On Monday, President Xi Jinping made an inspection tour to Xiong'an New Area in Hebei province and called for the zone to stay firmly aligned with its designated role, urging efforts to turn it into a hub of innovation in the new era and a model of promoting high-quality development.

As a project of immense national significance, Xiong'an New Area has over the past nine years built a relatively solid industrial foundation, put in place a distinctive policy framework and steadily improved its living conditions.

As it now enters a stage in which large-scale construction goes hand in hand with the relocation of non-essential functions from Beijing, Xiong'an faces a pivotal challenge: cultivating an environment that draws in entrepreneurs and families to what has been dubbed the "city of the future".

To truly become an ideal place for young people to start businesses and build their lives, Xiong'an needs to work on three critical areas: entrepreneurship, daily life and culture.

To attract young entrepreneurs, it needs to build a complete and efficient entrepreneurship ecosystem for young people to launch businesses and for Xiong'an to sustain long-term growth and industrial upgrading.

It also needs to have a sound market environment, complete industry chains, effective government support and a stable concentration of innovative talent.

While Xiong'an has done a lot of groundwork in all these areas, those systems still need continuous improvement and the development of a market system with distinctive policy advantages and genuine competitive strengths.

To strengthen this ecosystem, several steps are essential.

Xiong'an needs to accelerate the integration of factor markets across Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei province, and even at the national level, so that production factors can move more freely across regions. This is crucial for building and strengthening industry chains.

Additionally, Xiong'an needs to speed up industrial clustering.

Building on enterprises and projects relocated from Beijing, Xiong'an needs to promote the concentrated development of local firms, focusing on next-generation information technology, new materials, biotechnology, aerospace information, satellite internet and other strategic emerging industries.

Activating market activity is equally important.

Enterprises of all ownership types need to have equal access to production factors and fair participation in competition, so that the vitality of both State-owned and private firms can be fully unleashed.

In the broader push to build a unified national market, Xiong'an can address bottlenecks in bidding, tendering and investment promotion, while curbing "involution-style" competition.

The city also needs to attract more innovative enterprises and scientific talent, and foster industrial chains rooted in original and indigenous innovation.

On top of the groundwork already in place, it needs to better connect technological innovation with industrial innovation so that the two reinforce each other.

Government capacity matters too. What is needed is not only better institutional design but also an updated service mindset.

Hangzhou's "three-on-call" approach — not intervening unless needed, responding when called, and serving thoroughly — is a useful example.

Xiong'an needs to build advantages strong enough to stand out. That also requires officials to adopt a more scientific view of performance in economic work and a sustained commitment to entrepreneurship.

Xiong'an also needs to create a more suitable living environment. Talent is the core factor in industrial development, and young people often have the strongest innovative capacity.

If Xiong'an wants to attract young people, it needs to offer an appealing living environment for this segment of the workforce.

Transport is one area that deserves attention. Connections between the rail system of Xiong'an and its slow-traffic system are not seamless enough.

A three-tier connection model linking rail transit, buses and shared bicycles is a practical option.

It is also worth considering whether buses and shared bikes could be made free or publicly subsidized.

More importantly, Xiong'an could move early in piloting autonomous vehicles and low-altitude aircraft, while also expanding the use of self-driving vehicles in logistics and delivery.

Housing is another major issue. Xiong'an has established a new housing system featuring multiple suppliers, multiple support channels, and both renting and buying, with supply determined by demand and a balance between jobs and housing.

This fits the area's positioning and current population realities.

But if it wants to attract more talent, it could go further by offering phased and targeted rent reductions or mortgage subsidies for newcomers.

Education is equally important. Xiong'an has increased investment in education and is building a modern education system with local characteristics.

However, because the area needs workers of many kinds, some families still face difficulties in getting their children into schools or kindergartens.

Finally, Xiong'an can foster a stronger cultural environment.

A vibrant cultural atmosphere can attract talent.

In some cases, investing in culture can be one of the most effective ways to retain young people.

Xiong'an needs to do more to enrich people's spiritual and cultural lives and to deepen the city's cultural character.

Where financial conditions allow, it can expand cultural venues such as museums, libraries and cultural centers, while hosting more art exhibitions, performances, academic lectures and debate competitions to meet the diverse needs of residents, especially young people.

It also needs to make better use of its own regional traditions, including folk customs, handicrafts, festivals, architecture and traditional Chinese medicine.

Intangible cultural heritage deserves special attention.

Xiong'an has rich resources in this regard, including three national-level intangible cultural heritage items and 306 county-level representative projects.

These traditions can be creatively transformed and integrated into contemporary life, providing young people with a richer cultural environment.

Xiong'an can also do more in cultural tourism and sports events.

By enriching products and experiences, building a friendlier environment and improving convenience, it can become more appealing to young people.

Liu Dongchao is a professor at the Party School of the CPC Central Committee; Lyu Dongsheng is a lecturer at the Party School of the CPC Guye District Committee in Tangshan, Hebei province.

The views don't necessarily represent those of China Daily. 

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