Jining, known as an important cradle of Chinese culture and Confucianism, has made significant progress in building a moderately prosperous society in all respects, officials said at a news conference held by the Information Office of Shandong Provincial Government on Nov 1.

Covering an area of 11,000 square kilometers with a population of 8.9 million, Jining generated 449.43 billion yuan ($70.25 billion) in regional gross domestic product in 2020.

The city has been accelerating the cultivation of its advanced manufacturing clusters for high-end equipment, chemicals, new-generation information technology, new energy, new materials and modern medicine. 

In 2020, the city was home to 614 high-tech enterprises, double the number in 2017. More than 300 new high-tech enterprises are expected to be set up by the end of this year.

The local government has also been working to enhance the city's business environment by improving government services, delegating more administrative power and streamlining administrative procedures.

The city currently has 880,000 market entities, including 57 Fortune Global 500 companies with a combined investment of $12 billion.

In addition, Jining has attached great importance to promoting traditional Chinese culture. The Nishan Sacred Land has become a new landmark cultural site in Shandong province and held several big events such as the Nishan Forum on World Civilizations and the International Confucius Cultural Festival.

Twenty-three top Confucianism researchers have gathered in Jining and have achieved outstanding academic results, enhancing Jining's global clout in Confucianism research, exchange and development.

In addition, Jining has highlighted the people-centered philosophy in economic and social development. All of the 238,900 registered impoverished people in the city were lifted out of poverty by 2020.

During the 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20) period, the city renovated, expanded and built 316 schools, created 283,000 education quotas, and accelerated the construction of five public health service centers with a total investment of 7 billion yuan.

Free buses and non-profit canteens have proved popular among people, who have gained an increasing sense of happiness and safety.