Yongning town in Wenjiang district, Chengdu, together with 40 other towns, was listed among the second series of provincial towns with distinctive features. Chengdu has a total of five towns that made the list.

In recent years, Yongning has strived to become a distinctive town with a booming health industry, a great environment for medical care, and a large number of medical talents.

The town serves as the country's only demonstration area for the integration of medical science, medical care, and medicine (tri-medical), a provincial pilot area for the Marketing Authorization Holder (MAH) policy, a key national town, a civilized town, and an environmental town. The Tri-medical Talent Town of Yongning was included among Chengdu's first characteristic towns this April.

Chengdu Medical City is located in Wenjiang district. [Photo/cnr.cn]    

Yongning has also set development goals, with the total output value of its health industry expected to reach 10 billion yuan ($1.44 billion) and a medical care eco-circle to be built by the end of 2020. It also aims to become a national characteristic town with a focus on medicine and a leader in the health industry in west China by 2020.

By 2025, Yonglian plans to become a national medical leader, with its output value exceeding 50 billion yuan. It will continue efforts to transform itself into a world-famous medical town with 100 billion yuan in output value by 2035.

According to authorities, a characteristic town is neither a town defined administratively nor an industrial zone, but is rather an area with specific industry orientations, cultural elements, tourism features, and community functions.

A rendering of Yongning town. [Photo/cnr.cn]