On October 23, I visited an instrument manufacturing company located in the Guitar Cultural Industry Park within the Zheng’an Economic Development Zone in Zunyi, Guizhou Province. The company had just completed a batch of guitar orders destined for Germany and Russia, marking a significant boost in their export volume. The company’s general manager, Zheng Ming, proudly shared, “Through our continuous efforts, we’ve reached an annual production of over 300,000 guitars. From January to August 2024, our total exports exceeded $1.25 million.”
To date, the Zheng’an Economic Development Zone has attracted 139 companies related to guitar production and its accessories, including 70 with export qualifications and five engaged in cross-border e-commerce. In 2023, the zone achieved an impressive foreign trade export value of 1.113 billion yuan, accounting for about 50% of the total guitar output. As a distinctive competitive industry in Zunyi, the guitar sector is playing a crucial role in the city’s efforts to become a provincial sub-center.
Zunyi is strategically located in the northern part of Guizhou Province, bordering Guiyang to the south, Chongqing to the north, and Sichuan to the west. With a GDP of 460.156 billion yuan in 2023, Zunyi ranks second in the province. Its economic advantages, robust industrial base, superior transportation infrastructure, and clear geographical benefits position Zunyi as a pivotal gateway for trade with Northwest and Southwest China.
In July 2024, the Guizhou Provincial Government released guiding policies aimed at supporting Zunyi in accelerating development as a provincial sub-center, positioning it as a hub connecting the Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle and the new land-sea corridor in the west.
Li Ligguo, deputy director of the Guizhou Provincial Development and Reform Commission, commented, “Building a provincial sub-center will help Zunyi emerge as a core growth engine for the province, optimize urbanization patterns, strengthen the Qiandong urban cluster, and enhance its influence over northern Guizhou.”
The guiding policies encompass seven key areas, including the accelerated development of competitive industries, integration of new urbanization with rural revitalization, the promotion of tourism industrialization, and the construction of a modern comprehensive transportation system.
“Zunyi aims to use these policies as a blueprint for action, taking on challenges and pushing for tangible results in building a provincial sub-center year after year,” shared Vice Mayor of Zunyi, Cao Mingfeng. Zunyi plans to leverage its strengths in industries like chili peppers and tea, enhance deep processing of agricultural products, and elevate the quality and branding of its offerings to build a leading mountainous city focused on high-efficiency agriculture. With its rich cultural resources, Zunyi will also promote the integration of cultural, tourism, agricultural, and beverage industries, working towards the development of world-class tourist destinations and top-tier cities.
Public data indicate that Zunyi holds significant shares in Guizhou’s four pillar industries: liquor, tobacco, coal, and electricity. The new policies specifically encourage Zunyi’s liquor companies to expand their markets both domestically and internationally, establishing the area as a key hub for sauce-flavored liquor production. The aim is to promote unique products such as sauce-flavored liquor, chili peppers, tea, and guitars to international markets, supported by participation in overseas trade shows.
In targeting the development of distinctive industries and accelerating the establishment of a provincial sub-center, Zunyi is poised to harness opportunities presented by its unique industrial advantages in guitar production in Zheng’an, renowned tea cultivation in Fenggang, and chili production in the New Pu District.
Fenggang County is reinforcing its efforts in protecting, inheriting, and promoting tea culture, while also expanding core sales regions in Northwest, North, Northeast China, and Southeast Asia, as well as the European market. “Fenggang Zinc-Selenium Tea” has established 280 specialty stores and 3,274 product sales counters nationwide, alongside 77 online sales outlets.
Furthermore, during the first half of 2024, the New Pu District’s China Chili City recorded a trading volume of 160,000 tons of chili products, generating over 3 billion yuan in transaction value. This market not only handles local specialty chili but also distributes products from various regions across China and from countries like India and Vietnam, with a sales reach extending to over 80 countries and regions worldwide.
In addition to these initiatives, Zunyi will capitalize on its traditional industry advantages to enhance services for key liquor enterprises, build a strong fleet of premier liquor companies, and promote the transition from merely selling alcohol to offering a lifestyle experience, thus solidifying its leading position in the liquor industry. Taking advantage of its mineral resources, Zunyi aims to foster the development of intermediate to high-end industries in sectors like alumina, electrolytic aluminum, and fluorochemical products.
