The holder of titles “One of the first open-up counties along the coast of China”, “Financial Ecological City of China”, “Top Tourist City of China”, Haining City, was the field trip destination for students of the School of Public Affairs on January 12, 2018. Being the open-up field trip of year 2018, Haining trip proved itself cognitive as well as interesting. We, international students of Zhejiang University, were especially motivated to get to know Haining city so as the building of one of our university’s campuses, Haining International Campus, is located at Haining, and seek more and more new co-operations with the world’s top universities to build a better international world.
Haining is located in the intercourse of four economically diverse and prominent Chinese cities such as Suzhou, Shanghai, Hangzhou and Ningbo. Also being a coastal city of Qiantang river makes Haining highly popular for its tides. Beneficial geographical location opens many doors in front of Haining in the city’s way to development. The last decade Haining has been adhering to the strategy of building an industry-driven and service-oriented city. The city has optimized and upgraded its industrial structure by promoting brand development and international expansion of its fashion industry represented by leather, warp knitting and textile, along with the emergence of the strategic new industries such as new energy, new materials and high-end equipment manufacturing.
First, a visitor would be attracted by a growing infrastructure, economical development and “green” face of the city. However, entering deep into the city and visiting its manufactural centers and meeting with the city officials, one will totally agree, that the core of Haining’s general attractiveness lies on technological innovation and creative ideas, which are the basics of each successful enterprise, operating in the area. This was what we could not help noticing while visiting TDG, Tiandong Group, the first public company held by individuals in China, which has possessed several holding companies and shareholding companies. The company is considered as the launcher of private companies parade in China and “a model” for other corporation in mainland. As we entered the company’s hall, the minimalistic character of it said more than the words of the guide. Simplicity of operation and of business holding also is reflected in the number of the company’s staff, which has been counted only four hundred by now. However, the minimalistic look of the company does not affect its industrial work, which is highly developed and equipped with smart computers and intelligent multifunctioning machines, producing soft ferrite materials, microwave ferrite materials, metal flux cores, rare earth permanent magnetic materials, sapphire crystal materials, piezo-electric crystal materials and many other high-end equipment. After having a look at the company’s background information and getting basic knowledge of its operational regulations, we were guided to the company’s workshop for the peripheral machine and the factory for producing LEDs. Also during the excursion we had a chance to touch a man-made sapphire, one of many products made at company’s factories. TDG with its wide range of production fields and innovative ways of manufacturing gives a good impression of what a company of the future should look like. Especially its location in Haining city makes this impression even more symbolical, making a tandem of the “green and innovative” future.
As for our next destination after TDG there was no doubt that would be “the leather city”. Before getting lost in numerous shops of leather jackets, fur coats and many other natural leather goods, we were taken to the conference with one of the local leather manufacturers, where students had an opportunity to ask questions about the main overseas partners of those manufacturers and their business policies. We also visited the museum of the leather city and were fascinated by visual introductions of the city’s leather industry history, its development and nowadays picture. Inspired by knowledge of the leather industry development we were given chance to walk around a trade center of leather goods shops. Those shops were representatives of the city’s growing leather industry and of Chinese developing market capacity.
With solid industrial foundation, promising market potential and the region’s rising attractiveness to investors as well as to tourists Haining has been establishing itself as a favorable space for its potential inhabitants. Now, when anyone asks us about Haining, we can name the main factors, which contribute to the general picture of this wonderful city. They are trade centers of leather goods shops, textile and fashion industries, tides, TDG with its multifunctional industry, “green” ecology and just a city with a great potential to attract visitors and investors from all over the world.
By Zhannur Soltangazina
Asian Future Leaders Scholarship Program
