Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- A representative of the editorial office of UzDaily.uz visited the People’s Republic of China.

In particular, the journalist visited Hubei province. This province has acquired the nickname "province of a thousand lakes", but at the moment there are approximately 300 of them left, most of them with a surface area of more than 3 square kilometers. Most of the lakes are concentrated in the Jianghai Plain.

As of 2020, the province is home to about 61 million people, and approximately 12 million people live in the provincial capital, Wuhan alone.

The province has 129 universities, with approximately 1.6 million students, as well as a significant number of specialists from various industries. The provincial capital, Wuhan, is the city with the largest student population in China.

In 2021, the province’s gross regional product exceeded 5 trillion yuan (approximately US$787.6 billion).

The most important industries in the province are electrical engineering, metallurgy, automobile manufacturing, chemical industry, construction industry, light industry and food industry.

A journalist from UzDaily.uz got acquainted with the Free Trade Zone in Xiangyang, Hubei Province. The zone’s design area is 2,800 hectares and includes three parts: the high-tech development zone, the airport zone and the Dongjin New Area. Currently there are about 44 enterprises operating in the zone. Part of the free trade zone is allocated for a bonded zone - these are special economic zones with tax benefits and exemption from customs duties.

Journalists also visited the Cainiao logistics center, which processes approximately 3,000 parcels daily. The company was founded by the Alibaba Group Initiative in 2013 and is part of the group. It services more than 90% of AliExpress shipments worldwide, and is actively involved in the automation of logistics solutions, supply management systems, the development of domestic and international supply chains, as well as the use of artificial intelligence in the field of unmanned deliveries.

At the Cainiao logistics center, part of the warehouses are automated, and in the near future 25 robots will sort and prepare parcels for shipment.

As part of the visit, journalists also visited an engine production plant in the Xiangyang Free Trade Zone. The plant was founded in 1986 and has been cooperating with the American company Cummins Inc. since 1996. The plant is located on an area of 500 hectares and produces engines based on Cummins Inc patents with volumes from 3.9 to 9.5 liters, covering 10 types and more than 100 models of engines. Since 2008, diesel engines have also been produced. These engines are used in transportation (buses, trucks), construction, marine, pumps and other fields.

The plant currently employs 2,200 people and has sold more than 4 million engines since its founding. Over the past six months, 98.3 thousand engines were sold, and by the end of 2023, sales of 180 thousand units are expected.

The plant also has its own design department, which is constantly working to improve developments. For example, in 2005 a 13-liter engine was created and patented, and in 2020 a gas engine was introduced. In addition to motors, the plant produces power units, and from 2020, transmission unit assembly units.

The company monitors engine status online and provides customer support via the Internet.

The next stage of our journey was a visit to Xiangyang Tenglong Auto Co., Ltd. It is a comprehensive enterprise specializing in the production of customized vehicles, integrating research, development, production, sales and service under CCIG. It is an important base for the production of high-end specialized new energy vehicles (NEVs), a provincial-level key project in Hubei established by CRRC, and is also part of the Hubei Industry Technology Innovation Alliance for Vehicles. The company also produces buses powered by hydrogen fuel cells.

Tenglong Auto has established an intelligent vehicle research institute, employing many high-quality scientific and technical specialists. This institute brings together advanced manufacturing, automotive electronics, artificial intelligence, big data, cloud computing and other advanced technologies. It forms the intelligent and connected vehicle (ICV) industry chain from core components to intelligent driving systems, autonomous vehicles and Internet of Vehicle operation, as well as after-sales service.

The company also produces an innovative high-speed rail transport system (“ART”, Autonomous Rail Rapid Transit). ART is an all-electric rubber-tired public and tourist transport system using trajectory tracking technology. This system is capable of wireless connectivity and driverless driving, and has several advantages such as short construction period, low overall cost, high environmental adaptability, energy saving and environmental protection. ART is widely used in cities and scenic spots such as Shanghai, Sichuan, Jiangxi, Hunan, Fujian and others.

The company currently exports its products to various countries such as India, Peru, Egypt and the Republic of Korea.

The province is also home to the Hubei Museum, located in the city of Wuhan. Founded in 1954 and expanded in 1999, it is one of the largest and most famous local history museums in China, containing more than 240 thousand exhibits. Entrance to public museums in China is free, but advance registration is required. The Hubei Museum averages more than 20 thousand visitors per day.

Donghu Lake, located in the center of Wuhan, is the largest lake inside the city. The total water surface area is 33 square meters. km, and the landscape area of Donghu is 82 square meters. km, which is approximately 25% of the city’s territory. The maximum depth of the lake is 4.66 m, the average is 2.48 m. In 1982, the lake was included in the list of important natural landscapes of China, and in 1999 it received the status of an exemplary tourist area in China.