Is Hefei, the capital of Anhui Province, likely to become a first-tier city in the future?

First of all, we must first understand what kind of cities are first-tier cities.

First-tier cities refer to metropolitan areas that play an important role in national political, economic and other social activities and have a leading role and radiating ability. In terms of city size, infrastructure, culture, consumption, etc., first-tier cities Generally ahead of other cities.

Standards for first-tier cities: urban development level, comprehensive economic strength, radiation and driving ability, talent attraction, information exchange ability, international competitiveness, scientific and technological innovation ability, transportation accessibility, etc.

First-tier cities play a leading role in leading and radiating national social activities such as production, services, finance, innovation, and circulation. It can be divided by administrative level, city size, population, or by standards such as economic development level and total GDP.

Hefei, as one of the four major science and education cities in my country, is the first and currently only science and technology demonstration city in the country, and is one of the two major comprehensive science center cities in the country. Hefei has a large density of science and engineering projects in the country. second only to Beijing. Most of the industrial zones that have emerged in Hefei in recent years are based on the transformation of high-end scientific and technological achievements! This has made Hefei the city with the fastest economic growth in East China. In the first three quarters of 2017, Hefei's economy ranked second in nominal growth in the country. In the next five years, Hefei will see the birth of several "100 billion" industrial clusters. These industrial clusters are all based on the transformation of high-tech research and development results.

To become a first-tier city, you need to meet various indicators that meet the standards of a first-tier city. Hefei is the capital city of Anhui Province. Over the past decade, Hefei's economy has grown strongly. Its GDP has successively exceeded that of provincial capital cities such as Kunming, Nanchang, Shijiazhuang, Changchun, Harbin, and Shenyang. However, Hefei's GDP in 2018 was only 782.29 billion yuan, which is comparable to that of Hefei. There is a huge gap between first-tier cities. Currently, Hefei can only be regarded as a second-tier city.

In fact, the government has never divided cities into first-tier, second-tier, and third-tier cities. If you go to Baidu: What are first-tier cities? You will get this answer: First-tier cities refer to metropolises that play an important role in national political, economic and other social activities and have a leading role and radiation driving ability. But what are the standards for first-tier cities? There is no official definition of standards at all. These are all defined by private organizations, and over time it has become a conventional saying. This statement is also largely linked to GDP, because Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen are also the four cities with the highest GDP in my country. Of course, we can't just look at GDP. The total amount of capital, the number of listed companies, and the industrial structure of cities in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen are all outstanding among cities across the country.

Hefei is the capital city of Anhui Province. Over the past decade, Hefei's economy has risen strongly, and its GDP has successively surpassed provincial capital cities such as Kunming, Nanchang, Shijiazhuang, Changchun, Harbin, and Shenyang. However, Hefei's GDP in 2018 It is only 782.29 billion yuan, which is far from the first-tier cities. At present, Hefei can only be regarded as a second-tier city.

In recent years, there has also been talk about "new first-tier cities". The "2018 Business Charm Ranking of Chinese Cities" selected by China Business News shows that in addition to the four first-tier cities, there are The 15 new first-tier cities are Chengdu, Hangzhou, Chongqing, Wuhan, Suzhou, Xi'an, Tianjin, Nanjing, Zhengzhou, Changsha, Shenyang, Qingdao, Ningbo, Dongguan and Wuxi. Hefei is not in this group, and its strength is even lower than A new first-tier city.

For now, there are only four first-tier cities recognized nationwide, namely Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen mentioned earlier. In fact, I think that since it was defined by private organizations and later became a common term, given China’s vast territory and numerous cities, there should be other cities that will be recognized as first-tier cities in the future. If China’s first-tier cities are If it really increases, then I think there is a high probability that the added cities will appear in the above 15 new first-tier cities, and the possibility of Hefei becoming a first-tier city seems to be relatively low.

In the 2019 city classification list released by China Business News, there are fifteen new first-tier cities, and Hefei ranks third among the second-tier cities. This is an improvement from the previous two years. In fact, Hefei's ranking has been rising.

It can be said that there is no doubt or suspense that Hefei will become a new first-tier city in the future. It is just a matter of time. Moreover, this time will not be too long.

First, let’s take a look at Hefei’s advantages. Hefei is a city founded on science and education and developed through science and education. Hefei is one of the three major science centers in the country, one of the four major science and education bases, and one of the three major storage bases. These are all crowns with the prefix "national". This is completely different from resource-based cities and processing and manufacturing cities.

For a city to bet on science and technology and to be persistent and unwavering in science and technology, this requires courage and determination. Because investing in science and technology will not bring immediate gains and effects, you will have to lose money in the beginning, and it will take many years of lurking before you can get a return and explode the power of science and technology investment. Therefore, those who are eager for quick success cannot do this.

It should be said that Hefei has quietly invested in science and technology for so many years, built its foundation with concentration and calmness, and after a long incubation period, it has finally reached the harvest period. And if investment in science and technology enters the harvest period, its economic growth will be different from that of ordinary resource-based cities and processing and manufacturing cities.

If the economy of resource-based cities and processing and manufacturing cities develops in multiples, then science and education-based cities, after long-term investment, will grow in a geometric progression.

Another advantage of relying on high technology to establish a city is that urban development is less affected by external factors - such as processing and manufacturing, which may be shut down due to production capacity, environment, etc. After the shutdown and transfer, the city must seek transformation again. Resource-based cities will also face the problem of transformation if their resources are exhausted. For a city, the time and economic costs of this transformation are huge, because transformation, such as transforming into a science and education city, requires a large amount of basic investment and the reality of no short-term returns.

Therefore, Hefei, which has established a city through science and education, and revitalized the city through science and education, has embarked on a straight path that does not need to go through the second choice or the pain of transformation, and has gained a first-mover advantage. This should be some other A place envied by cities facing transformation or a second choice.

Let’s take a look at Hefei’s advantages and achievements in science and technology after years of persistent efforts. Hefei is one of the three national science centers in the country, one of the four science and education bases in the country, and one of the three storage bases in the country. Hefei has three national laboratories. According to data, among the built and newly built national scientific facilities, there are 8 in Hefei, 6 in Shanghai, 2 in Wuhan, and 1.5 in Nanjing (one of which is built in Lianyungang). There are also seven big science platforms in Hefei. Apart from the capital Beijing, Hefei is the city with the densest layout of major national scientific projects. It is second only to the capital as a key city for the layout of major national scientific projects. It is currently carrying out the International Fusion Energy Joint Center, Quantum Information The construction of major scientific projects such as the National Science Laboratory, the National Intelligent Speech Innovation Center, the Hefei Supercomputing Center, and the Hefei Advanced Light Source. Hefei is the country's first national science and technology innovation pilot city and a member city of the World Technology Cities Alliance (WTA). Hefei has been successively designated as the "National Systematic Promote Comprehensive Innovation and Reform Experimental Area", "National Independent Innovation Demonstration Zone", and "Made in China 2025 Pilot Demonstration City". Hefei has also been selected as one of the top ten smart city pilot cities in the world. In terms of smart city construction, Hefei will be in line with international standards and on the same level as Cambridge in the UK! "Nature" magazine has just released the "2018 Nature Index - Scientific Research Cities", and Hefei has been selected as one of the top 50 scientific research cities in the world.

Therefore, it is well deserved that Hefei has become one of the three major science centers in the country. The completion of the National Science Center will have a strong Matthew effect, attracting more high-tech talents and high-tech enterprises to settle in, and the settlement of high-tech talents and enterprises will generate more high-tech, thus creating a virtuous cycle.

In terms of location advantages and regional positioning, Hefei is bound to become a new first-tier city. In national-level planning, Hefei is positioned as a node city for the “One Belt and One Road” initiative, a regional megacity in the Yangtze River Economic Belt, and a sub-central city in the Yangtze River Delta urban agglomeration. Hefei is a core member of the Yangtze River Delta and the Yangtze River Economic Belt. The Jianghuai Canal project under construction will connect the Yangtze River, Caizi Lake, and Chaohu Lake. Hefei will start from Chaohu, along the canal, all the way south, towards Caizi Lake, towards the Yangtze River. Hefei will truly realize integrated development with Tongcheng, a member of the metropolitan area, and truly become a city along the river worthy of the name, "Great Lake City" , Hefei, the "Pearl of the Yangtze River", will be ranked among the "Five Tigers of the Yangtze River" together with Shanghai, Nanjing, Wuhan and Chongqing.

Therefore, whether in terms of economic strength, soft power in science and education, or in terms of regional positioning and regional advantages, Hefei’s promotion to a new first-tier city is not a distant dream!

Verified with authoritative books, the basic meaning of "合" in "Hefei" in Chinese is: 合, [ hé ]: 1. Close; close: ~ eye. You can't stop laughing. 2. Combine together; get together; ***tong (opposite to "divide"): ~ do. Concentric ~ force. 3. Quan: ~Village. ~Family reunion. Fat, [féi], don’t over-interpret this.

The name is good, as Wang Jianlin, the chairman of Lakeside Wanda City, said well: "Set a small goal first, for example, I will earn 100 million first. You will see how many years it will take." Earn 100 million. Do you plan for five years or three years? After that, I will reach the next goal of 1 billion, 10 billion." Therefore, the first-tier cities are still just around the corner for Hefei.

How to determine the provincial capital of Anhui is an eternal problem. Nanjing, which is the most popular, is not in Anhui. Anqing, which has the longest history, is too far away. Hefei, which is well connected in all directions, is not rich enough. There is also a small brother Wuhu in southeast Anhui who is eyeing... So, the name of the hegemonic capital was spread again, and I took it easy. Rein, express straightly.

Located in Anhui Province, the so-called Dashu Mountain is just a small mound. It is adjacent to Chaohu Lake, one of the five major freshwater lakes. Embarrassing.

Hefei produced 48 Jinshis in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, while Tongcheng, under the jurisdiction of Anqing City, had 240 Jinshis in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. It is the soul of a city in terms of cultural heritage. Hefei lost too much. What's unclear is that many of the historic sites in Hefei were not rebuilt on their original sites, and the displays are too modern. The development of tourism is just a joke.

JAC suffered a huge loss of hundreds of millions, and the automobile industry is facing a bad environment. What will this year’s report be? Xunfei Technology is well-known, but why are there so many layoffs this year? House prices have risen to the highest level in the world in the past few years. When will they gain momentum again?

As a large province with a population of more than 70 million, Hefei is indispensable for its floating population. As soon as you leave Hefei South Railway Station, waiting for a taxi for several hours is a customary experience, but the road is blocked again. For an hour or so, I was not surprised. I listened to my brother’s complaints about housing prices. Foreigners must have a deep understanding of the name of Badu, right?

Hefei, the provincial capital, claims to be the central city of the Yangtze River Delta, but at least it can do so reluctantly now. After absorbing the Lujiang River in 2011, the straight-line distance from the Songyang River bank is only 40 kilometers. However, after diverting the river to support the nest, it is indeed close to Only then will Yangtze River China Unicom be worthy of its name. As for the idea of ??a comprehensive national science center, I, the common people, have seen very little of it, and at least it has not benefited our achievements, so we cannot talk nonsense.

The salary of the friends I met in Hefei is really not high, about 4,000 per month, but the prices are not low. Working as a cook in a small restaurant in Binhu can save half a month's salary. But there are so many luxury cars on the street, and some local friends said that most of the car owners are from demolished households.

Finally, let me make a digression. Girls in Hefei don’t hold an umbrella on sunny days or when it rains lightly. They always walk in a hurry. I wonder if it’s because the pace of life is too fast?

For outsiders, looking at Hefei is like looking at flowers in the fog. They can only summarize it and answer questions according to the situation. If you don’t like it, don’t criticize it.

After years of development in the domestic economy, cities have already formed a development pattern led by Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen, and the Yangtze River Delta, Pearl River Delta, and the Beijing-Tianjin metropolitan area. In today's external environment, which is not as good as before and with the overall economic slowdown, it is extremely difficult for any city to achieve rapid growth. This means that it is impossible to easily break through or reverse the pattern headed by Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen. What is the current ranking, there is a high probability that it will be the same in the future.

I think it’s still a little bit floating.

First of all, Hefei’s economic aggregate is only 780 billion yuan, which is 1.5 trillion yuan away from Guangzhou, which has the smallest economic aggregate. Even if we stop to chase you, Hefei’s average growth rate in the past five years is 9.5 It will take 12 years to reach the current level in Guangzhou. Even in the six central provinces, Wuhan, Changsha and Zhengzhou are all lying in front of them, making it difficult to catch up.

Secondly, economic aggregate does not mean everything. The current economic aggregate difference between Chongqing and Guangzhou is 250 billion. Does anyone think that Chongqing is now close to the level of first-tier cities? No one thinks so!

Strictly speaking, first-tier cities are just a sense of national identity, not the gap between city size and strength (although there is indeed a gap in strength). This sense of high recognition stems from the early days of the economy. Thousands of ordinary people found employment opportunities and accumulated wealth through Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen, which developed first. A house was built in my hometown and my debts were paid off. This sense of identity that affects the whole people cannot be replaced. Even if Suzhou, Hangzhou or Wuxi later become representatives of the export-oriented economy, they cannot replace the height given by this era.

Of course, the gap between regions has been narrowing year by year. The so-called first and second tiers do not have much difference only in terms of urban appearance or infrastructure construction. Some cities have even begun to surpass Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen in individual indicators, such as subway mileage, wage income, etc.

However, in addition to the strong influence and identity mentioned above, Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen also lie in its ability to radiate across the country, as well as its self-improvement and hematopoietic functions, and its ability to export advanced cultural concepts to the country. and scientific technology and management experience. All innovation, creativity and high-tech basically come from the four front lines.

And as Anhui is a province that still relies on central financial subsidies, how strong can the self-production of the provincial capital city be? Where is the influence and radiation?

Taken together, there is still a long way to go between cities in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen. While you are developing, others are also developing, even faster. Nowadays, cities are facing greater competitive pressure. Advantageous industries and population are flowing in, and their attractiveness is far less than that of first-tier cities. The strong will always be strong, and Hefei is still too far away from first-tier cities.

Hefei can only be a small-scale jade at best, and will never become a heroine. Its economy and the vision and courage of its leaders limited Hefei's growth. Compared with surrounding Nanjing, Zhengzhou, Wuhan and Hangzhou, Hefei is a swamp. The innovation highland of the Great Lakes City is Hefei’s goal rather than reality.

It’s already the future, the earth has exploded, humans and cities have disappeared, why does it care whether Hefei has reached the first-tier city?

Hefei, among provincial capital cities, is absolutely unknown, even unknown.

When Hefei became the capital of Anhui Province, it was just a small county town with a population of just over 50,000. When it became the provincial capital, Hefei's economic scale ranked last among the provincial capitals in the country!

Until the beginning of reform and opening up, Hefei's economic scale was only sixth from the bottom among provincial capital cities in the country!

When it comes to Hefei, there are such things as "two fat people" and "sucking the blood of the whole province". The saying "a city of one's own" has instead concealed the true face of Hefei! It can be said that no provincial capital city is not only widely criticized within its own province, but also not favored outside the province!

However, It is such an obscure, low-key provincial capital city that could no longer be low-key. It suddenly grew from the last one when it became the provincial capital to the tenth-ranked city among provincial capitals and the twenty-sixth among large and medium-sized cities in the country!

In the past, cities such as Xi'an, Harbin, Fuzhou and Nanchang, which ranked in front of Hefei, were really out of reach for Hefei - it can be said that among China's provincial capital cities, both in terms of economic scale and In terms of transportation conditions and population size, it can almost be said that the basic conditions of a city are better than those of Hefei!

Looking back at the past and looking at the present, this is a city with the worst basic conditions among provincial capitals. It has developed into an impressive I-type city! Therefore, people who know Hefei will definitely not object to saying that Hefei is a dark horse!

Although Hefei today has become an I-type city in the Yangtze River Delta, it is relatively Compared with Suzhou, Chengdu, Wuhan, Nanjing, Hangzhou, Wuxi, Changsha and Zhengzhou, the gap is still obvious.

In the face of such facts, if Hefei can grow into a first-tier city in China in the future, it is estimated that most people will look sideways and smile - what a nonsense!

However, looking back on the past , go back ten years. At that time, if someone said that Hefei could surpass Nanchang, Fuzhou, Xi'an and Harbin, people's reaction would definitely be sideways smiles! But this is history. I remember that in 1992, when I once said that China would become the second largest economy after the United States in 30 years, almost everyone at that time thought that I was having a high fever and talking nonsense! You know, in 1992 In the second year, as our country was subject to international sanctions, the national economy contracted and the inflation rate was almost desperate. And I was just a 20-year-old young man who didn’t know the heights of the world!

Prediction is always an outlook based on facts. It is entirely possible for Hefei, which is only a second-tier city today, to grow into a first-tier city in the future. Moreover, the time required for this growth process is only about fifteen years! The reasons are as follows:

First, Anhui is a city with six In a large province with a population of over 10 million, only Hefei has the strongest population gathering capacity. Looking back over the past ten years, Hefei's population growth rate ranks second in the country, second only to Chongqing.

Second, in the era of eight vertical and eight horizontal high-speed rail lines, Hefei’s high-speed rail line density is second only to Beijing in the country! The distribution of high-speed rail lines breaks through the “meter” frame and becomes a “clock”-shaped distribution, making Hefei a One of the few national-level railway transportation hubs in the country!

Third, China has gone through a history of low-value-added low-end manufacturing. The development of future cities will be supported by technology and finance-led service industries. The financial services industry led by science and technology is the most vital!

Hefei, as one of the four major science and education cities in my country, is the country's first and currently only science and technology demonstration city, and the country's two major comprehensive science centers. As one of the cities in the world, Hefei has the density of major scientific projects second only to Beijing in the country. Most of the industrial zones that have emerged in Hefei in recent years are based on the transformation of high-end scientific and technological achievements! Hefei has become the city with the fastest economic growth in East China. In the first three quarters of 2017, Hefei's economy ranked second in nominal growth in the country. In the next five years, Hefei will see the birth of several "100 billion" industrial clusters. These industrial clusters are all based on the transformation of high-tech research and development results.

Fourth, in line with the national development positioning and Anhui Province’s efforts to build Hefei into a world-class scientific and technological innovation center, many top or first-class universities in the country have established research institutes in Hefei. Institutions that combine industry, academia and research, or set up branch campuses.

Many domestic institutions have also listed Hefei as one of the top ten cities with the greatest development potential in China, ranking mostly at fifth place.

To sum up, the future development of Hefei into a first-tier city is by no means groundless, nor is it a dream!

Whether Hefei can grow into a first-tier city mainly depends on how to define a first-tier city.

Just imagine, Beijing is the political center, military center, science center, Shanghai is the financial center, the economic center, Shenzhen is the economic center, science and technology center, if Hefei grows into a science center, science and technology center, will Hefei be a first-tier city?

I said this a few years ago and everyone laughed at me. It's clearer now. Hefei currently has three national laboratories, one is in the process of being established, and four more will be pursued in the future. Hefei will really grow into a science and technology center.

The economy can grow explosively. How much GDP will be added to the investment and construction of a factory by a large global company? The latest news is that one of the top ten Israeli chip foundries in the world has settled in Hefei. This is the result of competition among many powerful cities in China. There will be more and more such successful cases in the future. This is the reality. Matthew effect. Those who stand out will concentrate more resources and usher in rapid growth.

Hefei is making great strides towards becoming a first-tier city.

When I saw it, I just analyzed it. I looked at the map of this epidemic again, and I feel... Hubei, where the epidemic is most severe, borders western Anhui, including Henan.

Then across Anhui, Zhejiang and Shanghai in the southeast of Anhui are the most powerful.

For this reason, I would like to commend Anhui for its good management.

However, my perspective on understanding issues is usually different. Could it be understood that not many people go to Anhui, so there are fewer infections?

There is no need to be negative if you don’t help. Just for Anhui friends to think about