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Opportunities plentiful

Initial success in alleviating Beijing's noncapital functions can be seen already, with landmark resettlement projects happening one after another.

Central State-owned enterprises, including China Satellite Network Group Co, China Huaneng Group Co, Sinochem Holdings Co, and China Mineral Resources Group Co, have either fully moved to the new area or are speeding up construction and renovations of office buildings.

Beyond State-led relocations, market-driven projects are also gaining momentum, such as the China Telecom Smart City Industrial Park, a complex that integrates research and development offices, technology services, operational management, and lifestyle amenities.

In 2024, a total of 47 new central enterprises' secondary and tertiary subsidiaries and more than 300 various central enterprise branches based themselves in the new area, according to local government statistics, forming a favorable situation for the continuous advancement of resettlement.

These transferred subsidiaries and branches, whether listed for relocation or market-driven, are rapidly multiplying in Xiong'an. And their employees, far from being marginalized, have instead found new work and research opportunities.

As a researcher in new energy-storage technologies, Chen is pleased that the new area can facilitate research-centered companies, like his, development of large laboratories.

"Having a lab is crucial for us. While in Beijing, we had been expecting a lab, it seemed challenging," Chen said.

But in the first year in Xiong'an, his company has already started construction of a 2,000-square-meter lab in Zangang, a pilot base planned by the new area's government.

"We researchers are looking forward to it," he said.

Despite Xiong'an's appeal, Chen faces personal challenges.

"My wife has a stable career in Beijing, so it's not easy for her to decide changing her job. Meanwhile, her parents who have lived with us for years to help take care of the child, are used to life in Beijing, including the neighborhood and their friends," he said.

Chen, who has lived in the capital for almost 20 years and plans to gradually relocate his whole family to Xiong'an, said "I have to take it slowly".

"I'm working hard to buy an apartment, and it makes me anxious when properties are quickly snapped up by others," Chen said, adding that the new area's urban planning and modern design concepts make him feel comfortable and offer inspiration.

According to Chen, the housing in the new area is in high demand as more people are moving there because of the city's appeal. "It seems that everyone is very optimistic about the city's development," he said.