Back to Map
🧪

Advanced Materials

新材料

Spanning carbon fiber, rare earth processing, specialty chemicals, and nanomaterials, China is systematically building dominance in the materials that underpin all advanced manufacturing.

Hubs

13

cities with this sector

Total Output

¥509B

combined industry output

Companies

3,050

across all hubs

Employment

445K

workers in sector

Key Statistics

Rare earth processing share

~90%

2023

Carbon fiber production

55,000 tonnes

2023

New materials market

¥7.5T

2023

Global Context

China processes ~90% of global rare earths and is the largest producer of carbon fiber, lithium compounds, and silicon wafers.

Hub Rankings

#1

Foshan佛山

Tier 2steady

Advanced ceramics, building materials, hydrogen energy materials, aluminum alloys

¥120B output800 companies100K employed
#2

Suzhou苏州

Tier 2steady

Nanomaterials, specialty chemicals, electronic materials

¥65B output400 companies55K employed
#3

Ningbo宁波

Tier 2steady

Rare earth magnetic materials (NdFeB), specialty alloys, precision mold materials

¥80B output600 companies70K employed
#4

Zhuzhou株洲

Tier 3steady

Hard alloys, specialty ceramics, rail-grade materials

¥35B output120 companies40K employed
#5

Changsha长沙

Tier 2steady

Hard alloy materials, construction-grade advanced composites, tungsten carbide

¥40B output200 companies35K employed
#6

Qingdao青岛

Tier 2steady

Marine engineering materials, smart manufacturing composites, rubber and polymer materials

¥30B output180 companies25K employed
#7

Yichang宜昌

Tier 3emerging

Battery-grade phosphate materials, advanced fine chemicals, electronic chemicals

¥18B output100 companies15K employed
#8

Luoyang洛阳

Tier 3steady

Specialty glass, defense-grade optics, bearings and gear alloys, display substrates

¥28B output150 companies30K employed
#9

Zibo淄博

Tier 3steady

Functional ceramics, industrial ceramics, specialty glass fiber, piezoelectric materials

¥25B output200 companies25K employed
#10

Meizhou梅州

Tier 3emerging

Electrolytic copper foil, PCB substrates, copper alloys, battery anode materials

¥8B output60 companies10K employed
#10

Liyang溧阳

Tier 4steady

High-end stainless steel, lithium battery copper foil, advanced ceramics, new building materials

¥35B output60 companies18K employed
#11

Shaoxing绍兴

Tier 3steady

Pharmaceutical intermediates, electronic chemicals, specialty fine chemicals

¥15B output100 companies12K employed
#12

Quzhou衢州

Tier 4emerging

Fluorine chemicals for semiconductors and batteries, electronic-grade materials

¥10B output80 companies10K employed

Policy Drivers

  • New Materials Industry Development Guide
  • Critical minerals export controls
  • National key materials programs

Key Companies

BOE Technology (Hefei)

京东方(合肥)

000725.SZ

World's largest display panel manufacturer, with its most advanced Gen-10.5 LCD and OLED production lines in Hefei.

Hefei, Anhui

CRRC Zhuzhou Locomotive

中车株洲电力机车

3898.HK

Producer of high-speed train power systems, electric locomotives, and IGBT power semiconductors.

Zhuzhou, Hunan

CRRC Times Electric

中车时代电气

3898.HK

Leading producer of IGBT power semiconductor modules for rail, EVs, and renewable energy, a subsidiary of CRRC.

Zhuzhou, Hunan

CRRC ZELC (Zhuzhou in Changsha)

中车株机(长沙基地)

601766.SH

CRRC's Changsha operations producing maglev trains, autonomous trams, and expanding into low-altitude economy transit solutions.

Changsha, Hunan

Ningbo Shanshan

宁波杉杉

600884.SH

Leading producer of lithium battery anode and cathode materials, also a major LCD polarizer film manufacturer after acquiring LG Chem's business.

Ningbo, Zhejiang

Ningbo Jianfeng

宁波金田铜业

601609.SH

Major producer of rare earth permanent magnets (NdFeB) used in EV motors, wind turbines, and industrial robotics.

Ningbo, Zhejiang

DMTG (Dalian Machine Tool)

大连机床

Historic producer of CNC machine tools and precision equipment, representative of Dalian's deep legacy in precision manufacturing.

Dalian, Liaoning

Liugong Machinery

柳工机械

000528.SZ

Major construction equipment manufacturer producing wheel loaders, excavators, and forklifts exported to over 100 countries.

Liuzhou, Guangxi

Gree Electric

格力电器

000651.SZ

World's largest residential air conditioning manufacturer, diversifying into precision molds, robotics, and new energy.

Zhuhai, Guangdong