On the 27th, Yuhang District of Hangzhou released its economic performance for the first three quarters—GDP reached 293.998 billion yuan, with a growth rate of 6.5%, continuing to lead among all county-level economies in Zhejiang, a major provincial economy. Today's Yuhang came into being in 2021 during Hangzhou's administrative division optimization adjustment, when Linping District was carved out from the former Yuhang District. Since reclaiming the top spot in Zhejiang's county-level economic output in 2023, Yuhang's leading advantage has gradually expanded, making it a key subject for observing the province's county development pace, especially the integration of new industrialization and new urbanization. Looking at the first three quarters, three transformations in the report card of Zhejiang's number one economic district deserve attention.
The first transformation comes from the industrial growth trajectory. Due to the industrial restructuring brought about by the district split, Yuhang's current ratio of primary, secondary, and tertiary industries stands at 1:9.1:89.9. Compared with its massive service sector, industry has long been regarded as a relative weak spot for the region. Pressure on Yuhang's industry in recent years due to domestic and external factors is a fact. In 2023, its above-designated-size industrial value added even posted a negative growth rate of 4%. In the first three quarters of this year, the growth rate of local above-designated-size industrial value added came in at 8.1% year-on-year, setting a quarterly high since the 2021 administrative division adjustment. Among these, digital economy manufacturing, high-tech manufacturing, and equipment manufacturing grew by 16.9%, 11.4%, and 10.0% respectively. In less than three years, going from negative growth to a record high is inseparable from the district's commitment to treating manufacturing as the largest arena for deep integration of new industrialization and new urbanization, and treating new manufacturing as a growth engine. In terms of strategic planning, Yuhang, located in the core area of the Hangzhou West Science and Innovation Corridor, leverages its dense concentration of high-level platforms to successively build innovation ecosystem circles around platforms such as the Zhijiang Laboratory, Liangzhu Laboratory, and Beihang Hangzhou International Campus, moving scientific innovation platforms and industrial hinterlands from simple physical proximity toward deep chemical fusion. Taking the Beihang innovation ecosystem circle as an example, under its drive, just the Menghang Zhigu industrial park in Pingyao Town where the campus is located has already absorbed more than 20 low-altitude economy and intelligent manufacturing achievement transformation projects. In terms of industrial coordination, Yuhang launched the Industry Neighbor Distance service brand—online, it built the Yuxiaozhi intelligent industry chain matchmaking platform, which has attracted 825 enterprises to register and use, helping 18 enterprises in the district reach preliminary cooperation intentions worth over 97 million yuan; offline, it focuses on key industry tracks to hold multiple special matchmaking events, creating a nearby supporting industrial ecosystem.
The second transformation is the shift of the artificial intelligence industry from a new force to a new engine. Currently, Yuhang is fully committed to building itself into the preferred destination for distinctive tracks, and artificial intelligence is one of the tracks it is competing in. In 2024, the district's above-designated-size AI core industry revenue approached 100 billion yuan; in 2025, Yuhang's growth rate in this sector reached 19%. The AI industry has become a new force showcasing local economic vitality. From data for January to August this year, Yuhang's above-designated-size AI core industry revenue growth rate reached 26.5%, ranking first in Hangzhou. This sustained eye-catching performance reflects a role transformation—the AI industry is deeply embedding itself into Yuhang's economic scale coordinates as a stable power source, helping local development continuously reach new magnitudes. To promote the integration of new industrialization and new urbanization, AI is a key variable that must be seized. As of now, Yuhang has formed an advantageous industrial cluster led by platform enterprises such as Alibaba and Douyin, with more than 3,200 national high-tech enterprises as its foundation; a total of 40 large models have been filed and registered, accounting for nearly one-third of Zhejiang's total. Yuhang is also converting this fundamental strength into practical capabilities for manufacturing upgrading, service quality improvement, and urban governance efficiency enhancement. For example, the district has built a tiered cultivation system of municipal AI factories, provincial future factories, and national intelligent factories, having cultivated 215 national, provincial, and municipal intelligent factories; leveraging its industrial ecosystem advantages, it landed China's first robot school to promote robot product maturation and application; and it took the lead nationally in releasing the dual list of urban opportunity scenarios, allowing AI innovation achievements to demonstrate product value in practical applications.
The third transformation is reflected in the updating of export list categories. At the first phase of the recently held 140th Canton Fair, Yuhang technology enterprise Cheng Tian Technology brought brain-computer interface devices and its GoGo and UGO series, as well as a full range of products including handling-assist exoskeletons, securing intended orders worth approximately 7.5 million US dollars. Its products are exported to more than 50 countries and regions and have obtained authoritative certifications from multiple countries. From January to August, the company's exports grew by approximately 149.76% year-on-year. In the first three quarters, Yuhang's goods trade export value grew by 16.3%, and total services trade imports and exports grew by 22.54%. In its export list, mechanical and electrical products, chemicals and pharmaceuticals, and other categories remain stable, while technology goods and digital cultural products are increasingly appearing. Lingban Technology is also a representative that has carved out new development space through overseas expansion. The Leqi AI glasses produced by this smart glasses company rank first globally in sales for the same category and have covered more than 160 countries and regions. In terms of services trade exports, the going-global momentum of local cultural new three items is equally strong. Gaming company Wanxin Buzhi has seen overseas revenue grow eightfold in nearly four years, with products covering more than 100 countries and regions and over 100 million registered overseas players; AI short dramas The Dream of Gold and The Hungry Tower produced by Shuimu Yinghua were shortlisted for the 79th Cannes International Film Festival. Promoting deep integration of technological innovation and industrial innovation, the digital culture sector has become an important practice scenario for Yuhang. The three transformations above differ in field and manifestation, yet their underlying logic is similar: using technological innovation to drive industrial iteration, using industrial innovation to absorb innovation achievements and expand application scenarios, completing the upgrade from scale leadership to quality and efficiency leadership. Beyond the economic report card, Yuhang recently made another move worth noting—proposing to build itself into the preferred destination for innovation ecosystems and fully implementing consultant-style services, making government services more precise, efficient, and professional, and transforming service providers from waiters to fellow travelers and partners. Next, what kind of chain effects this business environment shift from who is more enthusiastic to who better understands industry will produce, and how it will empower each other with the local integration of new industrialization and new urbanization to help the region build long-term competitive advantages, time will give the answer.
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