The 15th Five-Year Plan outlines a strategy to accelerate the revitalization of old revolutionary base areas, preserving their red heritage while cultivating distinctive industries. These regions are leveraging their comparative advantages, bolstered by policy support, to foster internal growth and deepen cross-city partnerships. Entering these areas, one is met with both the profound red memories of history and a vibrant new era of development. Emerging industries are flourishing, with a single seed growing into a pharmaceutical chain, a piece of aluminum supporting a hundred-billion-dollar sector, and steel cables reaching the global forefront. Diverse forms of red tourism allow visitors to absorb the red spirit through their journeys, drawing strength for progress. Meanwhile, local specialties are becoming prosperous industries through e-commerce livestreaming and brand building.
In Fujian's Mingxi County, a single seed has given rise to a biomedical industry chain. Summer in the county's state-owned forest farm sees lush Southern Yew trees bearing small green fruits. These trees, it turns out, have enabled Mingxi to develop a full biomedical industry. Fujian South Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. Deputy General Manager Lin Chunhua explains that paclitaxel extracted from yew bark is an effective anti-tumor ingredient. Historically, extraction from bark made a single dose cost 8,000 yuan, with a kilogram of raw material worth 3 million yuan. Mingxi mastered artificial yew cultivation and partnered with universities to achieve high-purity paclitaxel extraction. In 2001, the first biomedical company, now Fujian South Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., was established near the yew forest. Over subsequent years, the company led over 4,000 local households in seedling cultivation, selecting the "Southern No. 1" yew variety with higher paclitaxel content. This allowed extraction directly from leaves, boosting raw material utilization to 95% and product purity to 99.9%, drastically reducing costs to 200 yuan per dose.
Facing market pressures for diversification, the company pursued new products and an international path. With new factories and product lines, and 10% of annual revenue invested in R&D, it secured multiple international certifications. Over a decade, Fujian South Pharmaceutical captured 60% of the domestic market for taxane anti-tumor drugs, expanding into other APIs. In 2023, an oral tablet for leukemia was approved, transforming the company from an API manufacturer into a full-chain industry player. This attracted upstream and downstream partners to Mingxi. Chen Haisong, General Manager of Fujian Furui Mingde Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., notes that the county's biomedical industry service team provides efficient assistance, with third-party experts for environmental safety and a dedicated biomedical advisory group, boosting confidence. With a maturing industry chain, Mingxi's biomedical sector has achieved scale. From January to May 2026, the county's biomedical industry tax revenue reached 228 million yuan, a 29.18% year-on-year increase.
In Baise, Guangxi, abundant bauxite reserves once led to a reliance on primary processing, with deep-processed products only accounting for about 30% of output. "We used to compete on low-end products, engaging in price wars with homogeneous goods and thin margins," recalls Wu Jianghua, General Manager of Guangxi Aotai Aluminum Co., Ltd. Despite rich resources, the industry was "large but weak." To escape this low-end trap, local companies took diverse approaches. Aotai Aluminum launched a 300,000-ton high-performance aluminum plate and strip project, transitioning to advanced aluminum-based materials. In five years, monthly output exceeded 7,000 tons, with an output value of 800 million yuan. Shanghai Rongrong New Material Technology (Guangxi) Co., Ltd. specialized in new materials, becoming a producer of continuous alumina fiber. Their alumina fiber needled felt, made from hair-like alumina short fibers, can withstand 1,400 degrees Celsius on one side while remaining touchable on the other.
In 2019, five leading aluminum companies in Baise jointly established the Baise Aluminum Industry Association. This "collective development" broke down information barriers between upstream and downstream players, fostering mutual exchange. Today, Baise's aluminum industry chain is fully integrated, mass-producing products like aluminum wheels, power battery foil, photovoltaic components, high-end alumina fiber products, and high-performance aluminum plates. The complete chain spans bauxite mining, alumina smelting, electrolytic aluminum production, deep processing, recycling, and comprehensive resource recovery, maximizing the value of every piece of aluminum. To support diversified development, the local government continuously strengthens the chain. Kang Youjun, Director of the Innovation Center at Shanghai Rongrong New Material Technology, notes that preferential electricity pricing policies for processing save significant funds for R&D and capacity expansion. Consequently, the company's production lines have increased to 16. In 2025, Baise's aluminum industry output reached 157.4 billion yuan, a 4.4% year-on-year increase, accounting for over 70% of the region's total and 64% of the city's industrial output. A Baise official stated plans to develop new ecological aluminum and advance the Guangxi Pan-Aluminum Advanced Manufacturing Base, aiming for a 200-billion-yuan output by 2028.
In Zunyi, Guizhou, a steel cable has moved up the value chain. The "Erhang Changqing" pile-driving vessel, used in the Hangzhou Bay Cross-Sea Railway Bridge project, has a 50-story crane capable of driving 700-ton piles. Few know the vessel's critical steel cables—for main hoisting, hammer, and positioning—were produced in the mountainous Guizhou region. "We build the 'iron arms' that can bear a thousand tons," says Chen Cai, director of the digital technology R&D center at Guizhou Steel Cable. In the company's production workshops, lines produce various cables, from hair-thin wires to super-large diameter cables over 260mm, used in major bridges like the Shenzhen-Zhongshan Link and Nansha Bridge. The question arises: why produce deep-sea steel in the mountains? The answer lies in technology. Harsh deep-sea conditions demand exceptional strength, corrosion resistance, and stability in lifting components. Guizhou Steel Cable succeeded through breakthroughs in 2000-megapascal ultra-high-strength wires, zinc-aluminum-rare earth multi-element anti-corrosion coatings, sealed cables, and fiber optic intelligent strands. Chen Cai recalls that early on, key production technologies for specialty cables were not in their hands, limiting their capabilities. The turning point came with relocation and technical upgrades. A new 730,000-square-meter modern production base with a 550,000-ton capacity eliminated outdated lines, introduced intelligent equipment, and restructured the process chain, building an integrated modern industry chain from R&D to engineering support. Guizhou Steel Cable broke through technical barriers, mastered high-end specialty cables, and navigated industrial transformation. Today, it leads revisions of two international standards, with products exported to over 40 countries. Its transformation reflects Guizhou's broader "rich minerals, precise development" strategy, pushing industries toward the mid-to-high end of the value chain. Mao Xufeng, an official at the Guizhou Provincial Department of Industry and Information Technology, says future efforts will continue to leverage specific policies, guiding more companies to integrate technological innovation with industrial development. From Mingxi's pharmaceutical industry to Baise's aluminum and Zunyi's steel cables, old revolutionary base areas are progressing toward new, superior, and better development.
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