How did Anhui, once seen as a "low-lying area", turn the tables?

According to Anhui Daily, on June 3rd, a mobilization meeting to support the all - round revitalization of northern Anhui was held in Hefei. Liang Yanshun, Secretary of the Anhui Provincial Party Committee, attended and delivered a speech, emphasizing the need for precise policies and continuous efforts to promote the integrated development of new - type industrialization, urbanization, and rural revitalization in northern Anhui, achieve breakthroughs, and lead the all - round and accelerated development of the economy and society, so as to keep up with the high - quality development pace of the Yangtze River Delta integration.

It was pointed out at the meeting that currently, multiple policies for the development of northern Anhui are overlapping, and the development momentum is accelerating. It is necessary to give full play to comparative advantages, cultivate and develop emerging pillar industries, make forward - looking arrangements for future industries, transform and upgrade traditional industries, actively develop modern service industries, and develop new - quality productive forces according to local conditions to accelerate the construction of a modern industrial system. It is necessary to enhance the comprehensive carrying capacity, vigorously develop the county - level economy, shoulder the responsibility for food security, and promote the integrated development of urban and rural areas. It is necessary to continuously deepen reforms, optimize the business environment, and actively integrate into the Yangtze River Delta integration. It is necessary to do everything possible to stabilize employment and increase income, improve the level of public services, accelerate the all - round green transformation of economic and social development, effectively prevent and resolve risks in key areas, and continuously enhance the people's sense of gain, happiness, and security.

 Interpretation: Traditionally, Anhui is divided into northern Anhui, southern Anhui, and the area along the Yangtze River in Anhui. Northern Anhui includes six cities: Huaibei, Bozhou, Suzhou, Bengbu, Fuyang, and Huainan, as well as Mingguang City, Fengyang County, and Dingyuan County in Chuzhou, and Huoqiu County in Lu'an.

Image source: "Anhui Provincial Territorial Spatial Plan (2021 - 2035)"

Affected by natural conditions and historical factors, the development of northern Anhui has lagged behind in the regional pattern of Anhui and the Yangtze River Delta for a long time. Data shows that northern Anhui accounts for nearly 40% of Anhui's land area and about half of the population, but its total GDP only accounts for 30%, and the per - capita GDP is significantly lower than the provincial average.

In order to promote the development of northern Anhui, as early as 2001, Anhui established a coordination group to accelerate the development of northern Anhui and issued the "Several Opinions on Further Accelerating the Economic Development of Northern Anhui". Since then, a series of measures such as four "10 - point plans" and north - south paired cooperation have been successively implemented, aiming to pull northern Anhui onto the "development express train" of the whole province and even the Yangtze River Delta. However, after more than 20 years, the backward situation in northern Anhui has not really changed.

In 2025, Anhui's GDP reached 5.2989 trillion yuan, a year - on - year increase of 5.5%. Among the 16 cities in the province, 6 cities failed to outperform the provincial average growth rate, and 4 of them are in northern Anhui, including Bozhou (4.8%), Suzhou (4.7%), Huainan (4.6%), and Huaibei (2.8%).

"Without the leap - forward development of northern Anhui, there will be no leap - forward development of the whole province." For Anhui, northern Anhui is of top priority for the province's advancement, and it is also the "shortest shortcoming" that must be made up for in the high - quality integration of the Yangtze River Delta. Promoting "the economic growth rate of northern Anhui to be higher than the provincial average" has also been written into the main goals of Anhui's 14th Five - Year Plan.

To this end, Anhui is making efforts to promote the "two accelerations" in northern Anhui, namely, accelerating breakthroughs in new - type industrialization and urbanization and leading the all - round and accelerated development of the economy and society.

In recent years, Anhui has established a provincial - level industrial task force to promote the construction of four major key industrial clusters in northern Anhui, including new - energy vehicles and parts, new energy, new materials, and green food.

Recently, when replying to the suggestion of a deputy to the Anhui Provincial People's Congress on "increasing support for the construction of industrial clusters in northern Anhui", the Anhui Provincial Department of Industry and Information Technology stated that it will focus on key industries, make full use of mechanisms such as the paired cooperation and assistance between cities in Shanghai, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang and cities in northern Anhui, support cities in northern Anhui such as Fuyang to actively undertake industrial transfer from the Yangtze River Delta, and promote the extension, supplementation, and strengthening of industrial chains. It will implement the "dual investment promotion and talent introduction" and industrial cultivation actions, cultivate more high - tech enterprises and specialized and sophisticated "little giants" in northern Anhui, support the integration of industrial chains, improve and strengthen characteristic industrial clusters in county - level manufacturing, and accelerate the creation of more advanced manufacturing clusters.

This article is from the WeChat public account "City Evolution Theory", written by Liu Yanmei, and is published by 36Kr with authorization.