Staff work at a factory of Lattice Power in Nanchang, East China's Jiangxi province, July 22, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]
NANCHANG: Nearly 100 years ago, an uprising in Nanchang, capital of East China’s Jiangxi province, marked the birth of the first army under the command of the Communist Party of China, earning Nanchang the title “Hero City”.
Secure in its old-time glory, Nanchang is undergoing a new era of rejuvenation, emerging as a hub of innovation and overland trade.
The city’s commitment to opening-up has breathed new life into its population of over 6.5 million, positioning it as a key player in China’s modernisation, while preserving its rich historical and cultural heritage.
Innovation is at the heart of Nanchang’s development strategy.
The LED industry here exemplifies this innovation-driven economic growth, as the local government fully understands that innovation is crucial for unlocking the city’s medium and long-term growth potential.
The high-powered silicon substrate-based LED chips, used for display screens, saw China become the third country after Japan and the United States to secure intellectual property rights for blue LEDs, said Wang Qiong, vice-director of the strategic development department of Lattice Power, which produces the LED chips.
Lattice Power’s LED products boast luminous efficiency on par with the cutting-edge LEDs developed by Japanese and US firms, while having a pricing advantage due to their use of cheaper materials, Wang said.
This technology won first prize in China’s State Technological Invention Award in 2015.
The Nanchang-based company has developed an industrial cluster to produce LED screens.
These illumination solutions are in areas such as aircraft, automobiles and smartphones, and realised an output value growth of about 40% year-on-year in the first half.
Wang said: “Lattice Power invests around 10% of its annual revenue in research and development, pursuing a high-quality development path with research and talent as its core focus.”
At the forefront of Nanchang’s economic opening-up is a major land port for international trade.
This ambitious project, covering an area of 33.82 sq kilometres, has become a crucial link in the Belt and Road Initiative.
The port’s success is evident in its rapid expansion of international trade routes.
To date, it has launched 23 international freight train routes, connecting Nanchang with over 50 countries and regions.
On July 20, a significant milestone was achieved as the inaugural “Nanchang-Tashkent” freight train set off from the port.
The train carried 938 tonnes of goods worth 26.05 million yuan to Central Asia.
This route will not only explore new markets for domestic products, but also significantly reduce transportation costs for foreign trade businesses, said Chen Wei, a business manager at the port.
More developments have been made in Nanchang’s logistics sector.
On July 11, the province’s first sea-rail intermodal train loaded with imported durian from Thailand arrived at the land port.
This breakthrough in the cold chain has opened new possibilities for the import of fresh produce and export of local specialties, further integrating Nanchang into global trade networks, Chen said.
The city’s commitment to modern logistics is also demonstrated by the JD Asia No. 1 project in the port area.
This logistics park, spanning 26.7 ha, with an investment of two billion yuan, serves as eCommerce giant JD.com’s core logistics node. — Xinhua
