metro lines today in Beijing has expanded to 27 with a total length of 836 km, providing a reliable and efficient transport mode for commuters.
GROWTH POWERED BY HIGH-TECH
In addition to having a strong culture and tourism industry, the city also aims to become a global hub of science and technological innovation. The city’s GDP reached nearly 4.38 trillion yuan (625 billion U.S. dollars) in 2023, not the highest compared to other Chinese regions, but its GDP per capita ranked first among all Chinese provinces and regions. As our trip revealed, there is quite a huge agglomeration of high-tech companies in Beijing.
For instance, the Dongsheng Industrial Park in the city's Haidian District is a hub where high-tech firms concentrate. During our tour of the park, deputy mayor of Dongsheng Town Ren Yiding told us that after years of development, the town is now home to nearly 4,000 enterprises, including 1,879 technology enterprises, 16 listed enterprises, and 7 unicorn enterprises. He said that the advantages of large-scale industrial agglomeration are significant.
In the park, we also visited some high-tech firms operating here such as the Ninebot company, a provider of electric mobility products such as scooters and electric motorbikes. In the first half of this year, the company realized a net profit growth of 168 percent year on year as its business revenues reached nearly 940 million U.S. dollars, up 52.2 percent.
As an early explorer of computer vision and AI technology applications, Beijing Deep Glint Technology Co., Ltd., also based in the park, has rolled out AI-enabled services that can be used in some sports tests for students.
Company founder Zhao Yong said that its AI-enabled system, for instance, can automatically count students' sit-ups during the test while recognizing unqualified body moves. In May this year, the company's integrated sports training and test system was applied in many test sites for sixth-grade students who were about to enroll at junior high schools. Zhao said the company plans to promote this technology in physical education nationwide.
In southern Beijing’s Daxing District, there is also this kind of entrepreneurship. When we visited the Daxing International Airport Economic Zone, Su Hanqi, general manager of Beijing CRS Medical Device Co., Ltd., a dental implant manufacturer, told us why the company had chosen the location for the company’s operations.
To promote the development of the medical and health industry, the economic zone and Daxing District offer policies that include monetary incentives for R&D, innovation application, mass production and space rentals.
Su, with an overseas education background, said that the one-stop services offered by the zone significantly eased the firm’s efforts in navigating processes and approvals, while a range of supportive policies has fostered an exceptionally conducive entrepreneurial environment. Su said that due to the support, overall operating costs are estimated to decrease by 30 percent.
We also learned that the economic zone where Su's firm operates aims to develop a series of industrial clusters in sectors such as life sciences, health, medical devices, logistics and international aviation. This is in line with the city's broader goal of becoming a global hub for scientific and technological innovation, and the nation’s push for new quality productive forces.
The Beijing municipal government data shows that from January to August this year, investment in high-tech manufacturing and high-tech services grew by 72.7 percent and 19.4 percent year on year.
PEOPLE-CENTERED DEVELOPMENT
In China, applying the people-centered development philosophy is the guiding principle for the government, which pledges that the gains of modernization benefit all the people fairly. During my trip, I gained further knowledge on urban governance in this megacity of 22 million people as we learned of the sophistication and details of its public service system.
At the Fengtai District Government Service Center, I saw hundreds of counters occupied by working staff who were busy providing varied services to individuals and companies.
Launched in April 2021, the center has gathered 23 sub-centers in profession categories, which can offer services on more than 1,500 district-level matters, such as establishing a company, property transactions, marriage registration, medical insurance and social security, passports and driving licenses, among others.
People judge good governance based on the efficiency and timeliness of services rendered and if proper solutions are provided to solve problems. The concentration of these varied services means individuals or companies can settle all their matters at the same place without the need to go to different government venues, which greatly improves efficiency and people's satisfaction levels.
In Beijing, the citizen hotline “12345” has also become the go-to helper for citizens and companies who may have any inquiries or complaints to make. During the trip, we also got a chance to visit the Beijing 12345’s headquarters.
Yang Junyao, an employee with 12345, told us that the hotline service, first set up as the "mayor hotline" in the 1980s with only one telephone and three operators, has now grown into a center with hundreds of service desks and nearly 1,700 operators.
The 12345 service, which offers foreign language services, also relies on Internet portals and other platforms such as WeChat and Weibo in handling inquiries and complaints from the public, with itself becoming a driving force that pushes the modernization of mega-city governance by addressing people's needs.
Data from the local government shows that over the past five years, the 12345 citizen hotline service has picked up 140 million complaints and inquiries from the public, with 96.5 percent of them settled. The public's satisfaction rate on the service reached nearly 97 percent.
At both the government service center of Fengtai District and the 12345 headquarters, we witnessed government services being empowered by big data technologies that can categorize hot-button economic and social issues by type, district, and feature, with all this information being shown on gigantic display screens on a real-time basis. Executives working at these centers told us that all this critical information and data about people’s major concerns and aspirations, in turn, will provide important references to the government’s policymaking and adoption of measures aimed at addressing problems and improving governance.
When looking at the screens, I seemed to understand the city better, knowing well that the ancient capital is also one of the most modern, vibrant and technologically advanced Chinese cities, which provides a window to look at and digest the historical changes brought about by economic and social development in China.
Wow, I must admit that when I first heard about Chinese city’s hotline service for public complaints, I was sceptical about how much difference it would really make. But so many people including this Xinjiang journalist claim that it is making a real difference!😀
I wish my own city (Kuala Lumpur) had such an effective channel for acting on public input. Here in Malaysia, we are always moaning (probably unfairly) about how ineffective and incompetent our local authorities are. 😞