The town-based economy has left a distinct mark on Foshan’s development.

Since the launch of reform and opening-up, specialized and distinctive towns—small yet refined, unique yet charming—have propelled Foshan from a “land of fish and rice” to a “manufacturing hub,” earning it a place among the cities with a GDP exceeding one trillion yuan.

With years of deep engagement in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, GuChuan United is not only a witness to Foshan’s town-based economy but also an active participant.

Five major industrial chain projects, introduced to Foshan through GuChuan United’s precise matchmaking, represent a total investment exceeding 5 billion yuan. Currently accelerating construction, these projects are pooling powerful synergy to help Foshan build “towns and sub-districts with 100-billion-yuan GDP.”

Five Major Projects Accelerating Construction

Guchuan United Ignites Foshan’s “Town Energy”

The Sixth Plenary Session of the 13th Foshan Municipal Party Committee specifically emphasized the need to drive the leapfrog development of town-level economies and support Guicheng, Zumu, Daliang, and Hecheng in their pursuit of becoming “100-billion-yuan towns and sub-districts.”

Notably, among the five major industrial chain projects facilitated by Guchuan United in Foshan, three are located in Hecheng Subdistrict, Gaoming District.

The comprehensive building for Taiji Technology’s high-speed punch press project is currently undergoing interior finishing, with full-scale production just around the corner. With a total investment of 1 billion yuan, the project has already attracted seven upstream and downstream supporting enterprises to the area.

Meanwhile, construction is accelerating on the Hanqingda Smart Manufacturing Base project and the Osma Intelligent Equipment Base project.

△ The Hanqingda Manufacturing Base Project, with a total investment of $100 million, focuses on the R&D and production of electronic vaporizers and is expected to generate an annual output value of 3 billion yuan.

△ The Osma Intelligent Equipment Base Project, with a total investment of 1 billion yuan, will produce automated equipment such as laser cutters and hardware products upon completion.

Unlike Hecheng Subdistrict, which is striving to become a “100-billion-yuan town,” Yanghe Town in Gaoming District is focusing on building a “Specialized, Refined, Unique, and Innovative Bay Area.”

The Baofeng Precision Engineering project, which settled in Yanghe Town through an investment promotion conference organized by Guchuan United, is being developed by Dongguan Baoke Precision—a national-level “Specialized, Refined, Unique, and Innovative” (SRUI) “Little Giant” enterprise.

The company has secured over 30,000 square meters of industrial land and plans to invest 500 million yuan to build a smart equipment production base.

Meanwhile, in Xinan Subdistrict of Sanshui District, the Taoli Bread South China Bakery Food Center project—facilitated by Guchuan United—officially broke ground in May and is expected to be completed and put into operation in June 2025.

With a total investment of 2 billion yuan, the project will establish approximately 15 production lines to manufacture baked goods, cold-chain foods, and central kitchen products.

△ Taoli Bakery South China Bakery Food Center Project

In June of this year, Guchuan Lianxing signed a cooperation agreement with Leping Town in Sanshui District. The two parties will collaborate on investment promotion focused on advanced manufacturing to drive the industrial economy toward new heights and achieve further success.

Connecting cities above and supporting rural areas below, town-level economies serve as the nerve endings of urbanization and represent a highly promising industrial lever.

Aligned with the Provincial Party Committee’s “1310” deployment and the Municipal Party Committee’s goal of “building towns and sub-districts with 100 billion yuan in GDP,” Guchuan United continues to deepen investment cooperation with various towns and sub-districts, injecting “town energy” into the initiative to “recreate a new Foshan.”

Cultivating a New Tier

The Rise of the “Near-100-Billion-Yuan” Contingent in the Pearl River Delta

Preliminary statistics show that there are more than 10 “near-100-billion-yuan” towns and sub-districts in the Pearl River Delta, distributed across Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Foshan, Dongguan, and other areas.

In the coming years, they are expected to join the “100-billion-yuan club.”

If the 100-billion-yuan and “near-100-billion-yuan” towns and sub-districts are the “pillars,” then the “backbone” of the town-level economy is equally important; they are the cornerstone of the province’s economic development.

Only with a solid foundation can the economy remain stable.

Today, many areas in the Pearl River Delta are focusing on developing a group of towns and sub-districts with GDP exceeding 10 billion yuan to further strengthen this “middle force.”

The Zhongshan Municipal Party Committee Plenary Session proposed the goal of developing, within five years, two towns and sub-districts with a GDP of over 70 billion yuan, three with a GDP of 30–70 billion yuan, and five with a GDP of 20–30 billion yuan.

The Huizhou Municipal Party Committee Plenary Session proposed accelerating the development of a group of influential central towns, specialized towns, characteristic towns, and economically strong towns.

A closer look reveals that the Pearl River Delta’s approach to strengthening town-level economies revolves around three key concepts.

The first is a strong manufacturing sector.

Whether it is Shishan and Beijiao, which have already joined the “100-billion-yuan club,” or Guicheng and Hecheng, which are gearing up to advance toward the 100-billion-yuan target, their success is built on a foundation of manufacturing. To achieve further growth, they must intensify efforts in attracting investment and advancing project construction to provide a more solid foundation for the real economy.

Second is a focus on coordination.

While focusing on the coordinated development of the primary, secondary, and tertiary sectors, attention must also be paid to the coordinated development of industrial structures, particularly between traditional and emerging industries. Furthermore, coordination between urban and rural areas, as well as between economic development and public welfare initiatives, is equally important.

Third is improving the business environment.

Whether it is the “overall environment” or the “local conditions,” both directly impact business entities. Creating a favorable business environment for market participants is a necessary condition for fostering more “100-billion-yuan towns and sub-districts.”

From Large Towns to Strong Towns

How to take the next step?

A GDP of 100 billion yuan is not merely a number; it is a significant milestone marking the transition of a town’s economy from size to strength—a peak that can only be reached through sustained, long-term effort.

To comprehensively evaluate a town or subdistrict, one must also take into account multiple factors such as industrial strength, infrastructure, public services, residents’ income, and the ecological environment.

Many towns and sub-districts in the Pearl River Delta have achieved remarkably high GDP levels, yet challenges remain in areas such as endogenous growth momentum, urban development, and infrastructure.

In February of this year, the Guangdong Provincial Party Committee, in its “Decision on Implementing the ‘High-Quality Development Project for 100 Counties, 1,000 Towns, and 10,000 Villages’ to Promote Coordinated Urban-Rural and Regional Development,” placed “strengthening the role of towns as nodes linking cities and villages” at the forefront, emphasizing the need to fully leverage the role of towns as hubs and bridges connecting urban and rural areas. This also provides clear guidance for the Pearl River Delta in expanding and strengthening its town-level economies.

How can we build strong central towns, specialized towns, and distinctive towns? A series of initiatives in Foshan and Dongguan have outlined several pathways.

Zumiao Subdistrict in Chancheng District, Foshan, is striving toward the goal of becoming a “100-billion-yuan subdistrict” by focusing on three key areas: industrial space, industrial platforms, and industrial quality. It is working to dispel the stereotypical perception that Zumiao is “old, overcrowded, and small,” thereby breathing new life into the old urban area.

Hecheng Subdistrict in Gaoming, Foshan, has implemented seven key catch-up initiatives—including a three-year industrial investment doubling campaign and an industrial platform capacity enhancement initiative—while promoting the construction of a “Quality Hecheng” to create a livable and vibrant new city centered on new-type urbanization.

Chang’an Town in Dongguan is addressing shortcomings in ecology, education, and healthcare, driving “four major breakthroughs”: leading industrial transformation, attracting, retaining, and cultivating talent, expanding contiguous urban space, and fostering symbiotic growth between the city and its population.

Humen Town in Dongguan is continuously improving environmental quality by launching the construction of 54 roads—with a total investment exceeding 4 billion yuan—in phased and categorized stages. It is also advancing the TOD (Transit-Oriented Development) comprehensive development of the Humen High-Speed Rail Station to create a new urban gateway and image, thereby fostering a conducive environment for manufacturing development.

On the path to strengthening and advancing its towns, the Pearl River Delta is leveraging its strengths, addressing weaknesses, and tapping into its potential. This, in turn, shapes the future of the town-level economy across the entire province of Guangdong.