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In Jiaxing's Xiuzhou district, the "ear economy" is flourishing. Over the past year, major players like Himalaya, Qiniu Cloud, and Tencent Music have established a presence in the district, positioning Xiuzhou at the forefront of the digital cultural industry.

From January to June, the district's information service industry revenue reached 482 million yuan ($67.48 million), a 37.4-percent increase year-on-year.

The ear economy includes audiobooks, comedy, radio dramas, and paid educational content, all popular among listeners.

Xiuzhou's journey into the ear economy began with a partnership with Himalaya. In May last year, Himalaya's innovative business headquarters project was established Xiuzhou with a $100 million investment. Himalaya (Zhejiang) Cultural Technology Co Ltd and other enterprises were also registered in the district, focusing on new vocational education and cultivating audio hosts.

In June last year, Jiaxing Nanyang Vocational and Technical College partnered with Himalaya to establish the Himalaya Industry Academy, offering courses in livestreaming, production, and AI to nurture more talents.

In the first half of this year, Himalaya's innovative business headquarters generated over 300 million yuan in revenue and is expected to generate 800 million yuan by year's-end, double last year's revenue. Since its establishment, it has served over 60,000 students.

In addition, on March 27, Qiniu Cloud partnered with Xiuzhou to attract upstream and downstream enterprises, aiming to build a hub for audio and video. On June 16, Tencent Music Group signed an agreement with Xiuzhou district to collaborate on music content editing and creation as well as talent cultivation.