Introduction: Sports events are not merely competitive arenas; they serve as powerful engines driving urban growth. The idea of "hosting a competition is akin to hosting a city" is vividly exemplified in Guangdong, China's largest economic province. This year, the 15th National Games and the Special Olympics will take place in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area. The Southern Finance All-Media Group has launched the series "Yue Dong 21 Cities - Guangdong Sports Character Illustrated," providing an in-depth analysis of the unique sports characteristics of the 21 cities in Guangdong while focusing on how these cities leverage the opportunities presented by the National Games and the Special Olympics to accelerate high-quality economic development.
The name Chaozhou comes from "on the tide island, where the tide flows back and forth." This coastal city in eastern Guangdong boasts a rich history of over 1,700 years and is renowned as "the Hometown of Chinese Go." Go is becoming a vital urban emblem for Chaozhou, with this identity thriving due to the city's innovative development of the "old chess spirit." On one hand, Chaozhou attracts young talent and qualified instructors, with more than 20,000 youths participating in Go training annually; on the other hand, major events, including the National Go Championship, have been successively hosted, allowing Chaozhou's culture to "go global" alongside Go. The strategic thinking inherent in the game of Go reflects Chaozhou's industrial development.
In regards to its traditional industries, defined as "one porcelain, two teas, three foods," Chaozhou revitalizes these sectors through smart manufacturing, gaining robust confidence in its "manufacturing leadership" through external dynamic cooperation. In the realm of emerging industries, Chaozhou boldly advances new materials, renewable energy, and biomedicine as new growth centers. As the tide flows, the game perpetually evolves. From the renewed vitality of Go to the new industrial layout, Chaozhou safeguards its historical roots while embracing industrial rebirth. When the millennium-old city meets contemporary opportunities, Chaozhou exemplifies how a city can respect tradition while confidently navigating its developmental chessboard.
Go Enters Schools: Reviving the Old Chess Spirit Go, one of the oldest and most complex strategic games invented by the Chinese, has a deep-seated connection with Chaozhou's heritage, embodying the local culture of valuing education and displaying resilience in long-term planning. The establishment of a solid Go foundation in Chaozhou can be traced to three pivotal years. In 1986, the Chaozhou Go Association was formed, with its founders pioneering efforts to promote Go culture through training, events, and talent recruitment. In 2000, Chaozhou launched the "Go Seedling Project," expanding the cultural significance of Go, chess, and international chess. In 2014, it was designated as "the Hometown of Go" by the Chinese Go Association, becoming the first city in Guangdong to earn this title.
While Go is a traditional sport, Chaozhou's approach to its development carries modern elements. The city's innovation is first reflected in its talent cultivation system. Zhang Shuchun, a Go coach with the Chaozhou Go Association, indicates that Chaozhou not only has a robust training framework to cultivate local talent but also focuses on retaining outstanding young teachers to inject new energy into the teaching workforce. "Post-00" player Weng Yike is a prime example of this fresh talent. He began playing Go at the age of five and has won nearly 20 championships across various age categories in Chaozhou's youth Go tournaments and the city games. In the 2023 National Go Qualification Tournament, he ranked 22nd, advancing to amateur 7 dan. Currently, Weng Yike serves as a Go coach at Yanling Qiyuan, and he shared with reporters that learning Go in Chaozhou has not only connected him with many like-minded friends but also enhanced his logical thinking and resilience in facing setbacks.
Under this talent cultivation system, over 20,000 youths engage in Go learning each year. In the quest for top rankings at the Provincial Youth Championship, Chaozhou's youth team has consecutively secured the team championship six times and consistently ranks among the top three. They also participate in the National Hometown of Go League, achieving top-three finishes in the finals multiple times. Beyond enhancing talent levels, Chaozhou's innovation lies in integrating Go with urban development. Using Go as an urban emblem, Chaozhou invites outstanding Go talent while also promoting the city's culture externally.
In recent years, Chaozhou has hosted numerous national and provincial large-scale events, including the National Go Championship in 2012, the National Youth Go Championship in 2014, the Chinese City Youth Go Championship in 2017, and the National Primary and Secondary School Go Championship in 2018, along with eight sessions of the Guangdong Provincial Youth Go Championship.
“Our vision extends beyond Chaozhou's local traditional events; we also aim to explore regional cultural and tourism resources, develop distinctive sports brands, and host high-quality sports activities,” said a representative from the Chaozhou Go Association. "The title of 'Hometown of Go' serves as a significant cultural asset for Chaozhou, establishing its reputation while simultaneously enhancing the development of commerce, tourism, and culture as we prepare for the 15th National Games."
Revitalizing Old Industries: Activating New Chess Boards Just as Chaozhou emphasizes a strategic layout in Go, its industrial development follows the same logical approach. Within the firm's strong manufacturing foundation lies the resilience to "maintain the base color while opening a new frontier." The traditional industries of Chaozhou are centered on "one porcelain, two teas, and three foods," with the ceramics industry serving as the backbone and a means to lead the transition of older industries toward innovation.
High energy consumption and low added value primarily restrict the growth of traditional ceramics. In recent years, Chaozhou has aimed for "intelligent enablement" as a development strategy, driving transformation across the ceramics industry chain. The first move in this strategy is rooted in independent innovation. Chaozhou ranks among the largest sanitary ceramics production bases in the country, housing nearly 1,500 registered market players. Despite having a robust traditional ceramics industry, it lacks sufficient levels of intelligence and digitization.
To address this shortcoming, local firms are taking the initiative to innovate. In early 2024, Guangdong Oumeite Technology Co., Ltd. seized the opportunity in the lightweight smart toilet market, collaborating with main suppliers to develop a “hit product” equipped with a compact remote control and real-time temperature display, which surpassed monthly sales of 3,000 units after its launch last year. Besides creating "bestsellers," other companies are enhancing capacity through technological empowerment. Guangdong Feifan Industrial Co., Ltd. invested nearly 200 million yuan in building an integrated intelligent manufacturing and robotics project for toilets, where historically manual tasks categorized by high intensity and risks have now largely transitioned to automated processes.
Currently, an industry cluster focusing on sanitary ceramics has taken shape in areas such as Guxiang, Fengxi, and Fengtang, integrating research and design, intelligent manufacturing, and cross-border e-commerce into a cohesive development framework. By 2024, the output value of Chaozhou's sanitary industry is projected to exceed 58 billion yuan, with sales expanding to over 130 countries and regions worldwide, marking a smart production line coverage rate exceeding 65%. In September of this year, Chaozhou issued the "Three-Year Action Plan for Improving Quality and Efficiency in Intelligent Sanitary Industry" (hereafter referred to as "the Action Plan"), which aims to significantly enhance intelligent manufacturing levels and reach a digital coverage rate of 80% for large-scale enterprises by 2027, signaling Chaozhou's commitment to driving intelligent manufacturing upgrades.
For industrial transformation to be successful, it requires both the internal momentum of independent innovation and the external support of regional cooperation. Shenzhen's coordinated assistance for Chaozhou's intelligent sanitary products represents the second strategic move in this "new industrial chess game." In 2023, the Shenzhen-Chaozhou Assistance Coordination Headquarters officially established a presence in Chaozhou. The "Three-Year Action Plan" also indicated that during this period, Shenzhen would allocate no less than 6 million yuan annually, starting from 2026, to bolster the intelligent sanitary industry.
In April of this year, the "Shenzhen-Chaozhou Intelligent Sanitary Industry Collaborative Development Alliance" was formed, integrating resources from over 70 enterprises and institutions across both regions to create a supply chain of "Shenzhen Standard - Chaozhou Intelligent Manufacturing - Global Market." Through the collaboration, Shenzhen leverages its capital, technology, and market advantages, while Chaozhou capitalizes on its manufacturing base and production capacity to achieve complementary strengths and collaborative development, effectively transitioning from a manufacturing hub to a center for intelligent manufacturing.
Not limited to the ceramics industry, Chaozhou’s tea and food sectors are also evolving with new developments. Over the past three years, the tea industry has averaged an annual growth rate exceeding 20%, aiming for a total output value of 8.898 billion yuan in 2024, accounting for 38.9% of the city's total agricultural output. In food, Chaozhou's large-scale enterprises are expected to achieve a total output value of 17.499 billion yuan in 2024, growing by 10.2%. Among them, the Chao'an District has 10 exemplary food enterprises, 16 high-tech companies, and 10 specialized innovative firms.
As traditional industries undergo transformation, Chaozhou is also propelling the growth of emerging industries. The 2025 Chaozhou government work report outlines aims to double the growth of emerging industries, focusing on new materials, renewable energy, and biomedicine. A prominent case in biomedicine is the layout of Kai Pu Biology. In April of this year, the Kai Pu Medical Science Park production base located in Chaozhou's Daling Mountain Industrial Park officially opened. A representative from Kai Pu Biology disclosed that this base will establish a comprehensive industrial chain producing nucleic acid molecules, capable of producing 50 million routine testing reagents annually while swiftly switching to emergency modes for public health events, boosting annual capacity to 100 million reagents—infusing significant momentum into the biomedicine and health industries.
The establishment of Kai Pu Medical Science Park exemplifies Chaozhou's commitment to rapidly nurturing emerging industries. Furthermore, the new material industry represented by ultra-fine tungsten alloy wires for photovoltaic applications and the new energy industry represented by solid oxide fuel cells are gradually enhancing Chaozhou's landscape of strategic emerging industries, providing robust support for maintaining manufacturing leadership and advancing high-end manufacturing.
From the intelligent transformation of traditional industries to the breakthrough growth of emerging sectors, Chaozhou’s industrial development is akin to a meticulously planned chess game, effectively balancing the heritage of manufacturing leadership while stimulating the growth of emerging industries with vitality. The strategic mindset of laying out plans and making innovative moves echoes Weng Yike's understanding of Go: “Go is free; it allows you to strategize with your black-and-white stones and envision grand ambitions, striving for victory with all your might.”
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