According to reports from Hunan Daily, on September 21, the Hunan Provincial Government and the State Administration for Market Regulation convened a working meeting in Beijing. Hunan Governor Mao Weiming and Liu Guiping, Secretary of the Party Leadership Group and Director of the Administration, attended the discussions. During the talks, Mao highlighted the Hengyang Intelligent Weighing and Measurement Industrial Park, urging the Administration to "continue advancing the joint provincial-ministry development of the park."
Why does this single industrial park command such significance? The answer lies in the weight of measurement, often called the "industrial language." Measurement is regarded as the "eyes" of industrial production and the "cornerstone" of quality control. It ensures unit uniformity and accurate quantity values, serving as a vital foundation for technological innovation, industrial growth, national defense, and public welfare. Measurement and weighing inspection, alongside raw materials and process equipment, form the three pillars of modern industrial production.
Currently, the measurement sector is undergoing a quantum revolution, with applications spanning nearly all critical national economic fields, including manufacturing, energy, healthcare, environmental protection, transportation, food, and aerospace. The central government has placed great emphasis on this area. In 2021, the State Council issued the "Measurement Development Plan (2021-2035)," setting the goal that by 2035, the nation's measurement technology innovation will significantly improve, major breakthroughs will be achieved in key fields, and overall strength will rank among the world's leading nations.
In recent years, Hunan has devoted significant efforts to building its intelligent weighing and measurement industry. In 2024, Hunan became the first province in the country to list the intelligent weighing and measurement industry as a standalone key development chain. That same year, the provincial government signed a strategic cooperation agreement with the State Administration for Market Regulation, incorporating the construction of the Hengyang Intelligent Weighing and Measurement Industrial Park into key coordinated initiatives.
So why Hengyang? The city is a national key regional city, a provincial sub-central city, and one of the 26 old industrial bases in central China. It also boasts one of the most complete industrial categories among Hunan's cities, providing a solid foundation for developing the weighing and measurement industry's supply and supporting chains. Since the Qin and Han dynasties, Hengyang has been a major manufacturing hub for weights and measures. During the 1970s and 1980s, its measurement industry flourished, with weighing equipment produced by local instrument and scale factories widely used in agriculture, industry, and scientific research.
More recently, Hengyang has nurtured distinctive industrial clusters, including the "Chuanshan Time Valley" clock and watch industrial park and the precision instrument zone in Hengshan Science City, alongside a number of modern measurement enterprises, earning the city the reputation of "Capital of Measurement." Today, Hengyang is leveraging artificial intelligence and big data to empower the measurement sector, accelerating the development of strategic emerging industries. The city aims to see the output value of its intelligent weighing and measurement industry exceed 50 billion yuan by the end of the 15th Five-Year Plan period.
Notably, Hengyang is also one of only three cities nationwide piloting "industry-measurement integrated innovation." In August this year, the State Administration for Market Regulation officially approved the launch of a two-year pilot program in Hengyang for this initiative. The pilot outlines 19 tasks, including establishing coordination mechanisms, building a "grand measurement" framework, tackling frontier measurement technologies, and developing the intelligent weighing and measurement industrial park. Concurrently, it includes attracting leading talent, planning the construction of measurement-focused educational institutions, and seeking a stronger voice in measurement standards.
The Hengyang Intelligent Weighing and Measurement Industrial Park is the only provincial-level key industrial park in the country named after "measurement." Launched in February 2024, it operates on an "enterprise plus alliance" model, focusing on investment attraction and industry introduction across four key areas: measurement, metrology, inspection, and testing. The goal is to build the largest professional park in central China, integrating measurement certification, R&D and design, production, and exhibition and sales.
The latest data shows that the Hengyang intelligent weighing and measurement industry chain has attracted 413 companies, with industry scale surpassing 10.9 billion yuan in the first half of 2026, a year-on-year growth of 14.2%. During the meeting, Mao stated his hope that the State Administration for Market Regulation will continue to support Hunan, advance the joint provincial-ministry development of the Hengyang industrial park, allocate national-level measurement technology platforms, policies, and project resources toward the park, and guide Hunan in conducting provincial-level quality inspections and strengthening grassroots capabilities. This support aims to accelerate Hunan's efforts to build a quality-focused province.
Liu Guiping responded that the Administration will support Hunan in advancing its quality-strengthening efforts, jointly promote the development of distinctive industries and breakthroughs in key core technologies, and work together to strengthen grassroots market regulation work, serving Hunan's high-quality economic and social development. When the historical legacy of the "Capital of Measurement" meets the current industrial momentum, what Hengyang must answer is not just how to scale up one park, but how an old industrial base can use the power of the "ruler" to measure the future of new quality productive forces.
(Reporter: Meng Yaxu)