Yongzhou expands southward ties with Greater Bay Area

At Zhenghe Farm in Daoxian County, Yongzhou, Hunan province, workers were busy picking, sorting and loading vegetables bound for Hong Kong on May 30, 2026, during the National Economic Media Yongzhou Tour.

Farmers load baskets of eggplants onto a truck. [Photo/WeChat account: yongzhoufabu]

The city's "Southward to the Sea and Beyond" strategy has made it a key supplier to the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. In 2025, Yongzhou exported 671,000 tonnes of vegetables worth 8.23 billion yuan ($1.14 billion), accounting for 70 percent of China's total to Hong Kong and Macao and nearly 90 percent of Hunan's. A mixed-loading supervision model now allows fresh produce to reach Hong Kong via the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge in as little as seven hours.

The strategy has also attracted industrial investment. Hunan Lidu New Materials, a subsidiary of Shenzhen-based Saiweisi Group, produces solid-state electrolyte separators in Ningyuan County. "Our separators prevent battery fires and explosions, and have been certified by top battery makers," said Su Qitao, chairman. Ningyuan now hosts over 80 lithium battery-related firms.

Infrastructure links are tightening. The Shaoyang-Yongzhou High-speed Railway is expected to open in 2027, cutting travel time between the two cities to 30 minutes. Once the Yongzhou-Qingyuan-Guangzhou High-speed Railway is completed, Yongzhou will join the Greater Bay Area's 90-minute economic circle, consolidating its role as Hunan's "South Gate".