On November 21, 2016, Ms. Liu Yufan and 25 students from the International School toured the Guangzhou Economic Development Zone as part of the activities of the Professional Development Project.

Guangzhou Economic Development Zone was China’s first state-approved economic development zone.  In 1984, the ground-breaking development in this Zone took place.  After 32 years of intense construction and cultivation, this Zone is now the nation’s largest and most important economic development zone.  Hundreds of large foreign and domestic firms, including many Fortune 500 companies, founded in this region.  Now the Zone consists of several economics areas of different functions, such as the Yonghe Economic area, the Science City, the Duty-free area, and the Export-area.  32 years later, The Zone has successfully upgraded its role from a leading manufacturer to leading researcher & developer in pharmaceutical, biotechnologicaland new material technologies. 

Our first stop was the Yakult Company in the Yonghearea.  This is a fully automatedfactory invested by a joint venture of the Yakult Company in Japan, Yakult Company in Hong Kong and Jian Zhi Company in Guangzhou.  Yakult is the trademark of a probiotic dairy product made by fermenting a mixture of skimmed milk with a special strain of the bacterium Lactobacillus casei Shirota. It was created by Japanese scientist Minoru Shirota. In 1935, he started manufacturing and selling Yakult.Now the product is produced world-wide. The students listened to the introduction of the company, tasted the products and watched the video of the production process.  They then toured the whole production line, seeing how the ingredients were added and fermented in the different stages of production, and how strictly the products were inspected.  Students were impressed by the high level of automation and quality standard implemented in this company.

Our second stop was an innovative technology company, called the LiFeng Company.  This is a listed company specializing in the development of new multimedia technologies that can be applied in live performances, cultural events and public real estate projects.  The products of this company were experienced in a small theatre.  We listened and watched the amazing sound and light effects the company produced with its patented technology.  In another interactive studio, we experience the 3D exhibition technology also patented by the company.  With such technology, small costs can be applied to give the audience live-show experiences.  Students were so excited about the interactive experiences that they almost forgot about lunch.

After lunch, the students visited the exhibition hall of the Guangzhou Economic Development Zone.  This exhibition vividly displayed the history of economic growth in the region as well as the technological achievements of the Zone.  There were not only world-famous traditional manufacturers in the Zone, but also leaders of the biotechnology, navigation technology, new material and medical technology researchers and developers in the region.  The new focus of science and technology enables the Zone to take off again in the new era of economic development.

This tour gave students a wide range of experience on the economic development in Guangzhou.  As the nation’s first and largest economic development zone, the region has provided new opportunities for investors and graduates from all over the world.