XIONG’AN, Hebei – Just more than 100km south-west of Beijing in neighbouring Hebei province is Xiong’an, a special economic area designed to take over some of the capital’s non-government functions in a bid to ease overcrowding and spread out development.
An ambitious urban planning project built on former farmland, it aims to become a special economic zone that is on a par with Shenzhen and Pudong in Shanghai.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has taken special interest in the planning and development of the area – dubbed a project of “millennial significance” – visiting thrice since it was announced in 2017.