Wuhan CBD

       Wuhan CBD is located in the Wangjiadun area of the former Hankou Air Force Airport, covering an area of 7.41 square kilometers. It is currently the largest piece of land in the central urban area available for high-level, large-scale development.

       At the initial planning stage of the CBD, the Wuhan government invited top international design firms to participate in the planning and design. The planned construction area of the CBD is about 14.28 million square meters, with a total investment expected to exceed 150 billion yuan. It focuses on finance, insurance, trade, information, and consulting, and is positioned as a modern service industry center in Central China that is "rooted in Central China, serving the whole country, and facing the world".

       The CBD is divided into four functional zones: the business core area, the all-around living city, the comprehensive commercial area, and the residential area. Among them, the 1-square-kilometer business core area is the "brain" of the CBD business kingdom, and the "transport golden cross" axis and the "business golden cross" axis that crisscross the core area are the "pulse" that fills the CBD with vitality.

       In 2004, the CBD was still called Wuhan Wangjiadun Business District. In 2012, it was officially renamed Wuhan Central Business District. The name change means that Wuhan's world height is not only determined by the height of the CBD's buildings; the future CBD will also represent Greater Wuhan as a core platform connecting China and the world economy, and facilitating the flow of information, capital, and talent at home and abroad.

       In 2008, the CBD officially started construction, and the entire construction standard reflects "world standards" everywhere.

       At present, 6 million square meters of projects have been completed or are under construction in the CBD, including 2 super high-rise buildings over 300 meters. At the end of last year, the Wuhan World Trade Center, the largest and tallest in the Asia-Pacific region, officially broke ground. In the future, it will become a "twin tower" landmark together with Wuhan Center.

       In 1990, Wuhan joined the WTCA (World Trade Centers Association) as a city member. The WTCA is known as the "Commercial United Nations", and membership is a "standard" for cities such as Manhattan, New York, Tokyo, and Hong Kong, each of which has a World Trade Center building. However, Wuhan had never built a matching building. The future Wuhan World Trade Center will undoubtedly become the first choice for 1 million global WTCA member companies to settle in.

       The CBD plans to develop 2.6 million square meters of underground space, ranking second in the country. It is divided into a four-story structure, equivalent to moving Hong Kong's Central underground.

       The CBD is comparable to a wealth "engine". The China Merchants Bank Central China Headquarters building in the business core area will top out at the end of this year, the Hubei Postal Savings Headquarters has signed a contract, and multiple bank headquarters have reached intentions to settle in. In June, the Central China Internet Finance Industry Base settled in the CBD, quickly attracting 5 Internet finance companies.

       The CBD's clustering effect is increasingly apparent. Inside the Sinopec Central China Headquarters building, tens of thousands of tons of oil allocation instructions are sent to the Central China region every day. The first urban commercial complex — Fanhai City Plaza — opened and attracted investment, with 2 Fortune Global 500 companies settling in. 6 five-star hotels have signed contracts to settle in, one of which will open this month.

       An assessment report by McKinsey, the world's top management consulting firm, for Wuhan CBD shows that after the area is fully completed, it will provide at least 300,000 jobs for Greater Wuhan and annual tax revenue of 30-50 billion yuan. The future CBD will serve as a new growth pole for the city's core area and become Wuhan's "golden heart" with the strongest ability to allocate capital, resources, manpower, and information.

       Let CBD become the "Dream Factory" of Greater Wuhan

       "To boost the 'trillion-dollar doubling', Jianghan District's main direction is modern service industry." Yesterday, Li Qiang, Secretary of the Jianghan District Party Committee, had just returned from an inspection tour of the Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong Cooperation Zone. This modern service industry cooperation zone, hailed as the future "Manhattan" of China, made Li Qiang excitedly see the brilliant prospects of Wuhan CBD.

       Jianghan District covers 0.39% of Wuhan's land area, accounts for 8.31% of Wuhan's GDP, and 15.75% of Wuhan's service industry added value. Therefore, in Li Qiang's view, vigorously developing the modern service industry is Jianghan District's main direction for boosting the "trillion-dollar doubling", and it is also where its advantages and responsibilities lie.

       In a series of development strategies implemented by the state, Wuhan, as a pioneer area for reform experiments, a demonstration area for independent innovation, a key area for urbanization, and a core city of new growth poles, is the main undertaking place for industrial transfer and has a national competitive advantage in promoting industrial upgrading.

       Li Qiang said that against this backdrop, the municipal party committee and government proposed achieving "trillion-dollar doubling" through the development of new industries, new projects, new spaces, and new functions. This proposition poses new challenges for the land-strapped central urban area. To revive Greater Wuhan, what should Jianghan do? The answer is "go up, go down, transfer, transform, greening, culture, livable, and business-friendly", enhancing urban functions and comprehensive carrying capacity, thereby achieving the development of new industries, new projects, and new functions, and becoming a new growth pole for the city's core area.

       "Jianghan District's modern service industry should 'take the lead, set an example, and make more contributions' in the whole city." Li Qiang, who also serves as director of the Wuhan Central Business District Management Committee, has a strong "complex" about the CBD. In his eyes, the 7.41-square-kilometer CBD will become the "exploration ship" of the modern service industry in Wuhan and even Central China.

       The CBD is located between Wuhan East Lake High-tech Development Zone and Wuhan Economic Development Zone. The two development zones are dominated by modern manufacturing, while the CBD is dominated by modern service industry. The three areas constitute the economic "golden triangle" of Wuhan's future development. Li Qiang proudly introduced that as the CBD's development accelerates, investors flocking to this hot land have given it one resounding name after another: 24-hour financial night port, Central China's "Manhattan"...

       "The CBD is not only about going up and down, but also about building more Central China and even China firsts. The latest project is the 'Wuhan 2049 Cultural Park' located at the east gate of the CBD, which will be built into China's best radio and television studio and become the first shining名片 on Changjiang Avenue." In Li Qiang's office, a CBD planning map hangs on the wall. Pointing at the map, Li Qiang was particularly excited.

       "In my eyes, the CBD is the 'Dream Factory' of Greater Wuhan." Li Qiang said that the CBD construction period will last 5 to 10 years, or even longer. The future CBD will not only carry traditional modern service industry projects such as finance, insurance, commerce, and corporate headquarters, but should also become a booster and catalyst for the structural upgrading of the service targets themselves, and an effective tool and carrier for Wuhan to participate in domestic and international division of labor and reflect the value of a central city.