Huangpu District of Guangzhou and Other Urban Areas Named “International Narrative Innovation Districts”

On December 11, the 5th China Cities International Communication Forum, jointly hosted by Reference News and the Xinhua News Information Center, was held in Jinhua, Zhejiang Province. At the forum, the Report on the Development of Chinese Cities’ International Influence (2025) was released. Guangzhou, along with 11 other cities including Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Hangzhou, was selected as a key subject of the Annual Research Program on Urban International Influence, while Huangpu District of Guangzhou and other urban districts nationwide were named “International Narrative Innovation Districts.”

This marks the second major recognition Huangpu has received in the field of international communication within a year, following its recognition in October 2025 as one of China’s Top Ten County-Level International Communication Innovation Cases.

From November 30 to December 2, 2025, the Understanding China International Conference was held in Guangzhou. Among numerous media outlets, Huangpu Media was the only district-level media outlet to conduct on-site interviews. During the conference, Huangpu Media’s interview team engaged with multiple participants and produced the In-Depth Dialogue: Global Perspectives, Decoding China interview series. He Liping (Peter Helis), a German national and Global Investment Promotion Director of the Investment Promotion Bureau of Guangzhou Development District, participated in his capacity as Huangpu’s overseas communication ambassador, engaging in dialogue with political leaders, scholars, and entrepreneurs from different countries.

“How can Chinese modernization offer reference for countries of the Global South?” “How should countries cooperate to build governance frameworks in the age of artificial intelligence?” These topics were raised from the perspective of a foreign participant and interpreted through the diverse insights of global guests. Through this form of “shared narration,” China’s development story was naturally integrated into a global context.

As the “intelligent manufacturing hub” of the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area, Guangzhou Development District and Huangpu District are home to national-level open platforms such as the Sino-Singapore Guangzhou Knowledge City. With more than 5,200 foreign-invested enterprises and 330 Fortune Global 500 projects, the area is not only a dynamic economic hub but also a natural international community. It brings together tens of thousands of foreign executives, research experts, entrepreneurs, and international students, who are not only participants in economic development but also vivid sources of stories for international communication.