Published by ChinaMNC · Bijie

What a Resource-Rich County Tells Foreign Founders About Operating in China

A practical look at how Zhijin County, Guizhou, is converting mineral and agricultural resources into industrial clusters, tourism and public services, and what foreign founders can learn about local operations in China.

Why This County Matters to Foreign Founders

Most foreign founders think about China through Shanghai, Shenzhen or Beijing. But a large share of manufacturing inputs, energy, agricultural supply and consumer demand sits in counties like Zhijin in Guizhou. A recent government report on Zhijin’s 2026 development offers a useful window into how local governments talk about industry, investment attraction and public services. For founders registering or running a company in China, reading these local signals is practical homework.

Mining and Materials: The Supply Chain Below the Surface

Phosphate and coal integration

Zhijin is positioning itself around a provincial strategy of “precise extraction of rich minerals.” Using its phosphate and coal resources, the county is pushing new industrialization through large projects. In Chadian Township, the Bijie phosphate-coal chemical integration project is moving forward, and a 300,000-ton-per-year iron phosphate unit was connected at the end of June. That link connects phosphate and coal raw materials to lithium battery new-energy materials.

An operating mine as a benchmark

Guizhou Jinlin Chemical’s Motianchong phosphate mine extracted 1.32 million tons of phosphate ore in the first half of the year and produced 560,000 tons of high-quality phosphate concentrate, with industrial output value near 620 million yuan. Comprehensive resource recovery rose above 90 percent, and the mine supports more than 700 local jobs, along with freight repair, shops and catering.

Energy transition in practice

The State Power Investment Corporation’s Guizhou Jinyuan Zhijin “large replacing small” relocation project shows how traditional energy is being upgraded. It uses what the source describes as the world’s first 660 MW ultra-supercritical “W” flame boiler, consuming 284 grams of standard coal per kilowatt-hour. Rooftops and slopes carry distributed solar, forming a wind-solar-thermal-storage complementary system. In August, the coal power project marked one year of operation with cumulative generation above 5 billion kWh and more than 300,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions reduced.

Investment Promotion: What Local Governments Offer

Zhijin has set up a “five-in-one” full-cycle service model and conducts targeted investment promotion around a “one map, three lists” approach. This year it has built three industrial clusters: new comprehensive energy, new-energy power batteries and materials, and deep resource processing. It signed 24 projects with total investment of 72.718 billion yuan. The county is accelerating a 100-billion-yuan industrial park and presents itself as a reference case for resource-based regions.

Practical takeaway: local service models and cluster lists are where registration, land, permits and utility coordination are discussed. Founders should ask counterparts which cluster their project fits and which list they appear on.

Agriculture: From Pumpkins to Bamboo Fungus

Pumpkin harvest and drone logistics

In Shuchang Village, Nayong Township, Guizhou Zhijin Nongyao Agricultural Development grows pumpkins across 1.2万亩 in 22 townships and subdistricts, with annual output above 65,000 tons. Nearly 30 drones support harvesting, each moving about 30 tons per day from fields to roadside loading points. In processing workshops, pumpkins are sorted, peeled, cut, blanched and dried into strips and granules. The chairman, Zeng Aisheng, says dried strips mainly go to South Korea and Vietnam, with foreign trade output around 48 million yuan.

Bamboo fungus as a signature crop

Zhijin issued a 2026–2028 special plan for its bamboo fungus industry, building a chain from breeding to diversified planting, deep processing and agriculture-tourism integration. The industry covers more than 20 townships, with 18,800亩 of standardized planting and nearly 20,000 farming households involved. Local leaders work with Tianjin University of Science and Technology and the Shanghai Academy of Agricultural Sciences. Aohui Agricultural Technology’s smart cabin in Qimo Subdistrict uses 120 square meters to match 1,080 square meters of traditional under-forest planting, raising land-use efficiency nearly nine times. Six cabins are built, each producing about 6,000 kg of red bamboo fungus annually, worth 600,000 yuan, shipped cold-chain by air to Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen.

Tourism and Consumer Demand

Zhijin promotes the brand “Home of Baozhen, Cave Heaven Zhijin.” Zhijin Cave stays at 16°C, and this summer the scenic area repeatedly issued visitor saturation warnings, with daily arrivals above 20,000. Nearby Zhijin Grand Canyon, Pingyuan Ancient Town, Baozhen Lake Park and Phoenix Ecological Wetland Park also saw more visitors. At night, Pingyuan Ancient Town’s Yong’an Gate hosts “Music Spin Field” 2.0, mixing folk songs, street dance and environmental theater into alleys, and was rated a Guizhou Class I mass cultural brand. Seasonal products run from spring flower viewing to summer cave escapes, autumn market routes and winter cave-plus-town experiences. Through August, the county received 7.2783 million visitors and 7.191 billion yuan in tourism revenue, including 3.2759 million rural tourism visitors.

Public Services and Compliance Context

In May, Zhijin began a 24.067-km urban sewage pipeline renovation, with total investment of 63.8937 million yuan, targeting flooding and direct sewage discharge. Local resident Huang Congxian, who has lived in the old alley over 80 years, said the underground pipes and asphalt surface make the lane cleaner and flatter. The county also added barriers along Yushan Avenue and a diagonal crosswalk at Xidajie to separate pedestrians and vehicles. On education, Zhijin No. 4 Middle School’s high school section moved into a new standardized campus on September 1, offering 6,788 places. The county rebuilt or expanded two urban compulsory education schools, adding 650 places, and one regular high school, adding 2,200 places, plus dormitory and canteen upgrades at 48 schools. It also introduced medical insurance internal control mechanisms at township clinics; patient Du Peiqin said bills clearly show costs and reimbursements.

Checklist for Founders

• Map the cluster: identify which local industrial cluster your activity fits and which investment list applies.
• Ask about services: request details of the local full-cycle service model for registration, permits and utilities.
• Verify supply: for materials or agricultural inputs, confirm output, processing capacity and logistics, including cold chain and export channels.
• Check infrastructure: pipeline, transport and school projects signal where public investment is going.
• Keep compliance local: social insurance, medical insurance and environmental rules are administered locally.

This summary is based on information published by the relevant Chinese government website and is general information, not legal or tax advice.