Tianhe District, spanning 137 square kilometres and with a population of 2.368 million, is the geographic centre of Guangzhou City in Guangdong Province, China. The 6th (held in 1987) and 9th (held in 2001) of the National Games of the People’s Republic of China marked Tianhe’s rise and prosperity, respectively, and the 2010 Asian Games gave it another boost. With 40 years of hard work and progress, Tianhe has developed from agricultural fields in the eastern suburbs of Guangzhou City to a major district of innovation and economic growth and the “living room” of the city, and has led the city for 18 consecutive years in terms of economic output. Tianhe is making every effort to build a model urban district with a business environment that is industry-, enterprise- and entrepreneur-friendly. It was ranked second in the 2024 CCID Investment Competitiveness Top 100 Districts and rated as “the district with the happiest entrepreneurs” in 2023 and 2024 as the only district from Guangdong to receive this recognition.
As the site of the opening ceremonies and key venues for the 15th National Games, the 12th National Games for Persons with Disabilities and the 9th National Special Olympic Games, all in 2025, Tianhe will continue to map out plans, make every effort to build a model urban district along the Chinese path to modernisation, and strive to be a pioneer and set a benchmark in “going all out for another 12 years to create a new Guangzhou”.
Key development areas
Tianhe Central Business District, Guangzhou International Financial City, Tianhe Smart City, Tianhe Intelligence Valley, Wushan-encircled Innovation Source Area, Longdong-Fenghuang Area, and Shahe Area
Tianhe in 2024
- The regional GDP exceeded RMB660bn
- Ranked second in both the CCID Top 100 Districts and the CCID Investment Competitiveness Top 100 Districts, third in the CCID Innovation Top 100 Districts
- Rated as “the district with the happiest entrepreneurs” for the second time in a row and as “China’s happiest urban district” for the fifth time
- 165 key construction projects received an investment of RMB63.25bn, exceeding the annual investment plan by 117.5 per cent and driving fixed assets investment of the whole district to RMB78.56bn, up 11.7 per cent compared to the previous year
- The total number of enterprises exceeded 610,000, accounting for nearly 30 per cent of the city’s total and ranked first in both the total aggregate and increment of enterprises in the city
- The number of additional enterprises above the designated size, capability and quota reached 1,800, 140 new investment attraction projects have been launched and 12 investment projects by Fortune 500 companies have been introducedn
- Major projects, such as the Guangzhou Tianhe International Elderly Care Community Project by Pacific Care Home and the Jiaxiang E-commerce Project by Taobao and Tmall Group, have been signed and implemented
- The number of additional foreign-invested enterprises reached 1,948, up 17.3 per cent compared to the previous year, while the total number of foreign-invested enterprises exceeded 12,000, ranking first in the city
- The National Digital Service Export Base achieved a digital service export value of US$2.28bn, up 12.1 per cent compared to the previous year
- Home to 56 foreign consulates, including those from the US, the UK, Germany and Canada, in addition to 22 foreign chambers of commerce in South China (Guangzhou), such as Germany, Japan and Italy
- Winner of the “Safe China Construction Demonstration County” award and the only winner in Guangdong Province of the two-star Golden Quadripod for urban public security
- Successfully completed 10 livelihood projects and solved “micro livelihood problems” affecting 1,582 groups of people and created 88,000 new jobs
An industrial highland fuelled by new growth drivers
To unleash the “powerful engines” of new quality productive forces, Tianhe continues to foster new growth drivers. The 9th Plenary Session of the 10th Tianhe District Committee and the Economic Work Conference of the Tianhe District Committee proposed closely connecting with Guangzhou’s “12218” modern industrial system and advancing Tianhe’s functional positioning within the city. By adhering to and fully leveraging traditional industries, emerging industries and future industries, Tianhe will build the “12126” modern industrial system based on its resource advantages and industrial foundation.
- refers to the overall requirement to put industries first and to serve and support the advancement of the manufacturing industry under the guidance of scientific and technological innovation, with the support of the modern service industry.
- refers to two major directions: the integration of manufacturing and service industries, and the transformation driven by digital intelligence and green technology.
- refers to sparing no effort in fostering eight strategic industrial clusters, including software and Internet, artificial intelligence (AI), intelligent networking and new energy vehicles, biomedicine and health, low-altitude economy and aerospace, intelligent equipment and robots, intelligent construction and industrial buildings, and lifestyle consumer goods, while expediting the deployment and development of four future industries, namely embodied artificial intelligence, future networks and quantum technology, intelligent unmanned systems and cutting-edge new materials.
- refers to improving the development quality of six modern industries: modern finance, technology services, professional services, modern commerce, cultural creativity, and tourism and leisure.
Accelerate the construction of the development pattern of “one core, one belt and two axes”
Looking ahead to 2035, Tianhe will endeavour to create a development pattern featuring “one core, one belt and two axes” (112). It will implement the “123456” industrial development strategy and measures, make greater contributions to the construction of a renewed Guangzhou in 12 years and spearhead the Guangzhou practice of promoting the Chinese path to modernisation.
“One core” refers to leveraging the South China National Botanical Garden–Huolu Mountain Forest Park to develop a central park and green core, promoting the integration and symbiosis of ecological resources and seven key development areas, so as to beautify the city, promote production and gather talent.
“One belt” refers to constructing the Pearl River High-quality Development Belt (Tianhe section). Driven by the development of the Guangzhou International Financial City, it aims to spur the clustering of the city’s core functions along the river and its eastward expansion.
“Two axes” refers to optimising Guangzhou’s New Central Axis (Tianhe section) and constructing the Vitality and Innovation Axis (Tianhe section). Guangzhou’s New Central Axis will leverage the construction of the demonstration zone of “innovative measures in four sectors” in the Tianhe Central Business District (Tianhe CBD) to comprehensively enhance its core service functions and carry out planning and research for northward expansion. By connecting the Vitality and Innovation Axis into a chain, Tianhe can better leverage the power of the Wushan-encircled Innovation Source Area, create a central scientific innovation area by linking Tianhe Smart City and Tianhe Smart Valley areas, and unleash new momentum for high-quality development by transforming the Longdong–Fenghuang Area into the Tianhe Life Valley.
In accordance with spatial development and functional needs, Tianhe will simultaneously develop seven key development areas, namely Tianhe CBD, Guangzhou International Financial City, Tianhe Smart City, Tianhe Intelligence Valley, Wushan-encircled Innovation Source Area, Shahe Area and Longdong–Fenghuang Area. Thanks to such development, Tianhe can promote resource complementarity, industrial interaction and interconnection of development patterns, facilitating the transformation from Tianhe CBD as the only pillar to multiple pillars enabled by various key development areas. These areas are planned to cover about 123 million square metres, with around 62 million square metres currently developed, leaving ample space for future growth.
If the “one core, one belt and two axes” development spatial pattern is structured and visualised, with “one belt, two axes” serving as the framework and support, and with Longyandong Mountain and Fenghuang Mountain Forest Park acting as barriers and roofs, it resembles the Chinese character “仓” (meaning “warehouse” in English). The development pattern will eventually come to resemble the Chinese character “家” (meaning “home” in English) in Tianhe and “仓” in Guangzhou.
Tianhe at the 2025 Autumn Electronics Fair
Manufacturers and suppliers from Tianhe made a powerful impression at the Hong Kong Trade Development Council’s Autumn Electronics Fair 2025. By presenting an extensive lineup of cutting-edge electronic innovations, they showcased exceptional expertise in manufacturing, technology, and design. Leveraging this world-class sourcing platform, Tianhe proudly demonstrated its new-generation productivity, reinforcing its position as a global leader in advanced electronics.
