Why would a country’s top leader personally visit a construction site nearly a decade after it began?
In the case of Xi Jinping, the answer is simple: the future of a city—and perhaps a legacy.
On Monday, the Chinese president made a rare inspection trip to Xiongan New Area.
A massive urban project rising about 100 km southwest of Beijing in Hebei Province.
The message to officials was blunt: get moving.Xi urged them to “throw themselves” into the work.
And accelerate progress on a project he has strongly championed.
Why all the attention? Xiongan is meant to ease the pressure on Beijing.
By relocating universities, state-owned enterprises, tech firms and financial institutions.
Think of it as China’s attempt to build a brand-new powerhouse city from scratch—something on the scale of Greater London.
Xiongan’s Uncertain Future
In China’s development playbook, the project sits alongside famous special zones like Shenzhen Special Economic Zone and Pudong New Area in Shanghai.
Companies such as Sinochem and China Satellite Network Group have already begun shifting their headquarters there.
Yet nearly ten years after construction began in 2017, parts of the city remain quiet and sparsely populated.
Officials say the basic framework should be finished by 2035.
For Xi, it’s more than urban planning. It’s a test of vision.
And perhaps the bigger question is this: will Xiongan become China’s next Shenzhen—or remain the world’s most ambitious construction site?
