BEIJING URBAN SUBCENTER TAKING SHAPE

Six villages in the rural suburb of Tongzhou have been transformed into a new administrative hub for the capital

The creation of the Xiongan New Area in Hebei province has been making steady progress since the announcement of the landmark project a year ago. The new economic zone is expected to help spare Beijing some of its functions currently unrelated to its status as the national capital.

Another "wing" of Beijing, the subcenter of Tongzhou, started construction in the second half of 2015, with work commencing on an initial area of 6 square kilometers. This is where the Beijing Municipal Government and all the other administrative institutions have been relocated.