Since the start of the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025), Jiangmen's regional gross domestic product (GDP) has surpassed 420 billion yuan, with an average annual growth rate of 5.2% over the first four years, ranking fourth in the province, as announced at a press conference on the city's achievements during this period held on January 5.
Over the past five years, Jiangmen, a Pearl River Delta city known for its overseas Chinese resources, has accelerated its integration into the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA), invigorating its reform and opening-up efforts.
In terms of infrastructure connectivity, direct high-speed rail services to Hong Kong have commenced, while the construction of the Shenzhen-Jiangmen Railway and the Zhuhai-Zhaoqing High-Speed Rail is progressing rapidly, allowing Jiangmen to reach Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Hong Kong, and Macao within one hour.
Regarding mechanism connectivity, over 500 high-frequency government service items can now be handled across boundaries in Hong Kong and Macao. More than 30,000 residents from Hong Kong and Macao now live in Jiangmen, deepening the people-to-people bond between the two regions.
The city has developed the "Qiaomengyuan" (Overseas Chinese Dream Hub) innovation and entrepreneurship base, attracting over 200 projects from Hong Kong and Macao and encouraging nearly 10,000 young people from these regions to seek employment and start businesses in Jiangmen.
The city is also vigorously developing its commerce, culture, and tourism sectors. Chikan Overseas Chinese Ancient Town has become a new cultural and tourism landmark in the GBA, cumulatively receiving over 9 million visitors. The city has welcomed over 100 million tourist visits and generated tourism revenue exceeding 100 billion yuan, with average annual growth rates of 23% and 25%, respectively.
In industries such as coffee and cultural creation, Jiangmen is continuously transforming and upgrading. At the press conference, a coffee printing machine from Jiangmen was busy producing cups of coffee with customized patterns, capturing the attention of attendees.
Combining Jiangmen's long history as a hometown of overseas Chinese with the growth of its coffee industry, Wen Zeqiang, Operations Director of Jiangmen-based company Jolimark, showcased the coffee printer at the event.
Recognizing that young people today favor personalized and creative products, Wen integrated AI and used food-grade ink to develop the coffee printer, aiming to meet higher-level, personalized consumption demands.
"Printed coffee can also integrate well with cultural and creative IPs, appealing to young people's preferences. Currently, printed coffee is very popular in places with high foot traffic, especially among young people, such as at holiday celebrations and comic cons," Wen explained.
He added that they have already collaborated with many local coffee enterprises in Jiangmen, whose demands have inspired their creativity.
Reporter | Guo Chuhua
Photo | Guo Chuhua
Editor | Hu Nan, James Campion, Shen He
