Linfen forges ahead toward modern industrial system

Linfen aims to develop itself into a livable city with a pleasant ecological environment and an investment destination with an attractive business climate. Li Huwei / For China Daily

The Shanxi city of Linfen is developing a "50-kilometer ecological economic belt" along the Fenhe River in hopes of forging a modern industrial system consisting of the eco-friendly and high-tech sectors and offering new growth engines for the local economy.

An important part of the Fenhe River belt is the Quwo Intelligent and Innovative Town, a county-level high-tech zone featuring high-caliber intelligent resources including two members of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, 15 high-tech teams led by academics with PhD degrees and 16 platforms for innovation.

The establishment aims to foster emerging industries and new operational models driven by 5G, internet of things, artificial intelligence and blockchain, according to local officials.

Jinnan Steel and Iron Group is among the local companies to benefit from the high-tech resources in the Quwo Intelligent and Innovative Town.

The company's entire production process, energy management, logistics and safety monitoring are all intelligently managed through the use of 5G technologies, according to Wen Baogui, an executive of the company.

"Everything relating to production is linked to a smart operational center through a 5G network system," Wen said. "This is the brain of our group, which can save operational costs of up to 10 million yuan ($1.54 million) a year while greatly improving efficiency."

The Fenhe River economic belt, which covers a number of counties and cities in Linfen, is also using high and new technologies to upgrade local traditional industries.

The Huozhou Coal and Electricity Group based in Linfen's Huozhou city is the first enterprise in China to develop 5G-plus intelligent mines. Its 5G network has covered 100 km of shafts of its coal mines, with a depth reaching 800 meters underground. That structure has made it compatible with remote intelligent control and enabled automatic monitoring of underground operations.

According to the Linfen statistics bureau, the city's advanced manufacturing and high-tech industries reported increases of 136.5 percent and 136.3 percent during the 13th Five-Year Plan period (2016-20), demonstrating strong growth momentum.

The city of Linfen is also using its high and new tech resources to modernize its agriculture and boost rural revitalization.

Linfen's efforts, including farming modernization, have helped all 10 impoverished counties in the city to announce poverty eradication last year. The average per capita disposable income of Linfen's rural residents reached 13,782 yuan that year.

Linfen's target for the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25) is to develop into a subcenter city of Shanxi and make itself a hub for advanced manufacturing, a demonstration region for cultural tourism, a livable city with pleasant ecological environment, an investment destination with attractive business climate and a new hub for opening-up in Shanxi, local officials said.

By Yuan Shenggao

Wang Pei contributed to this story.