After New Year's Day, in the startup area of Xiong'an New Area, tower cranes rise and fall, machinery roars, and the sound of steel rebar being struck fills the air as workers press on efficiently despite the cold wind.

At the start of the new year, Xiong'an New Area is growing by leaps and bounds.

Since its establishment more than six years ago, the key projects in Xiong'an New Area have demonstrated both high quality and high speed, with more than 4,000 buildings rising from the ground.

Currently, the main structure of the China Huaneng headquarters building has been topped out and has entered the curtain wall installation phase. Wang Shaomin, Party Secretary and General Manager of the Xiong'an Branch of China Huaneng Group, said that China Huaneng has already pre-positioned 11 second- and third-tier subsidiaries in Xiong'an New Area and has carried out in-depth cooperation with the new area in areas such as comprehensive energy utilization.

The Sinochem Tower, with a designed structural height of 150 meters, is one of the taller buildings in Xiong'an New Area. "Every seven days, this building can 'grow' by one floor," said Zhang Jianlin, chief engineer of the Sinochem Tower project at the Third Company of China Construction Second Engineering Bureau.

This is the construction site of the Sinochem Tower project in the startup area of Xiong'an New Area (drone photo taken on November 23, 2023). Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Mu Yu

On July 18, 2023, Jinshi Industrial Co., Ltd., under China Mineral Resources Group, was registered and established in Xiong'an New Area. After the company's responsible person submitted all required materials, it received its business license and official seal the same day.

As a concentrated carrier for Beijing's non-capital functions, Xiong'an New Area has set up dedicated service lines and service teams for relocation support, providing "one-stop" customized services. "From initial contact with the relevant departments of Xiong'an New Area to the formal registration of the company in the new area, it took only six days, and we didn't take a single detour," said a relevant person in charge of Zhongkuang Jinshi Industrial Co., Ltd., adding that the Xiong'an New Area Government Service Center sent a dedicated team to Beijing to explain Xiong'an New Area policies in detail and meet the company's needs.

This is the Rongdong area of Xiong'an New Area (drone photo taken on November 23, 2023). Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Mu Yu

Data show that central enterprises have cumulatively established more than 200 institutions of various types in Xiong'an, achieving progress in both quality and quantity. In addition to the central enterprise projects currently underway, the Xiong'an campus of Peking University People's Hospital and the Xiong'an campuses of universities such as Beijing Jiaotong University have also begun construction.

In recent days, the first batch of enterprises to move into the Xiong'an New Area Zhongguancun Science Park have begun busy interior decoration and furnishing.

From inspection to signing the park entry agreement, Xinlian Zhongcheng Technology Co., Ltd. and Luoshu Technology Co., Ltd. took only eight days and five days respectively... More and more enterprises are coming to Xiong'an New Area with great enthusiasm to invest and start businesses.

The scene of the construction project kickoff meeting for the Xiong'an campus of Peking University People's Hospital (drone photo taken on November 20, 2023). Photo by Xinhua News Agency

Zhang Kuan, general manager of the Xiong'an New Area Zhongguancun Science Park, said that since the science park was unveiled on August 30, 2023, it has attracted more than 2,300 enterprises to visit. They selected more than 300 enterprises for key follow-up, and 35 enterprises have already moved into the first phase of the science park.

"In Beijing, our office rent is 8 yuan per square meter per day, while in Xiong'an it is 3 yuan, and for the first three years we can also enjoy policy preferences. On rent alone, we can save more than 100,000 yuan a year. After coming to Xiong'an, our office area has expanded from 100 square meters to 400 square meters," said Zhang Junqi of Hebei Xiong'an Atom Echo Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd.

Coffee and book bars, shared roadshow halls, shared meeting rooms... Xiong'an Zhongguancun not only provides enterprises with richly functional shared spaces, but has also established an integrated service center that can provide one-stop services.

Customers enter a coffee shop in Xiong'an New Area (photo taken on November 30, 2023). Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Mu Yu

At the pilot test base of the Science and Technology Innovation Center, 11 enterprises including Yuexiang Xiong'an have signed to move in; in the Internet Industrial Park, projects such as China SatNet and China Telecom are accelerating construction; in the CCCC Future Science and Technology Innovation City, 86 innovative enterprises have signed entry agreements... Focusing on innovation-driven development, Xiong'an New Area is prioritizing industries such as next-generation information technology, biomedicine, and new materials, and advancing the construction of more than 10 industrial innovation platforms similar to Xiong'an Zhongguancun.

The Xiong'an Business Service Center is the new area's first landmark urban complex. Here, several coffee shops have become popular check-in spots. Weighing, grinding, pouring in coffee powder, adding hot water... a series of operations is performed by the "AI Coffee Master" robot, which has a round body and flexible arms.

This is the Xiong'an New Area Business Service Center (drone photo taken on December 1, 2023). Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Mu Yu

Behind the growing number of coffee shops in Xiong'an New Area is the growing number of young people. According to the new area's policies, outstanding fresh graduates from universities who come to Xiong'an to take recruitment exams can stay free of charge at "talent stations"; within five years of employment, they receive living subsidies of 3,000 yuan per month for doctoral students, 2,000 yuan for master's students, and 1,000 yuan for undergraduates.

Within a 10-minute drive of the Rongdong area, five hotels built to five-star or five-star-reference standards have already been put into use one after another, with a total of 2,000 high-standard guest rooms.

On January 5, Xiong'an New Area released several measures to promote a "15-minute convenient living circle," proposing that in 2024 it will give priority to completing basic guaranteed commercial formats within a service radius of 1 kilometer, so that residents can reach vegetable shops, breakfast shops, pharmacies, and other facilities within less than 15 minutes on foot.

Xiong'an is steadily advancing toward a future city that is "wonderful beyond words and longed for by the heart."