Xushuguan Economic and Technological Development Zone

The Suzhou Xushuguan Economic and Technological Development Zone was established in September 1992. It was approved as a provincial economic development zone by the People's Government of Jiangsu province in December 1993. In 2007, it was upgraded to a state-level hierarchy.

The scope of the zone was adjusted in April, 2009. It stretches from the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal in the east, Fengqiao Street in the south, and Raocheng Expressway in the west to Huguang Canal and Tongan Town in the north, covering a total area of about 36.5 square kilometers.

The development zone was approved as a state-level economic and technological development zone in 2013. The permanent population is now more than 50,000 and the floating population has reached 80,000.

The development zone is located on the northwestern outskirt of the ancient city of Suzhou, in the north of Suzhou New District (SND). It has convenient transportation such as the 312 National Highway, the Beijing-Shanghai Railway, the Shanghai-Nanjing Expressway and Shanghai-Nanjing Intercity Railway Station. It has rich natural resources including the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal and Jiangsu Dayang Mountain National Forest Park.

Since its establishment, the zone has invested more than 300 billion yuan ($47.78 billion) in infrastructure construction relying on its transportation advantages and abundant natural resources. It has established more than 500 enterprises with registered foreign capital of $4.5 billion and registered domestic capital of 10 billion yuan.

In 2002, the development zone implemented large-scale development and construction work and created construction miracles one after another. The state-level export processing zone and the customs bonded logistics center created a “hundred-day miracle” from construction to customs clearance and logistics operations. More than 9,000 households were relocated. With a construction area of more than 8 million square meters, it introduced more than 350 Chinese and foreign companies.

There are complete social service facilities including schools, kindergartens, apartments for the elderly, nursing homes, community service centers, health service centers, party service centers, service centers for the handicapped and non-public business activity centers.

The gross domestic product and total industrial output value grew at an average annual rate of 55 percent and 70 percent respectively. Its industrial structure has evolved from the building materials and chemical industries into four pillar industries of precision institutions, new building materials, electronic information, fine chemicals and logistics and warehousing.

It has formed a new development pattern with a national export processing zone as the center, a relocation area of Yangshan Hua yuan in the north, Daxin Science and Technology Park in the south, Yangshan Science and Technology Industrial Park, Dayang Mountain National Forest Park and Yangshan Mountain Green Landscape Belt in the west, and the Export Processing Zone Commercial Service Support Zone, Weideng Industrial City, Dabaidang City Ecological Park, Gaoxin Customs Bonded Logistics Center, Xintong Film Center Business District and Grand Canal Ming and Qing Dynasty Scenic Belt in the east .

In recent years, the development zone has been vigorously developing the cultural industry and implementing transformation and upgrading. The Suzhou Dongwu Museum established by the zone was awarded as a "Patriotic Education Base of Suzhou City" by the Publicity Department of the Suzhou Municipal Party Committee and as a “Historical and Cultural Education Base for Primary and Secondary Schools" by the Suzhou Municipal Education Bureau.

Meanwhile, the development zone has increased its efforts in environmental construction. People's living environment has greatly improved.