"The three-dimensional transportation planning of Jinan Central Business District is very impressive,” and "The scale of Jinan Central Business District is awe-inspiring." On May 21, a delegation from Suwon City, South Korea, visited the Jinan Central Business District (CBD) to exchange ideas on enhancing urban planning and management.

Openness is a hallmark of contemporary China, and expanding high-level openness is a necessary step in advancing Chinese-style modernization. This visit by the Suwon City delegation to Lixia District in Jinan aims to strengthen friendly exchanges and cooperation between Chinese and Korean cities, jointly promoting urban construction and development.

In the Shandong Provincial Government's "12th Five-Year Plan," Jinan CBD is positioned as a new urban center integrating a regional financial center, a headquarters aggregation center, and a regional innovation center. Lixia District has made Jinan CBD the main battlefield for economic development, a new benchmark for urban management, and a new business card for image display. The CBD has truly become a modernized new area representing the strong provincial capital image and a leading area for high-quality development, with its urban planning and design being both typical and exemplary.

The delegation first visited the Jinan CBD planning exhibition hall to view the overall planning layout, where they were attracted by the landmark cluster featuring Jinan's characteristics—"mountain, spring, lake, river, and city." As an area integrating the "finance plus" industry, Jinan CBD's five super high-rise landmark buildings are named according to Jinan's cityscape: "Mountain" for Greenland Shandong International Finance Center, "River" for Jinan Ping An Finance Center, "City" for Jinan Xintai Center, "Lake" for Fuxing International Finance Center, and "Spring" for China Resources Land Center.

Following the industrial planning of "functional compound, spatial integration," Jinan CBD has created six major functional sections: commercial and business, residential, cultural facilities, municipal facilities, open spaces, and plaza land, achieving full integration in horizontal space. The delegation was particularly surprised by the three-dimensional underground space constructed by Jinan CBD. Addressing the scarcity of land resources, Jinan CBD has focused on the development and utilization of underground space, aiming to create an "integrated above-ground and underground, diversified" three-dimensional city. This includes parking facilities, rail transit, commercial development, comprehensive utility tunnels, and an underground ring road, all centered around a central station hub, connecting underground commerce in a group-style layout, and creating a comfortable, all-weather underground pedestrian system.

The delegation then visited the China Life Building within Jinan CBD, where they overlooked the full panorama of the district from the 46th-floor exhibition hall and helipad of the south tower. They also received briefings on development overviews and the status of resident enterprises.

This visit marks the second time that Lee Soon-hyun, Head of the Suwon City Administration Planning Division, has visited Jinan in twenty years. He noted the tremendous changes in Jinan's urban development and saw many opportunities for cooperation. "Jinan and Suwon have established an international sister city relationship for 31 years. I hope this visit will serve as a catalyst for further interactions, deeper exchanges, and enhanced cooperation with Jinan."

(Li Xiaotong; Gong Lili; Yuan Yuhua; Hua Shan; Hou Yawen; Liu Xiaohan; Lou Xinyu; Hui Sheng; Liang Ruixin; Dou Zhuoran)