“The Great Wall” Movie Press Conference Takes Place in Beijing
16.11.2016
The signing ceremony
Lou Qinjian, Shaanxi Provincial Party Secretary, meets with Chairman Wang JianlinOn November 16, Shaanxi and Wanda Group signed a comprehensive strategic cooperation agreement that will see Wanda invest another RMB 103 billion into the province, including the construction of a Wanda City in Xi’an at the cost of RMB 50 billion.
Under the agreement, Wanda will cooperate with Shaanxi across the Group’s four core businesses: commercial properties, culture, Internet technology and finance, in line with China’s “One Belt One Road” initiative to promote economic transformation and upgrading in Shaanxi, and to create new impetus to the development of a modern service industry.
The signing ceremony was attended by Lou Qinjian, Shaanxi Provincial Party Secretary, Hu Heping, Governor of Shaanxi and Wang Jianlin, Chairman of Wanda Group.
Shaanxi is the birthplace of Chinese culture, and Xi’an is regarded as one of the four capitals of ancient civilization together with Athens, Cairo and Rome. Out of the six major capitals of Ancient China, Xi’an has served for the longest period and most number of dynasties. Besides being the political center of China, Xi’an is also the starting point of the Ancient Silk Road and the gateway for Ancient China’s interaction with the rest of the world.
Under the national “One Belt One Road initiative”, Xi’an plays a key role and serves a unique purpose as the starting point of the Silk Road Economic Belt.
Tourism has been an important pillar industry for both Shaanxi and Xi’an. Xi’an is home to the Terracotta Warriors, Giant Wild Goose Pagoda, Small Wild Goose Pagoda, Daming Palace, Weiyang Palace, Xingjiao Temple and other world heritage sites and key national cultural relics. “Tracing your roots” is the biggest selling point of Xi’an’s tourism industry.
Wanda City is a unique new brand in the cultural tourism sector that integrates culture, sports, tourism, hospitality, commercial properties and other industries. Wanda City represents the highest standard in the global tourism industry. The construction of a Wanda City in Xi’an will bring modern tourism experiences to the ancient city, promoting the upgrading of the city’s tourism industry and adding a new landmark that will truly restore it to its former glory.
Wanda will also build 19 Wanda Plazas across 10 cities, including Baoji and Xianyang, ensuring coverage over the whole of Shaanxi. This will help promote commercial development in rural areas of the province and drive an overall upgrading of Shaanxi’s urban construction and commercial spending.
Wanda will bring the Ironman competition to Xi’an, an event that is gaining popularity in China. In addition, the Group will also hold other international sporting events to establish Xi’an as an international sporting city.
Wanda Internet Technology Group and Wanda Financial Group will be working closely with Shaanxi. The former will provide its proprietary physical retail + Internet solutions to help transform and upgrade Shaanxi’s physical retail landscape. In early 2016, Xi’an was chosen by ffan.com as the pilot city for its brick and mortar + Internet project planned to be unveiled in early 2017. Wanda Financial Group aims to assist in the creation of a modern financial service ecosystem by taking part in the formation of private banks and offering assistance in the establishment of consumer finance and financial leasing companies.
The strategic cooperation between Wanda and Shaanxi is of unparalleled height, width and depth. It will be mutually beneficial for both the Group and province thanks to an alignment of the investment direction with the national strategy, combining corporate development with economic transformation and consolidating corporate strengths and industry resources.