As the "leader" of Shandong, a major economic province in the country, has Qingdao declined?

Wang Qingxian, then Secretary of the Qingdao Municipal Party Committee, said frankly in his speech at the Two Sessions of Qingdao in 2021, "Only by admitting backwardness can we face shortcomings." At the Two Sessions a year ago, Wang Qingxian also bluntly said, "From the perspective of the pattern of urban competition, as a

As the third city in the north, we have no retreat.” For a long time, Qingdao’s economic development level has been second only to Beijing and Tianjin among northern cities.

However, in recent years, the throne of the "Third City in the North" has been at risk of shifting. Cities such as Xi'an and Zhengzhou have developed rapidly, and their total GDP was once close to Qingdao.

Is Qingdao really falling behind as Secretary Wang said?

Why does Qingdao have no retreat?

In modern times, Qingdao is a city with a glorious history. At one time, like Shanghai and other coastal metropolises, it represented the forerunner of China's industrialization and modernization.

The colonial experience brought hardships to the people of Qingdao, but also brought the seeds of modern industry and modernization, cultivating famous brands such as Tsingtao beer at home and abroad. Qingdao's textile industry and other traditional industries rank among the advanced levels in the Far East. The Jiaoji Railway,

Municipal construction and port facilities are among the best in the country.

In the era of planned economy, Qingdao's industry continued to lead the way.

In the development of urban industry, there was a saying of "going to the sky".

"Shangqingtian" refers to China's three major textile industry bases - Shanghai, Qingdao and Tianjin.

In the early days of the founding of the People's Republic of China, the light textile industry was a pillar industry of the nation and an important factor in determining the urban development pattern.

Which city's textile industry develops well will be able to take the lead in China's urban development competition.

In the mid-1930s, Qingdao had already formed a production system with complete categories and complete industrial chains including yarn spinning, printing and dyeing, and mechanical manufacturing, and its production capacity ranked third in the country.

The textile industry base has also driven Qingdao's economic development. Qingdao's economic ranking has always been at the forefront of the country in the decades after the founding of the People's Republic of China.

In the new era of reform and opening up, Qingdao has actively adjusted its industrial structure.

In 1984, Qingdao was listed as the first batch of 14 coastal open cities, becoming a pioneer in opening up to the outside world.

In the same year, the home appliance brand Haier was officially established. The two little boys wearing swimming trunks (referring to Haier's logo) later developed rapidly under the leadership of Zhang Ruimin and became the "Five Golden Flowers" together with Hisense, Tsingtao Brewery, Double Star, and Aucma.

, ushering in the spring of Qingdao’s manufacturing industry.

These five first-tier brands became very popular in the 1990s and greatly promoted Qingdao's economic development. Qingdao also gained the reputation of "Brand Capital".

At the same time, Qingdao has taken advantage of its geographical advantages to actively develop foreign trade and maritime transportation. It has trade relations with more than 130 countries and regions and more than 450 ports in the world, promoting the development of port trade, marine scientific research and other industries. Qingdao has rapidly grown into a

A city full of vitality.

The blooming of the "Five Golden Flowers" is the result of Qingdao's successful industrial transformation and has created Qingdao's sustained prosperity in the past three decades.

However, in recent years, compared with the Pearl River Delta and Yangtze River Delta metropolises that have experienced successful industrial transformation and upgrading and urban renewal and growth, Qingdao no longer looks so dazzling, and even feels lonely.

At present, although the old "Five Golden Flowers" are still active in the domestic market, their influence and market competitiveness are not as good as in the past. Will there be "Five Golden Fruits" after the "Five Golden Flowers" to continue to drive Qingdao's industry?

develop?

In addition, with the rise of tertiary industries such as the Internet and finance, Qingdao's industrial structure is still dominated by traditional manufacturing, and economic growth is inevitably weak.

Let's look at some data.

Since 1990, Qingdao's GDP has ranked between 9th and 15th in the country. From 2005 to 2010, it was the golden period of Qingdao's development. It ranked among the top ten in the country, and even ranked first in the country in 2008.

A good score of nine.

However, since 2010, Qingdao’s ranking has fallen out of the top ten and has never been in the top ten since then.

In 2016, although Qingdao joined Nanjing in the "trillion club" at the same time, its ranking has been overtaken; in 2019, although Qingdao's GDP still exceeded one trillion.

But on the one hand, it was surpassed by Wuxi and Ningbo, and its ranking dropped from 12th to 14th; on the other hand, the GDP difference between Zhengzhou and Qingdao, which followed closely behind, was only about 15.161 billion yuan. Zhengzhou is far away from its status as the "Third City in the North"

Just one step away.