On October 18, the Henan Provincial Publicity Department held a press conference to discuss the innovative development and transformation of Jiaozuo, a coal city in central China. Known for its long history of coal mining, Jiaozuo is one of China’s first resource-exhausted cities, but it is now embracing a transformation through innovation, aiming to become an ecological and livable model city.
During the conference, Jiaozuo’s Party Secretary, Li Yibo, highlighted the city’s commitment to innovation-led growth. In 2023, the city’s overall R&D investment intensity reached 2.82%, with a staggering 53.2% increase in R&D expenditures among large-scale industrial enterprises, ranking first in the province. The city is focusing on enhancing the technological innovation levels within three trillion-yuan industrial clusters: new materials, green food, and high-end equipment, including automotive components.
For instance, the company Dongfang Hexafluoride recently developed lithium hexafluorophosphate, achieving domestic substitution and breaking foreign monopolies. Meanwhile, Jiaozuo Jingrui Optoelectronics has developed cadmium telluride crystals that are instrumental in the Chang’e 6 lunar mission. Currently, the city’s new energy battery material industry has surpassed a scale of 50 billion yuan, and its energy storage manufacturing sector for new energy vehicles has been recognized as a national innovative industrial cluster, making the lithium-ion battery materials sector one of the first strategic emerging industry clusters in the province.
As an old industrial base, Jiaozuo is nurturing and enhancing its industrial capabilities through a chain-cluster approach. High-tech industries now account for 56.5% of the added value of large-scale industries, a significant shift from the traditional coal industry, which has seen its share in industrial output drop from 81.7% to 4.44%.
In the realm of green food, Jiaozuo has made impressive strides in the seasoning sector. Wenxian County, known as the “Capital of Instant Seasonings,” is spearheading two major product systems: “one sweet” featuring trendy tea beverages under the leadership of a local company, Grand International, which focuses on a variety of raw materials including sugar, milk, tea, coffee, fruit, and grains. The county produces 1.3 million tons annually to meet global demand. The “one salty” sector, primarily comprising seasonings, produces 600,000 tons yearly, supplying R&D services to over 3,000 national brands and supporting popular foods like snail noodles, hot and sour noodles, and various rice dishes.
Beyond industry, Jiaozuo has tapped into its rich cultural and tourism resources, such as Tai Chi, the stunning landscape of Yuntai Mountain, and the Yellow River culture. The city has launched a series of cultural tourism products, promoting integrated development with health and wellness, agriculture, and industry. Tourism has become a vibrant aspect of Jiaozuo’s identity.
Li Yibo pointed out, “We have three 5A tourist attractions—Yuntai Mountain, Qingtian River, and Shennong Mountain—along with the intangible cultural heritage of Tai Chi and the ‘Top View of the Yellow River’, Jiayun Pavilion.” During the recent National Day holiday, Jiaozuo welcomed 6.86 million tourists, generating a total revenue of 4.135 billion yuan, marking increases of 13.21% and 12.56% year-on-year, respectively.
Today, green has become the underlying color of Jiaozuo as it strives to transform from a coal city to a greener urban environment. Recognized as a national forest city, Jiaozuo is situated between the two ecological belts of the Taihang Mountains and the Yellow River. It is also the only city through which the middle route of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project passes. The city boasts a forest coverage rate of 35.2% and a green coverage rate of 45.81%, while its GDP energy consumption intensity has decreased by 10.4% over the past three years. By synergistically promoting carbon reduction, pollution control, green expansion, and economic growth, Jiaozuo is actively undertaking ecological restoration efforts, leading to clearer skies, greener landscapes, cleaner waters, and a more livable environment.
