China Daily Focus on Hunan | Beneath Yuelu Mountain, Innovation Surges: Changsha Accelerates Its Drive Toward a Global R&D Hub City

Editor’s Note: On January 27, China Daily published a multi-page special feature titled “At the Foot of Yuelu Mountain, a Wave of Innovation and Technology: Changsha Accelerates Its Journey Toward Becoming a Global R&D Hub,” which highlights how Changsha is firmly committed to its goal of becoming a world-class R&D center. By leveraging the driving force of major scientific research platforms, harnessing technological innovation to strengthen its modern industrial system, connecting with global innovation resources, and cultivating an exceptional ecosystem that serves as a powerful magnet for businesses and talent, the city is achieving deep integration between human capital and urban innovation.

January 27, 2026, China Daily, pages 6–7.

Since sounding the call to build a global hub for research and development, Changsha has steadily advanced on the path of high-quality development, driven by technological innovation, underpinned by industrial upgrading, and anchored in open cooperation, resulting in a marked enhancement of the city’s innovation capacity.

According to the global ranking of research cities published by Nature, Changsha has risen to 23rd place; in the World Intellectual Property Organization’s Global Innovation Index 2025 report, Changsha climbed to 44th among the top 100 global innovation clusters. Meanwhile, in the “Top 100 Chinese Cities for Innovation Capability” ranking, Changsha placed ninth.

A key driver of scientific and technological innovation is the large-scale R&D platforms, which have played a pivotal role in propelling Changsha toward its goal of becoming a global R&D hub.

At present, Changsha has been approved to establish the nation’s first National Technology Innovation Center in the field of mineral resources. Under Hunan Province’s “4+4 Science and Technology Innovation Project,” all projects based in Changsha have entered full-scale operational phases, bringing together more than 4,100 talent teams and yielding over 100 major scientific research achievements. Established in 2022, the Xiangjiang Laboratory has cumulatively obtained more than 211 national invention patents and released 26 groundbreaking technological innovations in areas such as large-scale artificial intelligence models, embodied intelligent robotics, and brain-inspired intelligence.

Numerous leading enterprises have established R&D centers in Changsha, including Huawei, which has set up the HarmonyOS Ecosystem Innovation Center. Emerging innovation hubs such as Songya Lake Future Science City, Malanshan Video and Cultural Creativity Industrial Park, and Kaifu Science and Technology Valley are actively attracting projects and investment, injecting fresh momentum into the city’s technological prowess and high‑quality development.

Changsha boasts six manufacturing industries, each with an output value exceeding 100 billion yuan, including construction machinery, new materials, and electronic information. Among the world’s top 50 construction machinery manufacturers, five are based in Changsha: SANY Heavy Industry, Zoomlion, Sunward Intelligent Equipment, China Railway Construction Heavy Industry, and Xingbang Intelligent Equipment. For 15 consecutive years, Changsha has maintained the leading position nationwide in the scale of its construction machinery industry.

Sany Heavy Industry, headquartered in Changsha, is a leading Chinese manufacturer of construction machinery.

Relying on technological innovation, Changsha is accelerating the development of a modern industrial system, driving the upgrading and structural optimization of industrial clusters, and speeding up the transition of growth drivers. Its manufacturing sector is exhibiting a clear trend toward intelligent, green, and digital transformation.

In terms of intelligentization, the “Smart Empowerment for All Enterprises” initiative is being advanced in depth. During the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021–2025), Changsha has cumulatively been recognized as home to 11 world-class smart factories, and Zoomlion was included on the 2025 list of pilot projects for leading‑level smart factories—a national roster of just 15, with Changsha being the sole representative from Hunan Province. The city has also cultivated more than 720 pilot enterprises for intelligent manufacturing, bringing the total to 1,767, and has nurtured 13 national‑level demonstration factories that have successfully taken up challenge‑based projects. According to a responsible official at the Changsha Municipal Bureau of Industry and Information Technology, Changsha not only prioritizes the tangible outcomes of digital transformation for each enterprise but also integrates the strengths of government, industry, and research institutions to drive digital transformation in a comprehensive and sustained manner.

To date, the city has established 98 national-level green factories and eight national-level green industrial parks, underscoring its commitment to sustainable development.

In addition, leveraging 56 provincial-level industrial internet platforms, the city has established a comprehensive industrial internet platform ecosystem, connecting over 3 million industrial devices and serving more than 100,000 enterprises.

Zoomlion’s construction machinery products are exported overseas.

In the fields of emerging and future industries, Changsha has also made significant progress. From January to August 2025, the city’s automobile output exceeded 600,000 vehicles, with 80% being new-energy vehicles. In November 2025, the Hunan Embodied Intelligence Innovation Center was put into operation.

With a global outlook, Changsha is committed to expanding its openness and integrating into the international innovation network. The city has introduced a series of preferential policies to attract overseas R&D projects and encourage enterprises to expand their international operations. For example, Hunan Iron & Steel Group has signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Luxembourg’s steel giant ArcelorMittal to establish a global automotive‑steel R&D center in Hunan; meanwhile, Germany’s Kleiberit Group has invested 200 million yuan to set up its Asia‑Pacific R&D hub and a hot‑melt adhesive production base in Ningxiang.

More “Made in Changsha” products are expanding into the international market. Yingfeng Environment’s sanitation equipment has been successfully exported to over 60 countries and regions worldwide, including Europe, Southeast Asia, the Americas, and Africa, with more than 230,000 units operating reliably around the globe. On the eve of the New Year, fireworks manufactured in Liuyang, Hunan, became bestsellers in German supermarkets, prompting residents to line up as early as 4 a.m. to snap them up.

Changsha has established an International Advisory Committee for the construction of a Global R&D Center and maintains scientific and technological exchanges with more than 40 countries and regions. Numerous high-level academic events such as the Yuelu Summit and the World Computing Conference are regularly held in Changsha. At the 2025 World Computing Conference, the top ten annual innovations in the field of computing were released, and the top ten trends expected to shape computing in 2026 were forecast. Since its founding in 2019, the conference has witnessed project signings totaling 78 billion yuan, strongly promoting the development of Changsha’s computing industry.

Creating a “strong magnetic field” for businesses and talent.

Changsha is increasingly becoming a powerful magnet for businesses and talent, thanks to its well-developed industrial ecosystem and favorable development environment.

In February 2024, the global R&D center of Shenzhen Magmite Electric Co., Ltd. was officially opened in Changsha, with a total investment of 600 million yuan. Headquartered in Shenzhen, Guangdong, the company has expanded its operations to more than 30 countries and regions, including the United States, Germany, and Thailand. From 2013 to 2025, the company's compound annual growth rate of revenue is nearly 30%, and its R&D investment has accounted for over 10% of sales revenue for many consecutive years.

The R&D center employs 1,200 researchers and operates more than 20 specialized laboratories, striving to become a world‑leading hub for the development and testing of power electronics components and system software, while also driving regional economic growth.

Shenzhen Magmite Changsha Global R&D Center.

“What drew us to Changsha was its thriving industrial ecosystem, abundant talent pool, and forward-looking development strategy,” said Director Fang Wanglin. Changsha is home to several Chinese construction machinery giants, including Sany and Zoomlion, all of which have established close collaborative relationships with Megmeet.

“Geographic proximity enables us to enhance communication with our customers and deliver tailored solutions. The center also collaborates seamlessly with our global manufacturing base in Zhuzhou, Hunan, jointly supporting the growth of our worldwide operations,” he said.

Fang Wanglin stated that the company is currently advancing the construction of Phase II and Phase III of its R&D center and expanding its industrial chain, with the aim of implementing a strategic layout of “R&D in Changsha, manufacturing in Hunan, and applications worldwide.”

Local officials stated that enterprises and talent are the cornerstones of Changsha’s innovation ecosystem and the key strengths that enable the city to establish R&D centers. The Changsha municipal government has introduced a series of preferential policies to attract college graduates, encourage youth entrepreneurship, and drive corporate innovation.

Hunan University, in collaboration with Zhongnan Intelligent Equipment Co., Ltd. and several other local enterprises, has jointly established the National Engineering Research Center for Robot Vision Perception and Control Technology.

AGV logistics system of Zhongnan Intelligent Equipment Co., Ltd.

“We collaborate with the center on key projects and offer internship programs for students at Hunan University, aiming to cultivate more industry‑ready professionals,” said Zhu Libo, Deputy General Manager of Changsha Changtai Robot Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of Central South Intelligence.

Guo Dongni, from Jilin Province, is one of the interns. While pursuing a master’s degree in control engineering at Hunan University in 2018, she began an internship with the company. During her two-year internship, Guo Dongni participated in the intelligent upgrade project for cement bagging machines. Under the guidance of professors and the company’s engineers, she spent extended periods on the production floor fine-tuning the equipment, achieving notable results.

“Over the past two years, I’ve come to deeply realize that R&D cannot be conducted in isolation; only by engaging directly with the front lines can researchers identify industry pain points and address them,” said Guo Dongni.

After graduation, Guo Dongni chose to join the company and currently serves as the deputy chief engineer of its High-End Equipment Division. In September this year, at the age of 30, she was awarded the “Master Craftsman of a Great Country” title by the All-China Federation of Trade Unions.

Over the past decade, the city has experienced a net population inflow of one million people, 80% of whom are young adults.

Guo Dongni stated that Changsha is open and inclusive, providing young people with a platform to pursue their dreams, while they, in turn, can draw boundless motivation from its vibrant industrial ecosystem. “I look forward to growing together with the company and the city,” she said.

Major research platforms drive industrial innovation.

Guo Dongcai, 61, is a professor at the School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering of Hunan University. However, his work extends beyond the laboratory: as a senior technical expert and technology manager at the Yuelu Mountain Industrial Innovation Center, he has visited numerous petrochemical enterprises across Hunan Province.

The Yuelu Mountain Industrial Innovation Center was established in Changsha, Hunan, in 2023. It comprises four laboratories—smart manufacturing, industrial design, inspection and testing, and food engineering and safety—and eight research departments. The center’s core mission is to advance R&D in Hunan’s industrial sector and support enterprises in driving technological innovation.

“Our technical manager’s role is to serve as a bridge between researchers and enterprises. We thoroughly understand the technical challenges faced by companies and facilitate connections with the relevant research teams to collaboratively address these issues,” Guo Dongcai explained.

In 2024, during a visit to Changde New Materials Technology Co., Ltd. in Yueyang, Hunan, Guo learned that the company sought to optimize the production process for alcohol ether products. Subsequently, he facilitated a collaboration between the company and the research team led by Professor Luo Xiao at Hunan University.

After more than half a year of joint research efforts, the project has made significant progress: both production material usage and energy consumption indicators have been reduced, and production efficiency has been effectively improved. Company staff said the firm is currently advancing a second-phase R&D project with Professor Luo’s team. If progress continues smoothly, once the project is put into production it is expected to save the company nearly 10 million yuan (about USD 1.41 million) in costs annually.

So far, the center has staffed more than 50 technical managers who have provided services to 2,593 enterprises in the province. "Large enterprises already have stable cooperative resources, so our technical managers focus more on small and medium-sized enterprises. By solving the technical bottlenecks of SMEs, we help Hunan's industries achieve transformation and upgrading," said Deputy Director Yu Jinqing. The center plans to expand the technical manager team to 100 people, enabling more university professors to bring their expertise directly into factory workshops.

In addition, the center has partnered with the Hunan Provincial Department of Industry and Information Technology to establish an online matchmaking platform, facilitating collaboration between enterprises and expert teams. Yu explained that registered companies can post their technological needs and identify suitable experts on the platform, while domestic and international expert teams can leverage it to accelerate the commercialization and implementation of research findings.

Official data show that in 2024, the center identified 2,422 technology needs submitted by 1,683 enterprises, signed research collaboration agreements with 121 companies, and secured collaborative funding totaling RMB 234 million. In addition, addressing common technological challenges across key industries in Hunan Province, the center launched 40 targeted research projects, yielding a cumulative total of 22 scientific and technological achievements and developing nine new products.

Among them, in the research project on air-floating dynamic pressure bearing technology, the center collaborated with CRRC Zhuzhou Electric Locomotive Co., Ltd. to successfully develop multiple air-suspended high-speed centrifugal blowers of different power ratings; the related products have already been exported to several Southeast Asian countries.

Local officials stated that in recent years, Changsha has been accelerating the development of major research platforms, strengthening the coordinated synergy between scientific and technological innovation and industrial innovation, and making every effort to advance toward its goal of becoming a global R&D hub.

The intelligent robot developed by the Xiangjiang Laboratory is currently in operation.

Established in 2022, the Xiangjiang Laboratory has partnered with industry leaders such as Unitree Robotics to jointly set up more than 30 innovation research institutes. The National Supercomputing Center in Changsha offers 200 Pflops of AI‑specific computing power and an equivalent of 1,000 Pflops in AI‑related performance, driving the integrated development of supercomputing and intelligent computing.

In 2025, Changsha City will add 825 new innovation platforms, bringing the total to 4,336; meanwhile, the city’s 16 innovation research institutes will have commercialized 291 research outcomes and incubated and nurtured 64 technology‑based start-ups.

(Edited by Zhu Youfang, China Daily Hunan Bureau)