A SkyShuttle train runs in Pingshan District. Photo by Yang Shaokun

Introduction

Located in northeastern Shenzhen, Pingshan District lies in the core area of the Shenzhen Metropolitan Circle (which includes Shenzhen, Dongguan, Huizhou, Heyuan and Shanwei). As a rising star in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA), Pingshan serves as an innovative hub within the region, holds strategic significance as a key point in the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong-Macao Technology Innovation Corridor and plays a vital role in the global innovation network.

I. Positioning

Pingshan is positioned as the eastern center of Shenzhen, a core zone of the Shenzhen National Hi-tech Zone system and a test zone for future industries. At present, Pingshan is planning and constructing its High-tech Zone spanning an expansive area of 51.6 square kilometers in alignment with international standards. This dynamic zone aims to attract and concentrate innovative strengths, high-end industries and efficient operational mechanisms, creating an environment conducive to both entrepreneurship and quality living.

Currently, Pingshan is strategically developing infrastructure for future industries, enhancing the availability of future application scenarios, bolstering policy support for future industries, establishing a prudent and inclusive regulatory system, and is constructing a world-class innovative industrial cluster characterized by its focus on “innovative medicine, intelligent vehicles and China-made chips.” It is improving urban facilities and is fast becoming a new urban center full of charm, power, vitality and innovation, leading the development of the surrounding areas. 

Click the image to view Pingshan Data Insights.

II. Industries 

Pingshan has unveiled guidelines for developing its “6+3” industrial clusters: six industrial sectors with international competitiveness (intelligent connected vehicles, semiconductors and integrated circuits, high-end medical devices, biopharmaceuticals, new energy, and intelligent terminals), and three industrial clusters with potential (cell and gene, low-altitude economy and aerospace, and culture, sports and tourism).

Pingshan is fueling the progress of building world-class high-end manufacturing clusters represented by “intelligent vehicles, innovative medicine, and China-made chips.”

1. New energy and intelligent connected vehicle industries 

Pingshan is home to leading automakers such as BYD and Skywell New Energy, which cover the full industry chain from batteries, components, charging systems, electric motors, electric controls, autonomous vehicles, intelligent-driving software and smart sensors. 

The district operates major infrastructure projects including the Shenzhen Intelligent Connected Vehicle Test and Demonstration Platform and is accelerating development of the intelligent connected vehicle industry to help Shenzhen become a global hub in this field.

BYD chairman and president Wang Chuanfu (L) presents BYD’s 14-millionth new energy vehicle to Brazilian President Lula on Oct. 9, 2025. Photo from BYD

An AutoX robotaxi runs in Pingshan. Photo courtesy of AutoX

2. Biopharmaceutical industry 

As a key area in Shenzhen’s “20+8” industrial clusters for biopharmaceuticals — focusing on strategic emerging industries such as biopharmaceuticals, high-end medical devices, and future industries like cell and gene therapies (the “2+1” clusters) — Pingshan hosts the Shenzhen State Biological Industry Base. Over years of development, the district has formed an advanced manufacturing cluster centered on biopharmaceuticals, high-end medical devices (including high-end intelligent rehabilitation equipment), and biotechnology. 

3. New-generation information technology and intelligent manufacturing industry 

Pingshan has attracted a group of well-known enterprises in new-generation information technologies, including SMIC and O-Net Technologies. A complete industry chain has been established consisting of chip design, chip manufacturing, packaging and testing, materials, and manufacturing equipment. Pingshan is developing an industry cluster for new-generation information technologies, focusing on core components (integrated circuits and third-generation semiconductors), intelligent terminal manufacturing, and the applications of 5G communications technologies.

High-rise vertical factories in Pingshan. Photo by Liu Yujie

4. Future industries 

Pingshan seeks to attract and develop enterprises and innovation platforms for future industries covering aerospace, robotics, 3D printing, wearable devices, intelligent equipment, cellular and genetic industries (including biological breeding), and brain science and brain-like intelligence. The district is pioneering the application scenarios of intelligent finance, intelligent healthcare and smart transportation.

5. Shenzhen Pingshan Comprehensive Bonded Zone 

Combined with Pingshan’s three leading industries, the Shenzhen Pingshan Comprehensive Bonded Zone is establishing a biopharmaceutical bonded R&D center, a global testing and repair center for ICT products, and an international distribution center for integrated circuits and electronic components. The bonded zone provides producer services, promotes the integrated development of industries, and provides supporting services. 

Shenzhen Pingshan Comprehensive Bonded Zone 

6. Industrial spaces 

Spanning an area of about 166.3 square kilometers, Pingshan boasts great potential for land development. The Pingshan District Industrial Space Rental and Sale Information Platform website ( http://cykjzs.szpsq.org.cn/  ) currently posts information of State-owned, collective and private industrial parks in the district, and has released listings of industrial space investment, leasing and sales. It provides a “one-stop” service to help enterprises settle down and enables industrial spaces to attract high-quality projects.

III. Innovation ecosystem 

1. Innovative talents

As of July 2024, Pingshan counts 1,148 high-level professionals and 2,145 Ph.D. holders, many of whom earned their doctorates from overseas universities.

2. Innovative institutions 

By the end of 2024, Pingshan hosted 1,035 high-tech enterprises, 1,072 science-and-technology SMEs, and 204 innovation institutions at the national, provincial, and municipal levels. Notable research centers include the Institute of Superlubricity Technology of Research Institute of Tsinghua University in Shenzhen, the Beijing Institute of Technology’s Shenzhen Automotive Research Institute, the Pingshan Translational Medicine Center of Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, and SUSTech Medi-X Pingshan.

IV. Services

1. Government services

Pingshan currently has a district government service center, six subdistrict service centers and 24 community service stations, providing one-stop services to enterprises for business license, seal and invoice application, employees’ insurance registration, and provident fund account opening and registration, thus ensuring the efficient processing of cross-departmental and tax businesses. With optimized processes and data sharing, a number of services can be completed within one working day.

The Pingshan industrial subsidy application website ( https://zqztc.szpsq.org.cn/  ) allows companies to access preferential policies and apply for financial support. The platform encompasses all subsidy polices in Pingshan, with some applications possible with just one click. Electronic signatures and stamps streamline the subsidy application and approval process. Users can seek guidance from a chatbot or use a calculator to easily determine the amount of subsidies that enterprises qualify for by inputting relevant keywords.

A government service station within an industrial park in Pingshan District. 

The “坪山益企行” (Benefiting Enterprises in Pingshan) WeChat miniprogram is a comprehensive service platform for enterprises in Pingshan District. Users can apply for financing and governmental support, rent factories in industrial parks, and learn about various preferential policies and information available on this site.

2. Financial services 

Pingshan has actively participated in the establishment of the first batch of industrial cluster funds for the “20+8” industrial clusters in Shenzhen. Two industrial funds, with 5 billion yuan each in the first phase, have been launched in Pingshan in 2023. One for the new energy vehicle (NEV) industry invests in NEV and intelligent connected vehicle companies, while the other fund for the city’s biopharmaceutical industry invests in the biopharmaceutical, cell and gene, medical equipment and healthcare industries.

Innovation Plaza in central Pingshan.

3. International fairs, activities 

The Yanzi Lake International Convention and Exhibition Center in Pingshan is a complex that integrates exhibitions, conferences, events, catering, culture and leisure. The neighboring Grand Skylight International Hotel Pingshan has restaurants, recreational and sports centers and rooms. 

The center has hosted important events, such as the GBA Vaccine Summit, the International Biotech & Health Industry Expo, the Shenzhen International Biomedical Industry Innovation and Development Conference, the Shenzhen International Biomedical Industry Summit and Shenzhen Biomedical Industry Week, the International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence-China and the China Intelligent Connected Vehicle Yanzi Lake Summit. 

A bird’s-eye view of Yanzi Lake International Convention and Exhibition Center. Photo by Lai Li

Pingshan annually holds high-quality innovation and entrepreneurship activities which are internationally oriented and help to open up financing channels, stimulate interest in innovation and entrepreneurship, increase vitality of technological innovation, and draw on innovative resources.

V. Supporting services 

1. Transport 

Pingshan is developing a faster and more efficient transportation system. From the Pingshan City Terminal and City Waiting Hall, located at Innovation Plaza, passengers can take a shuttle bus to Shenzhen Bao’an International Airport and Shenzhen Airport Ferry Terminal. From the Pingshan Station, passengers can take high-speed trains to travel to major domestic transport hubs including Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Xiamen and the Shenzhen North Railway Station.

A single helicopter trip from the Yanzi Lake International Convention and Exhibition Center to the Shenzhen airport takes only 20 minutes and to central Futian 13 minutes. Shenzhen Metro Line 14 and 16 have also been put into operation. Pingshan SkyShuttle Line 1 meets residents’ needs for more convenient travel by connecting with central Pingshan, major cultural facilities and key industrial zones. The Pingshan-Yantian Passage is in use, and a road trip from Pingshan to Yantian takes only 10 minutes, to Luohu 20 minutes, and to Futian 30 minutes.

A helicopter in Pingshan District. Photo by Xing Jie

In the future, a ride from the Shenzhen airport to Pingshan will take only 40 minutes when the Shenzhen-Daya Bay Intercity Rail is put into use. The Dapeng spur line of the Shenzhen-Huizhou Intercity Railway and the Shenzhen-Shenshan High-speed Railway leading to the Shenshan Special Cooperation Zone are also being built.

2. Quality healthcare 

Pingshan’s medical organizations include the Pingshan People’s Hospital, Pingshan District Central Hospital, Shenzhen Samii Medical Center (The Fourth People’s Hospital of Shenzhen), Shenzhen Pingle Orthopedic Hospital (Shenzhen Pingshan Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital), Shenzhen Pingshan Maternal and Child Health Hospital, and others. 

In recent years, the Shenzhen Stomatology Hospital (Pingshan) of Southern Medical University has become popular with Hong Kong residents for its world-class diagnostic and treatment equipment and high-quality services. The district plans to collaborate with more universities and hospitals to further develop itself as a medical hub in eastern Shenzhen.

Shenzhen Samii Medical Center

3. Supportive housing 

Adjacent to Huizhou City with abundant commercial housing resources and relatively lower prices, Pingshan is one of the biggest public housing providers among the districts of Shenzhen, satisfying the needs of innovative talents. Meanwhile, Pingshan keeps exploring possibilities of large-scale favorable housing projects in collaboration with other districts and regions.

4. Education 

As of the end of 2024, Pingshan has 153 educational institutions covering primary, middle and high schools, kindergartens and vocational schools, one university, and 52 training organizations. In 2024, the district made notable progress in teaching and research, curriculum development, assessment systems, science and moral education, teacher training, research management, and digital transformation.

5. Culture, sports

The multi-functional Pingshan Culture Center consists of a library, an art museum, an exhibition hall, a creative culture hall, a theater and a bookstore. The Shenzhen Natural History Museum will soon be established in Pingshan. The district is also rich in Hakka cultural heritage sites, such as the Dawan Ancestral Residence, and multiple red-culture bases, including the Dongjiang Guerrilla Column Memorial Hall. With the world’s top-notch events and with facilities such as Pingshan Soccer Park, Pingshan International Tennis Center and Pingshan Sports Center, sports in the district are also thriving.

Pingshan Culture Center

6. Natural environment 

With over half of its land area under ecological protection, Pingshan has been rated for years with excellent air quality. The great appeal of its natural landscape lies in the breathtaking Maluan Mountain together with vast areas of forests and the largest natural waterfalls in the city. The Pingshan River runs through the district, and an extensive network of nature trails connects mountains, forests, villages and parks.