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An AS700 airship conducts a demonstration flight in Yuecheng district of Shaoxing, East China's Zhejiang province. [Photo/Tide News]

Shaoxing's Yuecheng district has rapidly emerged as a leader in China's low-altitude economic development, achieving significant progress in just over a year.

Yuecheng is among the first county-level regions in the country to establish a complete planning system for low-altitude economy. The district mapped out a framework covering infrastructure, and built a county-level monitoring and management platform to ensure safe operations across its airspace.

Major projects and enterprises have clustered in the district. Major investments, such as a manufacturing park supporting unmanned aviation, have been established in the district, giving Yuecheng a distinctive role in the Yangtze River Delta. The first AS700 passenger airship delivered in East China recently made its debut in Yuecheng, marking a key step toward exploring commercial airship operations in the country.

With 90 percent of its airspace suitable for flight, Yuecheng has natural advantages. Combined with industrial strength and growing use-case demand, the district has assembled the core elements of a low-altitude economic ecosystem.

The Shaoxing low-altitude economy integrated service center. [Photo/Tide News]

Industry development has been central to its progress. Yuecheng has upgraded traditional sectors such as textiles and chemicals to free up space for emerging industries. Integrated circuits, advanced manufacturing, and related sectors have taken shape in the district, underpinning core components needed for low-altitude technologies, including chips, communications, software and radar.

Rather than viewing low-altitude economy as a single sector, Yuecheng is developing platforms, industry chains, application scenarios, and supporting services. 

Pilots fly the sleek B-JDD7 helicopter during a demonstration. [Photo/Tide News]