Xinhua Headlines: From Economic Backwater to Industrial Landmark, A Case Study of China's High-Quality Growth(1)
* Ningde is ushering in a bright future with the rise of a new industrial town. The city is now home to a number of world-class enterprises including automotive lithium-ion battery maker CATL.
* The city's four leading industries -- lithium-ion batteries, new-energy vehicles, novel stainless steel and copper -- are developing into a complementary industrial cluster.
FUZHOU, July 8 (Xinhua) -- Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Ltd. (CATL) has been drawing increasing attention from the global electric vehicle (EV) market over the past few years.
The world's leading automotive lithium-ion battery maker, with around one-third of the global market share, is headquartered in the city of Ningde, east China's Fujian Province.
Aerial photo taken on June 24, 2022 shows the headquarters of Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Ltd. (CATL) and its manufacturing base in Ningde, east China's Fujian Province. (Xinhua/Lin Shanchuan)
Once a poverty-stricken region blighted by adverse geographical factors and poor infrastructure, the city has come a long way in the past decade, shaking off poverty while developing an array of leading industries. And it is now striving to become a globally influential industrial landmark.
NEW LOOK
Fourteen years ago, when Zhan Shuzhi, along with more than 100 colleagues, was posted to a new manufacturing base in Ningde by his former employer in neighboring Guangdong Province, some colleagues grumbled about the likelihood of success given the muddy roads, inadequate facilities and inconvenient transportation.
"We will make it. I can feel the enterprising spirit of this city," Zhan, a native of Ningde, recalled his words reassuring his colleagues at that time.
Back then, Ningde was determined and committed, more than ever, to the fight against poverty, with an aim to change its economic backwater image.
"When we first came here, only four factory buildings and two dormitory buildings stood beside mudflat," recalled Zhan, who is now the chairman of CATL's labor union.
Along with the rapid rise of CATL, which was founded in 2011 in Ningde, the mudflat areas have given way to rows of manufacturing plants where EV batteries are produced around the clock.
From 2012 to 2021, the city's gross domestic product has nearly tripled to 315.1 billion yuan (about 47 billion U.S. dollars), with per capita GDP exceeding 100,000 yuan for the first time.
The boomtown has taken on a fresh new look after bidding farewell to extreme poverty. A large transport network has been built. In areas where bug swarms and villagers' motorbikes were earlier the loudest sounds, factories are now buzzing while ports are busy handling containers.
