I. Positioning

1. Eastern center of Shenzhen

In 2016, the CPC Shenzhen Municipal Committee and the Shenzhen Municipal People’s Government proposed to implement the “Eastern Progression Strategy” of building Longgang and Pingshan districts as the eastern center of Shenzhen. In 2018, the development strategies of “Eastern Progression, Western Collaboration, Southern Coordination, Northern Development and Central Superiority” were put forward, and Pingshan became the focal center of “Eastern Progression.”

2. Core zone of the Shenzhen National Hi-tech Zone system

In 2019, the Plan for Expansion of Shenzhen National High-tech Zone unveiled the design of “one zone system, two core zones and multiple parks,” in which the Pingshan High-tech Zone will be established as one of the two core zones. At present, the Pingshan zone, with an area of 51.6 square kilometers, is being planned and constructed according to top international standards, shaping a new innovation landscape in Shenzhen with “Nanshan in the West and Pingshan in the East.”

3. Test zone for future industries

In 2020, the Implementation Scheme for Promoting the Strategy of Regional Coordinated Development in Shenzhen (2020-2022) was released. Pingshan has been officially appointed to build a “test zone for future industries.” Planning for the two industry clusters for intelligent manufacturing and third-generation semi-conductors is already underway. Pingshan has also been selected for 5G pilot services and as a demonstration base for intelligent connected traffic tests.

II. Industries

Pingshan is fostering world-class high-tech industry clusters that are shaped by the three leading industries of new energy vehicles (NEV) and intelligent connected vehicles (ICV), biopharmaceutics, and new-generation information technologies, and is driven by future industries.

1. New energy vehicles and intelligent connected vehicles

Pingshan is home to BYD and Skywell New Energy among other top auto businesses, which specialize in the R&D and manufacturing of the entire industrial chain from batteries, electric motors, electric controls to full vehicles. As for scale and capacity, the district has already become a global leader in this sector. Pingshan aims to build an integrated and coordinated cluster for the NEV (new energy vehicle) and ICV (intelligent connected vehicle) industries.

2. Biopharmaceutics

By the end of 2022, Pingshan had brought together more than 1,000 biomedical enterprises, including Sanofi and Sinopharm, two Fortune 500 companies, as well as Snibe and Edan. The district has created a full-chain industrial ecology comprising medical devices, biopharmaceutics and biotechnology, gaining a competitive edge in the biomedical industry. The Pharma & Biotech Town is under construction.

3. New-generation information technologies

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 design, manufacturing and packaging. Pingshan is developing an industry cluster for new-generation information technologies, focusing on key technologies and core components (integrated circuit and third-generation semiconductor), intelligent terminal manufacturing, and the applications of 5G communications technologies.

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.

III. Industrial spaces

1. Prime location

Pingshan enjoys an excellent location. Situated in northeast Shenzhen, the district covers an area of about 166.3 square kilometers and boasts the greatest potential for land development among all the districts. It is a strategic point located at the junction of east Shenzhen’s central urban area and the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong-Macao Technology Innovation Corridor, as well as the geographic center and distribution center of the Shenzhen-Dongguan-Huizhou city cluster.

2. Efficient transport

Pingshan is setting up a faster and more efficient transportation system. The passenger-dedicated line to the Shenzhen International Airport has opened to the public. The high-speed railway that takes only 40 minutes between Pingshan and central Futian is in full operation. The Shenzhen International Airport-Dayawan Intercity Railway with Pingshan as a station and the Dapeng route of the Shenzhen-Huizhou Intercity Railway are under construction. The Pingshan-Yantian Tunnel is in use, and a trip from Pingshan to Yantian only takes 10 minutes, to Luohu 20 minutes, and to Futian 30 minutes. The cross-boundary eastern expressway leading to the Heung Yuen Wai Control Point in Hong Kong is being built with full speed. 

An integrated transport network is taking shape in Pingshan, leading to major domestic transport hubs including the Guangzhou Railway Station, the Guangzhou South Railway Station and the Shenzhen North Railway Station. The network also incorporates Shenzhen’s ports for international exchanges including Yantian Port, Shekou Port, Huanggang Checkpoint and Shenzhen Bay Checkpoint. The network provides access to significant innovation areas including the Shenzhen High-tech Zone, the Xili Lake International Science and Education City, the Shenzhen International Bio-valley, the Banxuegang High-tech Zone, Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong Modern Service Industry Cooperation Zone and the Shenzhen-Hong Kong Cooperation Zone for Technology and Innovation. Metro Lines 14 and 16 and Skyshuttle Line 1 have been put into operation.

IV. Innovation ecosystem

1. Innovative talents

By the end of 2022, Pingshan has introduced altogether 18 academician teams, two of which are respectively led by Dr. Zhang Dan and Dr. Zheng Quanshui. Additionally, there are six academicians, 885 high-level talents and 1,462 Ph.D.s in Pingshan, six times and 14 times of those respectively before the district was established.

2. Innovative institutions

By the end of 2022, there were 131 innovation institutions in the district, including seven national-level and 69 provincial-level institutions, which include the Institute of Superlubricity Technology of Research Institute of Tsinghua University in Shenzhen, Shenzhen Automotive Research Institute BIT, and the Shenzhen Innovation Center for 3D Printing Manufacturing.

3. Innovative businesses

From 2018-2022, a yearly increase of 113, 125, 60, 141, and 107 new high-tech enterprises had been established respectively, adding up to 803 in total. In 2022, altogether 250 small and medium-sized high-tech companies emerged, adding up to 1,171 in total, demonstrating the burning passion for innovation and entrepreneurship in Pingshan.

V. Innovation incentives

1. Innovation policies

In 2019, the No.1 document from the CPC Pingshan District Committee was issued to prioritize innovative development as a strategic orientation. A full set of policies oriented towards different kinds of talents, platforms and enterprises, including Measures for Accelerating the Development of Technology Innovation in Pingshan District of Shenzhen Municipality along with detailed supporting documents, have been put forward, forming a nine-scheme incentive framework that has taken into account the whole ecological chain of technological innovation, namely “basic research + key technology projects + commercialization of IPs + finance for technology + talents.” 

2. Fintech services

Pingshan District actively participated in the establishment of the first batch of industrial cluster funds for the “20+8” industrial cluster in Shenzhen, promoting the establishment of a 5-billion-yuan biopharmaceutical industry fund in Pingshan. It aims to improve the comprehensive biopharmaceutical industry financial service system and support the development of the biopharmaceutical industry in Pingshan.

The district has carried out intellectual property (IP) securitization and pledge financing projects, issuing three phases of IP securitization products with a cumulative issuance scale of 249 million yuan. Collaborative efforts have been made with HTI, small and medium-sized loan companies, banks, and industrial parks to carry out pledge financing. Over 300 companies are visited annually, and the amount of financing through IP pledges has been increasing year by year, alleviating the financing challenges of technology-oriented enterprises. 

3. Activities on innovation and entrepreneurship

From 2017 to 2022, Pingshan held more than 400 high-quality innovation and entrepreneurship activities that are Shenzhen-focused and internationally oriented, including the Technology Innovation Conference, the China (Shenzhen) Innovation & Entrepreneurship International Competition, the 20th Conference on International Exchange of Professionals and the 24th China Hi-Tech Fair, which helped to open up financing channels, stimulate interest in innovation and entrepreneurship, increase vitality of technological innovation, and draw on innovative resources. 

VI. Education

As of 2022, Pingshan had a total of 55 schools of all levels and 85 kindergartens under its administration. At present, three senior high schools, including No. 14 Senior High School and No. 20 Senior High School, together with the Pingshan Senior High School Park, are under construction. Additionally, the district has been developing top-level innovation-oriented higher education institutions such as Shenzhen Technology University. The Shenzhen Medical Academy of Research and Translation’s Pingshan Biopharmaceutics and Industry Incubation Base has been officially registered. The Shenzhen InnoX and X-Institute’s Pingshan campuses have launched multiple summer courses, leading to the Pingshan-Nanshan school-running collaboration. Pingshan has been pioneering the creation of an educational system of innovation talents with brand-new mechanisms, and improving the integration of the industry, innovation, talents, and education chains. The district has provided a new pathway of talent-driven innovation for the development of the Pingshan National High-tech Zone. 

VII. Culture

Pingshan’s cultural development embraces all kinds of innovations with technological advancements at its core. The multi-functional Pingshan Culture Center consists of a library, an art museum, an exhibition hall, a creative culture hall and a theater. The Shenzhen Museum of Natural Sciences will soon be established in Pingshan. Science education centers have been set up at 25 local enterprises, including BYD and the Innovation Center for 3D Printing Manufacturing. Pingshan is also rich in Hakka cultural heritage, such as the Dawan Ancestral Residence, and multiple red culture bases, including the Residence of General Zeng Sheng and the Dongjiang Guerrilla Column Memorial Hall. Pingshan’s diverse and inclusive culture is flourishing. 

VIII. Public services

1. Quality healthcare

The Shenzhen Samii Medical Center, the Shenzhen Pingle Orthopedics Hospital, the Beijing University of Chinese Medicine (BUCM) Pingshan Hall of Chinese Medicine, and the Southern Medical University (SMU) Hospital of Stomatology in Shenzhen are now in operation. Supported by SMU, Pingshan is running its medical and health group by high standards. In the future, the district will work with BUCM and the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, and accelerate the construction of the BUCM Shenzhen Research Institute and the Pingshan District Central Hospital, further shaping the east Shenzhen medical hub. 

2. Supportive housing

In 2022, through unified and targeted allocation, more than 2,200 housing units were allocated to talents by the government. Adjacent to the Daya Bay 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. 

3. Eco-friendly environment

With over half of its land area under ecological protection, Pingshan has been rated as a National Demonstration Zone for Ecological Conservation. The great appeal of its natural landscape lies in the breathtaking Maluan Mountain Country Park with a vast area of virgin forest and the largest natural waterfalls in the city, as well as the magnificent Pingshan River, one of the five major rivers in Shenzhen that runs through the district. Pingshan’s annual excellent air quality rate remains above 95%, with a PM2.5 concentration of 18.7 micrograms per cubic meter.