Shizhong district, Jinan, Shandong province at night [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
Shizhong district, Jinan, Shandong province is becoming adept at attracting global enterprises and investment due to its strong business environment, booming industries, and innovative technology.
Located in the city's urban center, Shizhong district also serves as the political, economic, cultural, and financial center of the city. It covers an area of 281.5 square kilometers and governs 17 sub-districts, 118 communities, and 77 villages.
Political center
As the political center, the district is home to more than 150 administrative institutions. The provincial and municipal administrative examination and approval service halls are also located in the district, making the handling of governmental affairs very convenient.
Economic center
Shizhong district is strong in finance, information and communications, commerce and trade, cultural creativity, and high-end manufacturing.
In 2019, the district's GDP surpassed 100 billion yuan ($14.26 billion) and its general public budget revenue exceeded 10 billion yuan.
It is home to 179 headquarter enterprises, including China Mobile Shandong branch, China Unicom Shandong branch, State Grid Shandong Electric Power Company, Luneng Group, Sinotruk, and Siemens.
Financial center
Shizhong district is the only provincial-level pilot area for financial and commercial services in Shandong province. Currently, the district is home to more than 140 financial enterprises and institutions, more than any other district in the city, including 79 financial headquarters.
Education center
The district is home to a number of colleges and scientific research institutions, including Shandong University of Finance and Economics, University of Jinan, and the Shandong Academy of Social Science. It is also home to a total of 82 district-affiliated schools and 145 kindergartens.
Transportation
Shizhong district boasts a strong transportation network with 204 transportation lines to 120 cities. It takes just 1.5 hours to travel to Beijing and three hours to Shanghai. As the origin of several China-Europe freight trains, the district has become an important hub for the Belt and Road and a model for opening up to the outside world.
Business environment
Shizhong district is developing a digital economy focusing on big data and next-generation information technology. It has cultivated several industrial parks, industrial clusters, and digital enterprises.
The district has constructed three major university science parks and developed multiple intelligent industrial clusters and digital economy industrial parks.
The headquarters of several centrally-administered State-owned enterprises (SOEs) and Fortune Global 500 companies, including Alibaba Group, German software and cloud giant SAP SE, and Datang Network Company, are located in the district.
