The Chongqing Economic and Technological Development Zone management committee recently signed a project cooperation agreement with Baidu to build a digital economy innovation base in western China and create a competitive artificial intelligence industry cluster and jointly established a domestic first-class "AI + industry" application demonstration system, empowering Chongqing's digital economy.

The Chongqing Economic and Technological Development Zone, located in China's western region, was home to Chongqing Yinglong Chaotianmen International Trade City and Chongqing Yinglong Medical City. 

These cities, comprising millions of square meters of commercial buildings, failed to attract merchants and were left unoccupied, causing significant investment losses.

Experiencing a stunning transformation, the Chongqing Economic and Technological Development Zone has attracted hundreds of scientific innovation enterprises and thousands of university graduates, transforming these cities into vibrant science and innovation centers.

So how did the Chongqing Economic and Technological Development Zone pull off this magic trick? 

A corner of Chongqing Economic and Technological Development Zone. (Photo/ Chongqing Economic and Technological Development Zone)

To solve the problem, the government handed over the two cities to the Chongqing Economic and Technological Development Zone in 2018. 

The Zone then adjusted the functional positioning, gathered scientific innovation resources, and solved the remaining problems to bring new life to them.

The Zone's strategy included adjusting the original functions of the cities and attracting advanced talents to the area. Its flagship project, the Yinglong Innovation Port, focuses on intelligent, life, and low-carbon technology, driving over 500 enterprises to sign contracts and settle in, building a digital intelligence industrial park.

To address the issue of previous owners' damaged investments, the Zone developed diversified solutions, allowing owners to either continue to invest and cooperate with the local government or buy back out through the local state-owned operating platform.

Moreover, Chongqing Economic and Technological Development Zone cooperates with the Chongqing University of Posts and Telecommunications (CQUPT) to attract high-level innovative scientific research teams and graduate students to build a college science and technology park.

(Liu Wenting, as an intern, also contributed to this report.)