Huangyan District in Taizhou, Zhejiang Province, is one of the birthplaces of China's cooperative economy and has ranked among the top 100 districts in comprehensive national strength for 12 consecutive years. With a forward-looking vision, Huangyan has now set an innovative goal of developing the "happiness industry," exploring a new model and experience for the "Huangyan Way."
According to Bao Shunfu, Secretary of District Committee of the Communist Party of China of Huangyan, the district has a solid foundation and unique advantages for developing the happiness industry. The next step will involve combining an effective market with proactive government efforts to promote the scalability and inclusivity of the happiness industry, driving the integration of new productive forces with the happiness economy.
Since March 2023, Yongning Happiness Science has attracted more than 50,000 visitors. As the first national center for positive psychology science popularization and comprehensive services, the Yongning Happiness Center offers more than conventional psychological services. It also provides innovative psychological services such as music, dance, meditation, and art therapy, all aimed at enhancing the mental health and overall happiness of residents.
Since 2022, Huangyan District, focusing on the goal of building a “Happy Huangyan,” has successfully attracted and launched several industry projects. These projects cover areas such as sleep and mental health, intelligent psychological services, and positive social psychological services. The district has also established the Yongning Happiness Center, the first national venue themed around positive psychology, developed the first local city-level standard for happiness center construction and services, and set up a 300-million-yuan (approximately 41 million USD) happiness industry guidance fund to promote the completion and upgrading of the happiness industry chain in Huangyan.
“We have established supply chain collaborations with dozens of companies,” said Sang Wei, Director of the Yongning Happiness Center. “Many of these companies come from various industries, and some are applying their technology and products to psychological health services for the first time.”
The thriving private economy also supports the rapid growth of Huangyan’s happiness industry. For example, in the mold industry, Huangyan is home to over 2,000 professional enterprises specializing in molds, parts, and related equipment. The district accounts for over 30% of the domestic market share for injection molds, 80% for extrusion molds, and 40% for blow molds. Additionally, the CNC automation rate of mold equipment exceeds 90%, the highest in the country. In 2023, Huangyan's mold and plastic product industries achieved an industrial output value of 9.292 billion yuan and 13.883 billion yuan, respectively.
Huangyan has set a timeline for the development of its happiness industry. The district will focus on five key areas: comfort, cuisine, tourism, tranquility, and active aging. Recently, Huangyan’s happiness industry has made significant progress—the Happiness Industry Development Alliance was officially launched, the Happiness Industry Guidance Fund was established, and numerous happiness industry projects have been signed.
"Happiness is something that is created, and the happiness industry thrives on cross-sector integration,” said Bao Shunfu.