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Wuhan's "front shop" and the surrounding "post-plant" concept is a strategic framework in the development of the Wuhan City Circle. This urban cluster, centered around Wuhan with a 100-kilometer radius, includes eight surrounding cities such as Huangshi, Ezhou, Xiaogan, Huanggang, Xianning, Xiantao, Qianjiang, and Tianmen. The idea is to reorganize and integrate regional resources, optimize industrial distribution, and create a coordinated economic model where Wuhan leads as the "front shop" while the surrounding areas function as the "post-plant." Wuhan serves as a hub for high-tech industries and research, while the surrounding regions focus on labor-intensive manufacturing. The pharmaceutical and chemical sectors are currently undergoing smooth integration within the circle.
As the "front shop," Wuhan benefits from its rich scientific and technological resources. For instance, the East Lake Development Zone alone is home to 30 universities, including Wuhan University, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, and Wuhan University of Technology, along with 35 national and provincial research institutes. This concentration of academic and research institutions gives Wuhan a strong foundation to drive innovation and technological advancement.
On the other hand, the surrounding cities each have their own unique strengths. Ezhou is focusing on building a "Chinese Medicine Valley" and developing a biomedical base. Xianning aims to become an energy and new materials production hub. Xiaogan is working closely with Wuhan to develop its salt and phosphorus chemical industry. Qianjiang, with its vast oil, natural gas, and salt reserves, is striving to establish a chemical corridor. These efforts reflect the complementary roles that each city plays in the broader regional economy.
Several companies have already begun adjusting their strategies to align with the industrial linkage model. For example, Wuhan Qingjiang Chemical invested 120 million yuan in Qianjiang to build a titanium dioxide production base. The Hubei Provincial Chemical Research Institute established a production base in Ezhou, transferring all its projects to Gedian High-tech Development Zone. Meanwhile, Jianghan Oilfield and Qianjiang Pharmaceutical relocated their headquarters to Wuhan’s Donghu New Technology Development Zone and Wuhan Development Zone, respectively.
In the first eight months of this year, the Wuhan City Circle achieved 12.1 billion yuan in industrial profits, a 32% increase compared to the previous year. The region accounted for over 60% of the province’s industrial output in terms of added value, sales revenue, total profit, and tax revenue. Several biopharmaceutical companies, such as Hubei Pharmaceutical Industrial Research Institute and Renfu Technology, have set up production bases in the Gedian Development Zone. In Huanggang, Guangji Pharmaceutical collaborated with Wuhan University to produce riboflavin using gene technology, ranking first in Asia. Xiaogan has also made significant progress through technology transfers and cooperation with Wuhan-based institutions.
Experts suggest that to fully realize the "front-to-back-factory" model, three key areas should be prioritized: first, leveraging the East Lake Development Zone to accelerate high-tech-driven industrial integration; second, promoting the "headquartered in Donghu, bases in the surrounding area" approach to achieve mutual benefit between Wuhan and neighboring cities; and third, accelerating the formation of an economic belt along the Yangtze River to promote rational industrial division and avoid duplication of efforts.