Quzhou city, known as the gateway to the provinces of Zhejiang, Fujian, Jiangxi and Anhui, aims to build a transportation hub in eastern China. [Photo provided to ezhejiang.gov.cn]

Quzhou in East China's Zhejiang province reported robust economic growth over the past 70 years since the founding of the People's Republic of China, a top official and official statistics revealed at a news conference on Friday.

Xu Wenguang, Party chief of the city, noted that from 1985 to 2018, regional GDP grew from 1.626 billion yuan ($227.4 million) to 147.05 billion yuan in 2018, a 90-fold increase. Per capita income of urban and rural residents grew from 730 yuan and 451 yuan in 1985 to 43,100 yuan and 22,300 yuan in 2018, respectively.

Over the past decades, Quzhou has ramped up its efforts in different endeavors in a bid to build a more vigorous city and a big garden city, according to Xu.

Aiming to be a new growth engine for Zhejiang's economic development, the city has been focusing on upgrading its traditional industries and advancing new industries at the same time.

A group of leading players in big data and artificial intelligence, including Alibaba Group, DeepBlue Technology Co Ltd and Huawei, have established branches in Quzhou, driving forward the industrial transformation of the city.

Located in the west of Zhejiang in the upper reaches of the Qiantang River, Quzhou has long been known as the gateway to the provinces of Zhejiang, Fujian, Jiangxi and Anhui. The city has been tapping the potential of its geographical advantages with the focus on the construction of a modern and comprehensive transportation hub, including rail, roads, shipping and aviation.

Home to Confucius' descendants, Quzhou in recent years has endeavored to promote its city brand internationally as the "Home of Southern Confucianism."

Through the launch of a mascot, a cartoon image of Confucius, the city hopes to build a more civilized society when upholding Confucian culture, the Party chief explained. So far, a slew of policies and rules have been released to guide the social behaviors of residents, he added.

Quzhou is a pilot city for Zhejiang's "At Most One Visit" administrative reform. Since the reform was initiated by the province in 2016 with the aim of cutting down on excessive red tape, Quzhou has taken the lead among Zhejiang cities, especially from the perspective of improving the business climate, said Tang Feifan, mayor of Quzhou.

It ranked fourth on the list of Chinese cities with the best business environment, following Beijing, Xiamen in Fujian province and Shanghai, according to a report released by the National Development and Reform Commission last August.