From June 6th to 7th, the 2025 Leading Leaders’ Symposium of the Yangtze River Delta Region was held in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province. Centering on the theme of “Jointly Enhancing the Innovation Capacity of the Yangtze River Delta Region and Better Playing the role of a Driving force for High-Quality Development”, the three provinces and one municipality in the Yangtze River Delta clearly defined new cooperation projects and goals, and will continue to exert efforts in the process of integrated development. In the Central Plains, Zhengzhou City is also exploring new paths in the consumption sector, injecting vitality into economic development.
The integrated development of the Yangtze River Delta has achieved remarkable results. In 2024, its GDP exceeded 33 trillion yuan. In the first quarter of this year, its GDP surpassed 8 trillion yuan, accounting for more than 25% of the national total. It has gathered many strong economic cities and top 100 counties. In the field of transportation, the “Yangtze River Delta on Rails” has been continuously advanced. The operating mileage of railways has exceeded 15,000 kilometers, and the proportion of high-speed rail mileage has exceeded half. It has moved from “interconnection and intercommunication” to “fast connection and fast passage”, promoting the deep integration of resources. The integration of scientific and technological innovation and industrial innovation is accelerating. Shanghai Zhangjiang and Anhui Hefei are creating together. The National Technology Innovation Center in the Yangtze River Delta has incubated numerous achievements. The output value of 26 national advanced manufacturing clusters has risen. In addition, the signing of a series of cooperation agreements has promoted the coordinated development of the Yangtze River Delta in multiple fields, transforming the region’s “soft power” into a “hard support” for development.
Meanwhile, Zhengzhou City has launched innovative measures in the consumer market. From June 7th to 13th, the “Zhenghao Ban” platform of Zhengzhou City, in collaboration with Ganchang Jewelry, launched a special consumption subsidy activity for gold and jewelry, for the first time including the consumption of precious metals in the scope of trade-in. The event site was extremely popular. According to statistics from “Zhenghaoban”, within just three hours of its launch, more than 12,000 people participated. Ms. Zhang, a resident of Zhengzhou, used 30 grams of old gold jewelry and, with the addition of subsidy discounts, only paid a few hundred yuan to get new bracelets and necklaces.
The “401 Free” subsidy policy of this event (0 brand restrictions, 0 gram restrictions, 0 weight gain restrictions, 0 depreciation restrictions and no new product processing fees) and a 15% special subsidy have significantly reduced the cost for consumers to replace their new products. Take a necklace with a processing fee of 35 yuan per gram and a weight of 10 grams as an example. Consumers can exchange it for 10 grams of old gold jewelry for free. If the processing fee for new gold jewelry is higher, only the difference needs to be paid. Purchasing new gold products can also directly enjoy a 15% special subsidy.
This year, China’s gold consumption market has shown a situation of “extreme contrast”. The international gold price has soared, and the domestic price of pure gold jewelry has exceeded 1,000 yuan per gram. However, the consumption end has cooled down. In the first quarter, the consumption of gold jewelry decreased by 26.85% year-on-year. The revenue of many leading enterprises has declined and the number of store closures has increased. Lin Yuxuan, the person in charge of Ganchang Jewelry, said that this event aims to reduce the cost of consumers’ replacement and promote the healthy operation of the gold industry chain.
From a policy perspective, the inclusion of precious metal consumption in the trade-in program by “Zhenghao Ban” this time represents an innovative exploration. As a comprehensive urban service platform, “Zhenghao Ban” has launched over 3,000 service items. This event responds to the policy of “expanding domestic demand and promoting consumption”, aiming to activate the existing gold assets and promote the transformation of the precious metal consumption model from “holding type” to “circulation type”.
Whether it is the continuous deepening of regional coordinated development in the Yangtze River Delta or Zhengzhou’s innovative attempts in the consumption field, they all reflect the efforts made by different regions for economic development. The collaborative innovation and industrial integration in the Yangtze River Delta, as well as the exploration of consumption patterns in Zhengzhou, have all provided valuable references for the national economic development. In the future, the innovative practices of various regions on the path of economic development are worth looking forward to.
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