The regional GDP of Tianhe district has been ranking first in Guangzhou over the past 10 years, rising from 239.48 billion yuan ($35.45 billion) in 2012 to 601.22 billion yuan in 2021.

By the end of 2021, there were 486,000 enterprises in Tianhe, of which 7,380 were enterprises above designated size, both ranking first in Guangzhou. The number of technology enterprises in the district reached 118,000 and that of high-tech enterprises was 2,995, both the most in the city.

Keyun Road, known as the "No 1 game street in China," is now home to more than 20 well-known game companies at home and abroad, such as NetEase and 37 Interactive Entertainment, with a total market value of over 100 billion yuan.

Tianhe district. [Photo/WeChat account: tianhefabu]

Finance has become the largest industry in the district. Guangzhou International Financial City, which started construction in 2012 and was included the Guangzhou Artificial Intelligence and Digital Economy Pilot Zone in 2020, is a new growth driver for the high-quality development of the finance industry.

The Tianhe Road Business Circle, renowned as the "No 1 business circle in South China," has gathered 23 commercial carriers, over 300 international brands, and 227 first stores in Guangzhou. The Tianhe Road-Zhujiang New Town business circle is being built into a world-class one by the district.

Rich university resources are one of the reasons why Tianhe has been developing so quickly. There are 26 colleges and universities in the district, as well as 50 scientific research institutions and 10 national-level key laboratories.

Tianhe has also been improving its service platforms and systems. The International Guangzhou Science and Technology Achievement Transformation Tianhe Base was put into operation in 2020, which can provide enterprises with comprehensive services for innovation and entrepreneurship that covers technology, capital, marketing, talents, as well as venues.

By the end of 2021, there were 225 incubators and makerspaces in Tianhe.