During the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-25), Tai'an in Shandong province has achieved a strong start in building a modern socialist city. [Photo by Chen Yang/for chinadaily.com.cn]

During the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-25), Tai'an in Shandong province has achieved a strong start in building a modern socialist city, driven by advances in new industrialization, ecological protection, cultural tourism integration, and rural vitalization.

The city's GDP grew from 284.47 billion yuan ($40.04 billion) in 2020 to 362.21 billion yuan in 2024, with an average annual growth rate of 5.8 percent. It ranked third in Shandong with a 6.1 percent growth in the first three quarters of this year. Its per capita GDP is expected to exceed $10,000 by 2025.

Value-added of industries above designated size grew 9.3 percent annually, while industrial and technological transformation investments led the province. It has nurtured 20 national manufacturing champions and 65 national "little giant" enterprises — specialized, high-tech small and medium-sized firms. Digital transformation has reached 91.1 percent of industrial enterprises, placing Tai'an among China's top 100 digital economies.

The modern service sector of the city has gained new vitality, which contributed 51.2 percent to its GDP, with 630 enterprises above designated size, which is 2.9 times the 2020 figure.

In the past five years, Tai'an's integrated cultural and tourism development boosted tourism. Tourist arrivals in Tai'an surged from 50.4 million in 2020 to 86.28 million in 2024, while tourism revenue jumped from 48.21 billion yuan to 83.87 billion yuan. For two consecutive years, Taishan Mountain has welcomed over 8 million visitors.

Tech innovation is powering Tai'an's recent growth. Its R&D spending reached 10.12 billion yuan last year, accounting for 2.79 percent of GDP. The number of high-tech enterprises hit 1,014, with high-tech industrial output representing 66.8 percent of the total. The city climbed to 68th in China's most innovative city rankings.

Additionally, urban-rural development advanced, with the urbanization rate of permanent residents reaching 66.7 percent. Infrastructure improvements included 580 kilometers of expressways and new rail and port projects.

During the period, Tai'an has steped up efforts in reform and opening-up, with 592,000 market entities — 99,000 more than in 2020. Tai'an also ranked among China's top 100 foreign trade cities.

Tai'an is making strong progress in green, low-carbon development. By building an ecological shield around its natural treasures, the city has become a provincial leader in the Yellow River Basin strategy. Its air and water quality rank among the best in the province.

Tai'an is also emerging as a powerhouse in energy storage and lithium, with over 5.5 gigawatts of storage capacity under construction or operation — ranking first in the province. Clean energy now accounts for 65.7 percent of its power capacity. By the end of 2024, energy and water consumption per unit of GDP had dropped significantly by 21.1 percent and 27.7 percent, respectively.