A FUTURISTIC CITY
Yang Lei, a manager at an engineering design company in Beijing, chose to be transferred to her company’s newly established branch in Xiongan New Area in Hebei Province in 2018.
It was challenging to leave her comfort zone but she didn’t want to miss out on opportunities working in the new area would present.
“When I first came here, the area was a little desolate, without many restaurants or entertainment venues. However, now, supermarkets, restaurants and bars that are open 24 hours are everywhere,” she told The Beijing Times.
In the first few years after she began working in the area, Yang commuted between her home in Beijing and Xiongan by car every day, with the round trip taking three hours. Today, she rents a newly built apartment in Xiongan, which is inexpensive and similar in quality to high-end residential compounds in Beijing.
With the construction of public facilities such as hospitals and schools, an increasing number of professionals like Yang have made Xiongan their homes.
Strategic planning
On April 1, 2017, China’s central authorities announced a plan to establish Xiongan New Area—an area approximately 100 km southwest of Beijing, spanning Rongcheng, Anxin, and Xiongxian counties—and some
