BEIJING – Guangzhou’s Yuexiu District has secured 7th place in the “2025 China Building Economy (Headquarters Economy) Benchmark Districts” ranking, reaffirming its position among the nation’s top ten for the second consecutive year. The result, announced at the 2025 Global Headquarters Economy Summit & China Building Economy Forum during the China International Fair for Trade in Services, highlights Yuexiu’s elevated capacity and international competitiveness in headquarters-driven development.
As a pioneer in Guangzhou’s building-based economy, Yuexiu is home to the city’s first central business district in Huanshidong, where landmarks like the 1976 White Cloud Hotel—once China’s tallest building at 120 meters—symbolize the area’s historic role in the city’s economic development. The district also introduced many of Guangzhou’s pioneering commercial concepts, from the first international fast-food outlet and Starbucks to the first high-end office tower marketed overseas.
Today, Yuexiu continues to lead in intensive, high-quality economic development powered by headquarters and premium office spaces, supporting the highest economic and service density among all districts in Guangdong Province.
01 Revitalizing Heritage Buildings
In recent years, Yuexiu has reactivated underutilized urban spaces as a core strategy for industrial upgrading. By integrating urban renewal, environmental enhancement, and industrial regeneration, the district has delivered high-quality projects such as Star Avenue International Commercial Center, LiFung International Center, and Pearl River • Spark 1926. Older properties like Huandong Plaza, Yifang Dongshan, and the Traditional Chinese Medicine Wellness Block have also been repurposed, while low-efficiency plots along Guangda Road and Guangzhou Avenue have been successfully transferred.
The district’s innovative block initiative, launched last year, follows a “one-street-one-feature” approach with pilot key projects. A total of 110 building enhancement projects covering 1.33 million square meters have been implemented, with standout examples including Zhongbo Tower, Huagong Plaza, Debao Future City, and Luhu 300 Art Community gaining widespread recognition.
02 Service Upgrades Set High Standards
Yuexiu’s “Official Conduct Transformation & Business Environment Enhancement” campaign has introduced initiatives such as the “Excellent Partner” program and an upgraded “Chief Service Officer” model. Each key enterprise is now supported by a dedicated team and a WeChat communication group for direct access to resources, policy support, and complaint resolution.
Through the “Yuexiu Pioneer” platform, all enterprise requests are digitally tracked for full-process intelligent management. A “Gold-Level Service Specialist” system further integrates district resources to help businesses expand operations in Yuexiu.
Since the beginning of the year, the district has served 4,393 enterprises, addressed 350 requests—over 90% of which involved leasing, policy applications, and commercial registration—demonstrating efficient, need-based support.
03 Investment Promotion Reaches New Heights
Leveraging advantages in administration, education, healthcare, and culture, Yuexiu has adopted a “market + resources + application scenarios” model for targeted investment outreach.
Focusing on key sectors such as biomedicine and health, the district has coordinated with departments including development and reform, industry, culture, and planning to identify application scenarios. From January to August, 321 high-quality projects were successfully attracted.
A government-building linkage mechanism also promotes vacant properties in new landmarks like Star Avenue and LiFung Center, generating over 500 project leads.
Additionally, the district has organized 25 thematic investment tours to countries including the U.S. and Singapore, as well as 14 domestic cities, and participated 26 times in major events such as the Canton Fair and the GBA Medical Innovation Conference to attract high-value enterprises.
