focus on strengthening sales and business services
as well as high-end industries. During the period
of the 12th Five-Year Plan, an ecological tourism
area, a development zone for emerging industries
and an education and service cluster will be newly
established in the area.
Chaoyang District
Chaoyang district has attracted thousands of
foreign companies and organizations, with 60
percent of Beijing’s foreign companies and 90
percent of foreign organizations registered in
Chaoyang, among them two-thirds of the world’s
top 500 companies. The district also hosts the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and three embassy
areas composed of some 150 embassies.
The Olympic Park in Chaoyang district was the
heart of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. It is
located north of the city and covers 12.15 square
kilometers. To the north lies the Olympic Forest
Park. To the south are 14 stadiums, the Olympic
Village, the Media Center, the International
Radio and TV Center, the National Sports
Museum, the China International Exhibition
Center and the National Olympic Sports Center,
also known as the "Birds Nest." The iconic Water
Cube, where Michael Phelps won his eight
Olympic gold medals, is just next door.
New Xicheng District
In 2010, the former Xicheng District and Xuanwu
District were merged to form the new Xicheng
district of an area of 50.7 square kilometers.
The purpose of the merge was to balance the
development of the cities by optimizing social
resources and reducing administrative costs.
Xicheng district used to cover the Xidan
commercial district and Finance Street
(Jinrongjie). Xuanwu district in the southwest
of central Beijing was known for its cultural
and commercial traditions. Its pillar industries
included construction and real estate, though
the traditional trading and service industries
continued to thrive. The district had also witnessed
considerable growth in media/communications,
cultural tourism and science/technology.
6 | DEZAN SHIRA & ASSOCIATES
Zhongguancun Science and Technology
Zone
Established as China’s first state-level technology
development zone in 1988, the Zhongguancun
Science and Technology Zone is Beijing’s
technology hub encompassing seven zones:
Haidian Park, Fengtai Park, Changping Park,
Electronics City, Yizhuang Park, Desheng Park
and Jianxing Park.
Over 100 national research institutions,
including the Chinese Academy of Science and
Technology Corporation and Lenovo Group
and over 6,000 high-tech companies including
Microsoft, ABB, Cisco and Bosch have presence
in the zone. Dubbed “China’s Silicon Valley,”
it continues to be a leading center for the
software, integrated circuits, computers, network
and communication technology industries.
Zhongguancun is excelling in the fields of new
material, new energy, environmental science,
biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry.
The area houses many renowned universities
including Peking University and Tsinghua
University. Approximately 36 percent of China’s
academicians work in the district.
The long-approved plan by the Beijing Municipal
Government to build the Zhongguancun Science
City is finally coming to shape. The initial phase
of the 11 construction projects planned for the
Zhongguancun Science City to cover an area of
75 square kilometers began in September 2010.
The newly constructed Science City is expected
to develop the area into China’s most influential
global innovation center for technology in
coming years.
Zhongguancun Science City’s focus will be
on five main areas including, networking, life
sciences, aerospace, new materials and new energy.
This area will be developed into a comprehensive
development zone with universities, institutes,
high-tech companies, highly-educated work
forces, social organizations and government all
in one place. By the year 2015, the total revenue
of the Zhongguancun is expected to exceed
RMB1 trillion.