"Yizhuang, also known as e-town, is a place of fortune," said some older people in Beijing. They watched as it developed from a little village into an integrated facility for mobile communications and the e-information industries since its founding in 1992,

The first 12-inch integrated circuit was produced in e-town. As well, the nation's first liquid crystal display (LCD) production line went into operation in the area and the first battery using proton exchange was manufactured in the zone.

E-town has played a crucial role accelerating the speed of the reform in the city. Its remarkable performance is reflected in electronic information engineering, bio-medicine and auto making facilities.

In 2007, new technology products valued at 230 million yuan were produced each day in the area and exported to a number of overseas countries and regions.

The average production value of each worker last year reached 340,000 yuan, according to statistics from the local administration while investment averaged 65 million yuan a day. Each hectare of land in the area has $11 million in investment, produces 186 million yuan in product value and generates revenues of 7.922 million yuan.

A number of foreign companies including Nokia, DHL and Pharmaron have established their headquarters or logistic centers in the area, so the local government has made intensive efforts to improve support services and provide a better industrial environment.

While eager to attract investment and ease unemployment, e-town has required sustainable development. Hi-tech industries now account for 85 percent of the area's annual GDP.

More than 300 enterprises now have research and development centers in the area and the transfer rate of high technology has reached 80 percent of products. More than 3,000 patent applications, more than 60 percent of them inventions, have been filed by the zone's hi-tech firms.

Due to e-town's location in Beijing, the area has attracted a large number of investors that comply with stringent rules of resource efficiency and pollution.

In August 2006, rules became even stricter for energy saving and apply water recycling. At present, each 10,000 of GDP requires 0.14 ton of coal, one-fifth the average in Beijing.

From 2005 to 2007, the coverage of industrial use land increased by 13.9 percent, which brought an increase of 43.1 percent GDP, 37.8 percent gross industrial output and 60.4 percent in revenue.

E-town also enjoys a convenient transportation network.

It takes 30 minutes from the area in the southeast of Beijing to Zhongguancun, the China's "Silicon Valley in the northwest of the city by subway line 5. To Beijing Capital Airport is a 30 minutes' drive. E-town is also the first stop of the Beijing-Tianjin Inter-city Express Railway in Beijing section and it takes 30 minutes from Tianjin port to the development area.

Although the Beijing economical and technological development area was established ten years later than the first batch State-level development areas in 1980s, its rapid development has shown its potential to the public.

(China Daily 09/27/2008 page20)