Three major events have occurred in succession, and Guangzhou has regained its vitality.

Recently, there has been an event in the Chinese scientific and technological community that is both extremely astonishing and rather tragic.

Starting from November 5th, a jaw - dropping video circulated in the tech circle. A humanoid robot named Iron made its debut in Guangzhou and walked a very smooth catwalk. However, due to its excessive realism and lack of mechanical feel, it was suspected of being "played by a real person".

As the creator of Iron, He Xiaopeng, the boss of XPeng Motors, felt quite aggrieved. To respond to the doubts, he posted a one - take video the next morning, asking the team to unzip the back of the robot to show its internal structure. But this move still failed to quell the online doubts.

So, that evening, at a press conference, He Xiaopeng arranged for the staff to cut open the "skin" and "muscles" of the robot's left calf to show Iron's mechanical structure again. He Xiaopeng said somewhat sadly, "I hope this is the last time a robot has to prove that it is itself."

Therefore, this is also regarded as "the most tragic self - proof in the history of robot development". He Xiaopeng said that this "self - proof" reminded him of the plot of "cutting open the abdomen to prove the flour" in the movie "Let the Bullets Fly". He sighed that many people are reluctant to believe that an extremely powerful technology can come from a Chinese startup.

He Xiaopeng's video also got a response from Elon Musk. He not only liked the video about XPeng's robot but also said, "Tesla and Chinese companies will dominate the market. I have great respect for Chinese competitors. There are many smart and hard - working people in China."

Driven by the continuous rise in performance and the popularity of the robot, the market value of XPeng Motors reached HK$202.189 billion, surpassing NIO (HK$125.673 billion), Li Auto (HK$159.775 billion), and Chery (HK$178.324 billion), and getting very close to SERES (HK$208.3 billion).

Truly worthy of being 'the hope of the whole village in Guangzhou', XPeng Motors has really performed well this year.

Now that I've written this far, what are your thoughts?

The city of Guangzhou is by no means limited to the stereotypical labels of morning tea, slippers, rent - collecting, and a laid - back lifestyle that people often mention. It also has very cutting - edge future industries, as well as the strength and ambition to stand at the forefront of global technology. This will help to change people's stereotypical impression of Guangzhou.

And Tianhe District deserves a lot of credit for this change in impression. Because a large part of Guangzhou's future industries are in Tianhe. One is the Internet. Tianhe is undoubtedly the 'cradle' of Guangzhou's Internet industry. A large number of Internet companies such as NetEase, WeChat, Kugou Music, UC, JOYY, and 37 Interactive Entertainment all originated from Tianhe.

The other is artificial intelligence and high - end manufacturing. For example, XPeng in car - making, XAG and EHang in drone - making, and Pactera Technology in smart city transportation and artificial intelligence are also all based in Tianhe.

For a long time, Guangzhou has often been questioned for "having no new economy", but every time, Tianhe steps forward and gives a tough answer. No wonder some people say that it is Tianhe that has revitalized Guangzhou.

The second thing is about the recognition of Guangzhou in top - level design.

On November 9th, the opening ceremony of the 15th National Games was held in Guangzhou. This is a high - level recognition of Guangzhou's urban status and event - hosting ability, and it also once again highlights Guangzhou's position as the core city in the Guangdong - Hong Kong - Macao Greater Bay Area.

It is worth mentioning that for the opening ceremony of this National Games, no new venue was built. Instead, like the 9th National Games, Tianhe was still chosen, specifically the Guangdong Olympic Sports Center.

Many people may not have noticed that this is already the fourth "handshake" between Tianhe and national - level and world - class comprehensive sports events. From the 6th National Games to the 9th National Games, from the 2010 Asian Games to the current 15th National Games, Tianhe has always been the "top choice" for Guangzhou and even Guangdong Province to host the opening ceremonies of top - level events.

Some people may ask, "Isn't it just hosting an opening ceremony? Is it that difficult?" In fact, hosting large - scale events can be regarded as an 'ultimate test of urban governance'.

Taking the National Games as an example, venue support alone involves the facility maintenance and safety inspections of multiple competition and training venues. From the screws of a single seat and the brightness of a single light to the power supply of the venue and the planning of emergency exits, not the slightest mistake is allowed.

Event support is even more complicated. The traffic control of tens of thousands of spectators, the food safety of surrounding restaurants, the rapid response of medical emergency services, and the precise scheduling of volunteers. Each link is like a gear in a precision instrument, and not the slightest error can occur in any link.

Such pressure and challenges are not something that an ordinary administrative district can bear.

With three National Games and one Asian Games, Tianhe has passed the 'ultimate test' time and time again, which fully shows that Tianhe District and Guangzhou City have first - class urban management experience, cross - departmental coordination ability, and stress - resistance ability.

The third thing is directly related to capital's confidence in Guangzhou.

On November 7th, there was also an astonishing event in the Chinese real estate market.

A luxury housing project located on the Pearl River in Guangzhou sold 236 luxury houses on the opening day, with a sales amount of up to 10.6 billion yuan, averaging 45 million yuan per unit.

The media exclaimed that this year's first real estate project in the country to exceed 10 billion yuan in sales on the opening day is not in Beijing, Shanghai, or Shenzhen, but in Guangzhou.

Against the backdrop of a sluggish real estate market, the popularity of this project not only boosts the morale of the Guangzhou real estate market but also gives a boost to the national real estate market. A friend in the real estate circle said that his peers in Shenyang are even posting on their WeChat Moments to ride on the popularity of this project in Guangzhou.

Confidence is the most important!

The emergence of this project also shows two things:

First, the market is never short of purchasing power; it is only short of good products. This project proves Guangzhou's excellent innovation ability in the high - end real estate field.

Second, capital's confidence in Guangzhou remains strong. Because high - end luxury houses are highly tied to the city's value. Super - rich people snapping up luxury houses in Guangzhou is the most sincere vote of trust for Guangzhou. The persuasion of real money is far stronger than the online trolls.

This article is from the WeChat official account "Urban Warfare", written by the Sun Bushu team and published by 36Kr with authorization.