New tech transforms historical Tongxiang

A bus with a striking "5G" label operated to and from on the highways of Wuzhen township in Tongxiang, Zhejiang province, on Oct 29, testing the technology that will be put into trial operation during the fifth World Internet Conference, which will be held in the historical water town from Nov 7 to 9.

With 5G technology, a user can download a high-definition movie in just seconds.

New digital technologies aren't just transforming Wuzhen. More than 560 projects related to the digital economy have been introduced into Tongxiang city since the first WIC in 2014, with total planned investment of 37.7 billion yuan ($5.4 billion, 4.7 billion euros, ￡4.2 billion).

Sheng Yongjun, Party chief of Tongxiang, says the internet conference has a deep, all-around influence on the city.

"It is changing Tongxiang not just economically, but also in terms of the local people's way of thinking and lifestyle," he says. "It has become a new trend to learn, to embrace and to share new things."

For example, a newly built factory of local clothing maker Sam Fashion Co will soon begin operating. At the factory, which cost 300 million yuan, more than 300 units of automated equipment are connected to an operating system, and the manager will use a smartphone to monitor operations and control the machinery.

More than 3,300 local companies were served by an online data management system in the first nine months of the year, allowing them to reduce costs by sharing information technology infrastructure and coordinating information in the industry chain.

"With a smarter 'brain', we are more competitive in the market," says Sam Fashion Chairman Zhong Zhixin.

zhangzhao@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily European Weekly 11/02/2018 page1)