On the morning of February 20, 2026, the CPC Huaihua Municipal Committee and Huaihua Municipal People’s Government held the 2026 Spring Symposium for Merchants of Huaihua and Hunan and Alumni Returning to Hometown.
This is not the first time Huaihua has called on distinguished townsfolk to return home with nostalgia as the bond. In recent years, Huaihua has held the symposium for Hunan and Huaihua merchants during the Spring Festival for consecutive years. This annual Spring Festival gathering has evolved from a simple get-together into a bridge connecting overseas wanderers with their hometown.
Xu Zhongjian, secretary of the CPC Huaihua Municipal Committee, gathered with representatives of entrepreneurs and alumni who spent the Spring Festival in Huaihua, conducted face-to-face exchanges, conveyed the warmth of their hometown, interpreted development opportunities and forged a consensus for forging ahead. Though the two-hour forum was short, it was enough for every overseas wanderer to truly feel the warmth of “Blessed Land of Huaihua, a Home that Understands You”.
Reuniting in nostalgia: unchanged accent, but astonished by remarkable changes
“I never expected such tremendous changes in my hometown.”
This was the most frequently heard sentence at the symposium, plain in words yet sincere to the core.
Jiang Weiping, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and dean of the Institute of Science and Technology Development of Wuhan University, has worked outside Huaihua for years, but his attention to his hometown has never wavered. “I have kept a close eye on every change and every step of development in my hometown. Huaihua has witnessed earth-shaking changes in urban and rural development, ecological protection, improvement of people’s wellbeing and industrial upgrading. As a native of Huaihua, I am extremely proud,” he said.
He stated that he is more than willing to lead his team back to his hometown, contribute his professional expertise to the cultural and tourism development, ecological construction, rural vitalization and other undertakings of Huaihua, and offer wisdom and strength for the high-quality development of his hometown.
Nie Huajun, founder and general manager of Shenzhen Rocket Visual Effects Technology Co., Ltd., is a native of Huaihua who has started a business outside for nearly 18 years. Recalling his participation in the 5th Hunan Tourism Development Conference last year, his eyes still sparkled: “It made me truly feel the vigorous vitality of my hometown’s cultural and tourism industry and the unique charm of the Wuxi culture.”
Attracted by the development momentum of his hometown, he brought digital technology back to Huaihua, launched a series of digital cultural and creative projects in Mayang, Hecheng, Xupu and other places, and is determined to be a good “digital partner” of his hometown.
Zhu Fanfan, president of Zhongrun Huanyu Holding Group Co., Ltd., expressed his sincere admiration for his hometown with three “unexpected surprises”: “I never expected the municipal Party committee and government to attach the top-level importance to development, Huaihua’s business environment to be permeated with heartfelt warmth, or Huaihua’s strategic direction to resonate so strongly with that of Zhongrun Huanyu.”
It is precisely because he values the “timely opportunity” for Huaihua to develop the traditional Chinese medicine industry, the “geographical advantage” of its ecological resources and land port, and the “human harmony” brought by the top-level attention of the Party committee and government that he decided to locate the Zhongrun Huanyu Huaihua Project in his hometown and position it as the southern headquarters base of the group’s traditional Chinese medicine and big health sector, Zhu Fanfan said.
Zhou Zhonghua, chairman of Shanghai Heyunchang Automobile Sales and Service Co., Ltd., shared a story of his transformation from “never considering” to “firmly choosing” Huaihua.
Initially, he had no intention of locating the automobile export project in Huaihua, but the sincere, persistent and proactive “nanny-style” services provided by the commerce departments at the municipal and district levels finally moved him and his team.
After the project settled in Huaihua, it only took 5 days from the submission of tax refund materials to the arrival of the tax refund. Such efficiency made him emphasize repeatedly in his speech: “Doing business in Huaihua is truly streamlined.”
This recognition stems from Huaihua’s solid measures to continuously optimize the business environment.
In 2025, Huaihua held the “Entrepreneurs’ Day” activities, issued the fourth batch of entrepreneur green cards, handled more than 150,000 matters under the initiative of “Efficiently Completing One Thing”, achieved a 100% satisfaction rate for the settlement of matters reflected through the “12345” Mayor’s Hotline, cut down enterprise application materials by 30% and shortened processing time limits by 40%. The brand of “Being in Huaihua, Streamlined Official Procedures” has been further polished, making every entrepreneur feel the sincere hospitality of the city.
With unchanged hometown accents and ever-deepening nostalgia, when overseas wanderers return, they see not only a completely new look of their hometown, but also the open mind and sincerity of this land in embracing the world.
Uniting for endeavors: practical responsibility, repaying the Hometown
The Spring Symposium held for consecutive years is never a simple emotional gathering, but a grand event for industrial docking and strength aggregation.
In 2025, Huaihua promoted the transformation of investment promotion from “competing with policies” to “competing with services” and from “valuing quantity” to “valuing quality”, and newly introduced 25 projects with investment over 1 billion yuan and 30 projects invested by enterprises listed in the “World Top 500, China Top 500 and Private Top 500”.
Behind this impressive achievement are the practical actions of numerous Hunan and Huaihua merchants.
Mou Xiaofeng, chairman of Hunan Xiangtong Industrial Co., Ltd., reviewed his three-year entrepreneurial journey after returning to his hometown. Since being moved by the sincere investment promotion of his hometown and the development opportunities brought by Huaihua International Land Port in 2022, he has driven more than 140 upstream and downstream enterprises to settle in Huaihua in just three years, enabling the city’s luggage industry to realize a leap from scratch and from scattered to clustered development.
Looking to the future, he is full of confidence and stated that he will continue to deepen cooperation with Huaihua Industrial Investment Group, build a foreign trade platform company facing the world, improve the luggage industrial chain, and empower Huaihua to build itself into the “International Luggage Capital”.
Guo Jian, chairman of Anhui Jingzhuo Optoelectronic Display Technology Co., Ltd., as an entrepreneur born in Huaihua, has always cared about the development of his hometown.
With the support of the hometown government, he has already set up branches in Huaihua. At this symposium, he brought a homecoming plan: he intends to deeply integrate mature achievements such as new touch display technology and assembly of household intelligent equipment with the industrial needs of his hometown, build an industrial base integrating R&D, production and training, and repay his hometown with practical actions.
Zhang Qingshan, chairman of Huaihua AsiaInfo Technology Co., Ltd., is a forerunner who returned to Huaihua to start a business in the early stage. He has witnessed the remarkable upgrading of Huaihua’s business environment and also ushered in a crucial year for his enterprise.
He said that 2026 is a pivotal year for AsiaInfo Technology to “sprint for listing on the Beijing Stock Exchange and expand global business”. The company will accelerate its overseas layout, strive for IPO listing, continue to carry out technological innovation, and add more strength to Huaihua’s high-quality listed enterprises.
Although Li Hongjie, chairman of Huaihua Jiutong Bamboo-based Composite New Materials Manufacturing Co., Ltd., is a native of Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province, he has deeply rooted himself in this fertile land as a “son-in-law of Huaihua”.
Li Hongjie stated that the company will rely on Huaihua’s abundant bamboo resources, focus on the bamboo-based composite new materials track, promote the export of its products from Hunan to the world, actively participate in the return of Hunan merchants and industrial investment promotion, and share Huaihua’s development opportunities with all distinguished entrepreneurs from the hometown.
Yang Songgui, chairman of Nanjing Weituo Technology Co., Ltd., brought a more ambitious vision. As the person in charge of a national-level specialized, sophisticated, distinctive and innovative “little giant” enterprise, he said that Weituo Technology can help Huaihua build an integrated national market for industrial enterprises, take the application of artificial intelligence technology as the core breakthrough for industrial quality and efficiency improvement, foster a localized industrial service ecosystem, and assist in building a new modern service industry cluster.
Su Wenjie, president of Beijing Huaihua Enterprise Chamber of Commerce and Chairman of Zhonghan Liantou Technology Group Co., Ltd., summarized the chamber’s mission with three roles in his speech: a “megaphone” to spread the favorable policies and development opportunities of the hometown to the outside world; a “bonding bridge” to attract high-quality resources and outstanding talents back to the hometown; and a “gas station” to provide sustained impetus and support for member enterprises.
From luggage and bamboo products to electronic components and digital cultural and creative products, from industrial software to automobile export... With the landing of numerous projects and the extension of industrial chains, Hunan and Huaihua merchants have interpreted the original aspiration of “returning to and building the hometown” with practical actions, and proved with deeds that the development of the hometown is never the cause of a single person, but a mutual commitment of a group of people.
Uniting in aspiration: working toward the same goal, and jointly drawing a blueprint
The holding of the Spring Symposium for Hunan Merchants, Huaihua Merchants and Alumni for consecutive years during the Spring Festival is a reflection of the high attention paid by the CPC Huaihua Municipal Committee and Huaihua Municipal People’s Government to the strength of Hunan and Huaihua merchants, and more importantly, the sincere expectation of the city and its distinguished townsfolk and alumni to work toward the same goal and promote common development.
An entrepreneur sighed: “I used to think returning to the hometown was a matter of feelings, but now I realize it is also a great opportunity. When feelings and opportunities come together, it is the best mutual commitment.”
After earnestly listening to the speeches of all representatives, Xu Zhongjian, secretary of the CPC Huaihua Municipal Committee, delivered an affectionate message. He shared his heartfelt feelings with everyone with three sentences:
“A prosperous hometown is our most beautiful vision.” In the past year, Huaihua’s GDP grew by 5.7%, ranking first in the province; the growth rates of fixed asset investment and per capita disposable income of all residents have ranked first in the province for three consecutive years. Huaihua International Land Port has taken shape and gained momentum, the “5+10” modern industrial system has shown a new look, the integrated development of Hecheng and Zhongfang has made significant progress, and the integrated development of culture and tourism has gained great popularity... These sets of data are not only the answer sheet handed in by the hometown, but also the solid foundation for the return of overseas wanderers.
“Fellow townsfolk are the most reliable strength we can rely on.” Xu Zhongjian said that all of you present here are elites of Huaihua and precious strategic resources for the city’s development. We sincerely hope that you will grasp the pulse of the times, integrate into the tide of development, take Huaihua as a new starting point for your dreams and a new stage for your career, and help gather more high-quality projects, outstanding talents and innovative elements in Huaihua and locate them here.
“Nostalgia is our most sincere affection.” No matter where you are, your hometown will always be your warmest harbor and the most solid backing. The municipal Party committee and government will treat you with the utmost courtesy, provide full support, and offer thoughtful services of “a Home that Understands You”, enabling you to invest with confidence, start businesses with dedication, operate with peace of mind and develop with ease in Huaihua.
Every word of these three sentences is sincere and touching. This is a heartfelt confession of a city to its overseas wanderers, and also a promise made by this fertile land for the future.
A flock of homecoming geese gather, and numerous distinguished talents assemble. As more and more nostalgia turns into confidence in investment, and more and more overseas wanderers become partners in development, the tomorrow of Blessed Land of Huaihua is bound to write more wonderful chapters in this joint endeavor toward the same goal.
(Translated by Tian Xia)