Shining with emerald parks and dazzling beaches, Tianjin in north China stretches its reach to the aureate coastline. In the water, a robot accelerates its way through shoals of fish to capture underwater footage, while its counterparts on shore are busy cooking and serving food for human customers.

This sci-fi transformation is taking place in Binhai New Area in Tianjin, once a barren alkaline sector. The region has now turned into a pivotal technology hub, offering smart solutions and an eco-friendly lifestyle for its 3 million residents from both China and abroad.

Located at the intersection of the Bohai Bay economic rim and the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei urban agglomeration, Binhai New Area is the first pilot free trade zone in north China, as well as a national innovation demonstration zone. By the end of May, a total of 229,217 enterprises had settled in the area, attracting over 23.9 billion yuan ($3.4 billion) in domestic investment.

"For the development of Binhai New Area, technological innovation and a green lifestyle are the priorities. We aim to build a smart city so that people can share the benefits of technological advancement and enjoy the beauty of nature at the same time," Zheng Yi, General Manager of the Tianjin Binhai-Zhongguancun Science Park's operation service company, told People's Daily Online.

Vanguard smart city

In the park, a typical day has just started. Drone couriers speedily send parcels to designated locations, while children play in the ocean with portable underwater scooters. Robotic hands sort books at a smart library, while several androids answer questions at an information desk.

None of these hi-tech scenarios would have been possible had Binhai New Area not prioritized technological innovation. Due to its favorable talent policies and excellent business environment, the area harbors world-leading tech behemoths including a national supercomputer center, whose exascale supercomputer Tianhe-3 is expected to launch by June 2021, and be the world's fastest of its kind. It is also a hotbed for startups such as Sublue, an emerging tech star that produces a range of underwater robots, vehicles and gliders.

"The new area has a complete and well-rounded industrial ecosystem, aiding hi-tech companies in research and production, as well as making it easy for talent from all over the world to settle down here," said Wang Lufei, Manager of Sublue.

Binhai New Area is turning into a technological cluster in north China. By the end of 2017, more than 464 municipal-level and above research centers, including 111 key laboratories and 241 technological centers belonging to major companies, had been established. The size of its intelligent industry is expected to total 50 billion yuan ($7.22 billion) while also fulfilling its goal of achieving more than 2,000 independent intellectual property rights by 2020.

Efy Technology (Tianjin) Co. Ltd., established in the new area, is now a leading force in the global drone market, providing logistic services for companies all over the world.

"Our company invented a smart drone control system where drones can take off and send parcels without any human participation. Over 100,000 drones can be controlled at the same time by one center, providing services such as disaster relief and business performance," said Xiao Ling, a company staff member.

"There are several science parks like ours where governmental policies and support have enabled them to create core technologies in multiple areas," Zheng said, adding that smart technologies are crucial for the area's future development.

Readers at the library of Binhai New Area of Tianjin on December 27, 2018 (XINHUA)

Eco-lifestyle

Located 10 km from the core district of Binhai New Area, the Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City, once composed of salt pans, deserted beaches and wastewater ponds, now serves as the forerunner of China's model for sustainable development. Jointly built by China and Singapore, the eco-city aims to develop a socially harmonious, environmentally friendly and resource-conserving home for all. Countless green spaces are already scattered throughout the city, with desalinated water equipment and green energy panels offering clean resources for its citizens even though the city is still in its development phase. The buildings have been designed to meet the world's most stringent environmental standards, while a light-rail transit system, supplemented by a secondary network of trams and electric buses, reduces the city's carbon emissions.

"I feel content with my life here. The new area has proven to the world that nature and scientific advancement can coexist harmoniously, and that resource-poor regions can also develop a green path to a better life," said Liu Jinting, a 65-year-old resident.

Since a green lifestyle is a major theme of Binhai New Area's development, local authorities have used many ways to promote public awareness of environmental protection. With its 23,000-square-meter exhibition hall covering a wide range of themes, including marine ecology and environment, science education and interactive programs, China's first national maritime museum was built in the new area and is expected to open to the public in June. In addition, an eco-friendly library, made from clean materials with a capacity for over 1.35 million books, was nominated by Time magazine as one of the greatest places in the world to visit in 2018.

"I think the idea of building an eco-city is marvelous. With the advancement of technology, nature should be better preserved so that we can enjoy both the conveniences created by science and a healthy lifestyle provided by a better environment," said Imran Muhammad, a Pakistani journalist visiting the area.

Northern maritime gateway

Tianjin's port, located in Binhai New Area, is the largest port in north China. Due to its geographical advantage, the area has been making great efforts to enter the global business arena as well as widening access to foreign investment.

According to statistics, from the opening of the pilot free trade zone in the new area in 2015 to the end of 2018, 2,159 foreign-invested companies were established in the area, with contractual foreign capital amounting to $47.55 billion. Of them, 99 percent were established via a document filing mechanism.

The examination and approval procedures in the new area were replaced with a document filing system for overseas investment projects of less than $300 million, which means applicants can finish all their paperwork in a day.

Such policies have brought several advantages to the Chinese public. For example, the fruit imported from Southeast Asia and other parts of the world stored in a cold chain container at Tianjin Port Sunlon Food end up on people's tables in Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei, as well as other northern areas, providing fresher and cheaper produce.

China's neighboring countries, especially Belt and Road participants, have also benefited from the new area's openness. The China-Egypt Suez Economic and Trade Cooperation Zone, located along the Suez Canal Corridor in Egypt, was jointly built by Tianjin TEDA Investment Holding Co. Ltd. and the China-African Development Fund. It began construction in 2008 and has provided jobs to over 3,500 people and created 30,000 job opportunities through its gathered industries.

Over the past decade, the economic and cooperation zone has attracted more than $1 billion in investment with a total output value of about $1.2 billion, according to statistics. Over 1 billion Egyptian pounds ($59.2 million) in taxes have been paid to Egypt.

"A vital new city will soon grow up in the desert on the shores of the Red Sea," Zhang Bingjun, Board Chairman of TEDA, told Xinhua News Agency.

This article was first published on En.people.cn

Copyedited by Rebeca Toledo

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