In the newly released 2025 Top 500 Township-Level Economies ranking, Dongguan’s Chang’an Town secured an impressive 4th place nationwide through its outstanding comprehensive strength – a powerful demonstration of its status as “Top Economic Town of Dongguan.”
In recent years, the Party Committee of Chang’an Town has firmly pursued the “12359” development strategy, mobilizing the entire town to advance the “Hundred, Thousand, and Ten Thousand Project” in depth. In 2024, Chang’an Town delivered an impressive performance—its regional GDP surpassed the RMB 100 billion mark, reaching RMB 105.07 billion. It not only became the third town in Guangdong Province to cross this threshold, but also the first in Dongguan to achieve this milestone, marking a new chapter in high-quality economic development at the township level.
▲In 2024, Chang’an Town achieved a GDP of 105.07 billion yuan, becoming the third town in Guangdong Province and the first in Dongguan City to join the prestigious 100-billion-yuan club
Currently, Chang’an is at a critical stage of accelerating its “second wave of entrepreneurship.” Guided by the concept of “new-quality living in Chang’an,” the town is leveraging its high-quality ecological environment to cultivate richer and more diverse cultural, tourism, and sports activities. These efforts aim to attract and retain talent, fuel the momentum for its “second wave of entrepreneurship”, and empower the high-quality development of the city.
From laying a solid foundation through industrial development to prioritizing people’s well-being and promoting common prosperity; from driving growth through innovation to enhancing urban appeal through quality upgrades—Chang’an’s progress reflects not only an economic leap, but also a vivid example of high-quality development in action. As it embarks on a new path of modernization driven by innovation, coordinated growth, green transformation, open cooperation, and shared achievements, Chang’an is striving with bold determination to become a benchmark for high-quality development.
Industrial matrix ignites growth engine
On a smartphone production line in Chang’an Town, a new phone rolls off the assembly line every 11.4 seconds. Dubbed “China’s mobile phone industry capital”, Chang’an Town sustains one-eighth of global smartphone production capacity, with 195 units manufactured per minute.
From a coastal town of under 80 square kilometers to a manufacturing powerhouse with GDP exceeding RMB 100 billion, Chang’an Town’s “industrial success code” is embedded in these mass-produced devices.
In recent years, Chang’an Town has been vigorously implementing the “Hundred, Thousand, and Ten Thousand Project”, remaining firmly committed to industrial development as the foundation of the town. Backed by a strong base of 160,000 market entities, Chang’an has taken proactive steps to support its signature industries by strengthening, extending, and complementing their supply chains. Today, the town boasts a RMB 200 billion electronic information industry cluster and is home to globally recognized brands such as OPPO and vivo.
▲Chang’an has steadfastly pursued an industry-led development strategy. Leveraging its robust foundation of 160,000 market entities, the town has taken proactive steps to support its signature industries by strengthening, extending, and integrating supply chains.
The rapid growth of the electronic information industry has created vast opportunities for the mold-making sector. Riding this wave, the hardware and mold industry has emerged as another major engine of Chang’an Town’s economic development. Currently, the town boasts a hardware and mold industry cluster valued at over RMB 50 billion. Among more than 1,600 hardware and mold manufacturing enterprises in the town, leading companies such as Chitwing Technologies, Lucky Harvest, and Shenglan Technology (JCTC) play a key role in driving the sector forward.
Looking ahead, Chang’an Town aims to further expand and refine its hardware and mold industry. The town plans to cultivate “chain-leading” enterprises, integrate high-quality supporting firms into specialized supply chains, and push the mold industry up the value chain—working toward its vision of becoming the “Silicon Valley” of mold manufacturing.
The synergy between the electronic information and mold-making industries continues to drive Chang’an Town’s economy to new heights. On top of strengthening its existing industrial clusters, the town is also targeting emerging fields such as the digital economy, artificial intelligence, high-end equipment manufacturing, and green low-carbon industries. By nurturing new industries anchored in terminal product innovation, Chang’an is striving to build a modern, diversified industrial system. Already, industrial clusters in areas such as machine vision and new energy components—each valued in the tens of billions of RMB—have taken root in the town.
Innovation and talent are the twin engines propelling Chang’an Town’s development. On the innovation front, the town encourages nearly 40,000 industrial enterprises to invest in technological upgrades. As a result, advanced manufacturing and high-tech manufacturing now account for 72% and 62% of the town’s large-scale industrial output, respectively, with R&D investment intensity reaching an impressive 11%.
In terms of talent development, Chang’an Town firmly upholds the principle that “talent is the primary resource,” and continues to amplify the influence of its “Chang’an Loves Talent, Come with Peace of Mind” initiative. Leveraging the recruitment advantages of its high-tech and “specialized and innovative” enterprises, the town aims to double its pool of high-level talent. At the same time, it is working to transform its 500,000-strong industrial workforce into a more knowledge-based and skilled talent base—accelerating the upgrading of its industrial structure and the shift from old to new drivers of growth.
Now standing at the starting line of a new “100-billion-yuan” development journey, Chang’an Town has entered a new phase of “second wave of entrepreneurship.” In 2024, the town will focus on high-quality economic development, seize the major opportunities presented by the “Hundred, Thousand, and Ten Thousand Project”, and continue to drive forward with its industry-first strategy while fueling innovation. Building on its existing industrial foundation, Chang’an aims to cultivate a new 10-billion-yuan enterprise within the year—completing the enterprise growth ladder from RMB 1 billion to RMB 10 billion to RMB 100 billion. The town will also support tech-leading enterprises in forming innovation consortia and carry out systematic, mission-oriented R&D in frontier fields such as AI and biomedicine, propelling the transformation and upgrading of its industrial chains.
A new chapter in livelihoods paints the foundation of happiness
Strolling along Chang’an Town’s greenway, an ecological panorama of “half urban vitality, half emerald greenery” unfolds like a scroll, composing an eye-pleasing landscape that rejuvenates mind and spirit.
Starting from the P2 Provincial Line rest stop, a leisurely walk along the winding greenway reveals a lush and vibrant landscape at every turn. Like a graceful ribbon weaving through the town, this ecological corridor links the shimmering waters of Lotus Lake, the serene elegance of Bihe Garden (Green Lotus Garden), the majestic greenery of Zhugong Mountain and Baishi Mountain, the tranquil scenery of countryside fields and waterways, and the cultural richness of Wen Tianxiang Park. This “string of pearls” effect highlights the greenway as the crowning jewel of Chang’an Town’s ecological construction.
Thoughtfully designed rest areas and service stations are scattered along the route, harmonizing with the surrounding greenery to create a landscape of balance and charm. Fitness facilities are interspersed throughout, allowing residents to wander through the forested trails, embrace a healthy, low-carbon lifestyle, and enjoy the seamless blend of natural beauty, cultural heritage, and the comfort brought by modern urban development.
▲Chang’an advances town-wide eco-development, forging “Greenway Chang’an” IP to harmonize industry-city-people synergy
Promoting town-wide green and beautiful ecological development, building the “Greenway Chang’an” IP, and driving coordinated growth of industry, city, and people are key practices in Chang’an Town’s deep implementation of the “Hundred, Thousand, and Ten Thousand Project”. Guided by the concept of “shaping the town through quality,” Chang’an is upgrading public well-being from isolated demonstration points to comprehensive enhancement across its entire territory, aiming to achieve integrated progress between industries, urban development, and community life.
In response to the accelerating trend of urbanization, Chang’an has partnered with the Guangdong Urban-Rural Planning & Design Research Institute to systematically improve planning at both town and community levels, refining the design of its characteristic townscapes. The town continues to increase investment in public services: the Huafu (Affiliated High School of South China Normal University) Chang’an School has been completed and opened, adding 4,710 new public school seats; the Chang’an Campus of Binhaiwan Central Hospital is under rapid construction, with the land area of public hospitals expanding sevenfold. Meanwhile, the development of a well-connected internal and external transportation network is steadily enhancing the quality of life for residents.
At the same time, under the strategy of “Prosper the People, Strengthen the Town,” Chang’an is driving a transformation of its collective economy from a single-revenue model to diversified development. Relying on nearly RMB 23 billion in total assets and over RMB 3.5 billion in annual operating income at the community and sub-community levels, the town is investing in listed companies, holding stakes in financial institutions, and promoting industrial land redevelopment, gradually reducing dependence on rental-based income.
Notably, the Wusha Community has completed the roof of the Caiwu Yuxin R&D Center through self-funded redevelopment, expected to bring in more than RMB 30 million in annual revenue. Meanwhile, the second phase of the Xiangde Garment Production Project, jointly funded by the Chongtou Community Economic Association and other local economic groups, is expected to add over RMB 10 million in yearly income.
Additionally, guided by Party development, Chang’an is advancing grassroots governance and actively responding to the well-being expectations of its population of over one million. The town is focusing on cultivating model communities such as Xinmin and Xiaobian at the provincial level, ensuring the implementation and effectiveness of key projects. Through a “point-to-surface” approach, it is activating new momentum for high-quality community development, ensuring that the fruits of progress truly benefit every resident.
