Wangcheng Economic Development Zone Embarks on a New Journey of High-Quality Development Powered by Scientific and Technological Innovation

Just as Silicon Valley in the United States transformed from orchards into the global heart of innovation by leveraging Stanford University and venture capital, and Beijing’s Zhongguancun grew into the nation’s innovation powerhouse by capitalizing on its dense concentration of scientific and educational resources...

The advancement paths of the world’s top industrial parks confirm that scientific and technological innovation remains the core engine for transcending economic cycles.

At present, China’s economy has entered the deep-water zone of high-quality development. Regional competition has shifted from “factor competition” to “innovation racing.” As the main front of the economy, industrial parks face an urgent need for transformation: the traditional path of competing on land, preferential policies, and labor is becoming increasingly unsustainable amid intensifying regional competition, rising factor costs, and mounting transformation pressures.

Located on the banks of the Xiangjiang River, Wangcheng Economic Development Zone stands at this critical crossroads. In 2025, the park’s total industrial output value of large-scale enterprises surpassed the 100-billion-yuan mark for the first time in history. It was honored as an advanced park in the province’s “Five Good” park creation initiative and ranked first among industrial parks in the provincial government’s supervision and incentive list for major implementation efforts.

Standing on this new 100-billion-yuan starting point, what posture should the zone adopt as it embarks on the new journey of the “15th Five-Year Plan”? Firmly grasping the primary task of high-quality development and developing new quality productive forces in line with local conditions—Wangcheng Economic Development Zone has made scientific and technological innovation the key move to lead the future and achieve leapfrog development.

Sci-Tech Empowerment: Answering the “Question of Industry”

Only by deeply aligning scientific and technological innovation with industrial needs can the full potential of the entire industrial chain be activated and new quality productive forces cultivated and expanded.

In April this year, Changsha Municipal Party Committee Deputy Secretary and Mayor Chen Bozhang visited Wangcheng Economic Development Zone to investigate the park’s high-quality development and new materials industry chain development, injecting momentum into the innovative growth of the new materials sector.

(Wangcheng Economic Development Zone)

Xiangjiang Paint is a model of innovation on this industrial chain.

This year, this time-honored enterprise with a 76-year history has continued to tackle key technologies in high-end anti-corrosion coatings, achieving two major breakthroughs: its high-solid epoxy glass flake heavy-duty anti-corrosion coating for offshore wind power foundations, which can be applied in a single thick coat meeting the international NORSOK standard; and its self-developed modified epoxy curing agent for heavy-duty marine anti-corrosion applications, which gives the coating both hardness and flexibility.

Beyond this, the company has focused on “bottleneck” technological challenges in the industry, aligning technological innovation with national strategies and industry demands. It has collaborated with leading enterprises such as Sinopec to provide high-performance customized anti-corrosion coating solutions for major national projects, including the relocation of Hunan Petrochemical’s caprolactam facilities. Addressing challenges in the construction machinery and commercial vehicle sectors, it has partnered with universities to independently develop environmentally friendly fast-drying polyurea coatings, with its polyaspartic ester resin technology reaching internationally advanced levels...

Through sustained technological breakthroughs, Xiangjiang Paint has proven that time-honored brands can also stand on the stage of “high-end, sophisticated, and cutting-edge” innovation.