Changzhou: Time Is Money, Efficiency Is Life

A quick story: this city runs multiple “key enterprise services” WeChat groups, with top municipal and district leaders alongside the CEOs of its priority companies. One night just before midnight, an entrepreneur posted an urgent plea for help in the group. Within ten minutes, the relevant department had two different plans ready, and the issue was resolved quickly.

Given that kind of efficiency, a loss-making company in Luoyang felt confident accepting a buyout—and went public in under five years, with its market cap repeatedly surpassing 60 billion yuan.

GDP doubles in 10 years: how this second-tier city quietly built its wealth