City district changes on wave of reform, opening-up

Haidian district in Beijing, home to technology hub Zhongguancun, has become a pioneer of scientific and technology innovation for China during the 40 years since the start of the country's reform and opening-up.

Nearly 40 unicorn companies - startups worth more than $1 billion - in addition to 300 listed firms and 20,000 high-tech companies are located in Haidian, which at 594 billion yuan ($85.6 billion) had the highest GDP of the 16 districts in the capital last year.

Since 2016, Haidian has been contributing the most to the city in terms of economic growth.