From the thunderous passage of China-Europe freight trains to the smart, eco-friendly highway distribution hubs, and onward to the boundless potential of the low-altitude economy, a recent field investigation from September 1st to 4th in Jingbian County, Yulin City, delved into the vibrant dynamism generated across its three key sectors: railway land ports, highway logistics, and low-altitude industries. This visit, part of the "Vitality China Survey · Shaanxi Panorama" series, sought to uncover the catalysts propelling this inland county toward unprecedented growth.

Jingbian's international land port is driving a transformation, turning its geographical hinterland into a frontier of openness. Strategically positioned at the crossroads of Shaanxi, Gansu, Ningxia, Inner Mongolia, and Shanxi, the county sits at the intersection of the Baotou-Maoming and Qingdao-Yinchuan national expressways. The interconnection of the Haolebaoji-Ji'an, Taiyuan-Zhongwei-Yinchuan, and Jingbian-Shenmu railways cements its status as a strategic national hub for "north-to-south coal transport and west-to-east coal distribution." Leveraging Yulin's abundant coal, oil, and gas resources, the region's powerful energy and chemical industry cluster provides the land port with a steady supply of cargo, including semi-coke and polyolefins.

Visiting the Jingbian International Land Port reveals a sprawling operation covering approximately 6,000 mu (about 400 hectares), featuring seven railway collection and distribution stations and 1.29 million square meters of warehousing. Its current annual capacity stands at 72 million tons, with long-term plans to expand to 120 million tons. Furthermore, a railway customs supervision site is slated for completion within the year, promising one-stop local customs clearance that will significantly shorten transportation distances and slash logistics costs for businesses.

According to Wang Qi, Chairman of Shaanxi Yuyu Logistics Group, Jingbian is utilizing the China-Europe freight trains to export light industrial, chemical, and agricultural products from Jingbian and its surrounding areas, while importing goods from Russia and Kazakhstan for distribution across North and Northwest China. He noted a dramatic surge in activity, with 110 trains in 2024 moving goods valued at 550 million yuan, escalating to 480 trains in 2025 carrying 2.287 billion yuan in goods, and already 544 trains dispatched this year handling cargo worth 3.8 billion yuan.

While rail forms the backbone, highway logistics act as the vital nerve center. The Jingbian North Collection and Distribution Station, a 1-billion-yuan investment spanning 1,000 mu, sits adjacent to the Haolebaoji-Ji'an railway hub. With 20 kilometers of interwoven steel tracks, it has a static coal storage capacity of 1 million tons and an impressive annual shipping capacity of 35 million tons, having already moved over 30 million tons to bolster the national energy supply chain.

To meet modern logistics demands, Huaye Kaitai has equipped the station with a sophisticated "smart brain." A command platform encompassing eight modules, including intelligent scheduling and loading, efficiently coordinates vehicles, personnel, cargo, nodes, and routes, forging a core competitive edge. In November 2025, the first dedicated grain train loaded with northern Shaanxi corn departed, signaling the station's evolution from a traditional "energy artery" to a "grain corridor."

Fan Jun, Deputy General Manager of Jingbian County Huaye Kaitai Energy, highlighted their proactive steps toward green transformation. This includes developing a "provincial zero-carbon logistics park demonstration" and a "globally leading intelligent collection and distribution center," along with constructing electrified roads and digitizing smart management and carbon tracking. The park has already installed charging and battery-swapping stations, transitioned to electric forklifts, and is actively planning on-site photovoltaic power generation and a comprehensive shift to new energy equipment.

Looking to the skies, Jingbian's low-altitude economy is also vying for a leadership position in the intelligent manufacturing sector. Established in June 2015, the Jingbian Low-Altitude Economy Industrial Cluster plans a total area of 24.23 square kilometers. It secured a 5,000-square-kilometer segregated test flight airspace in 2016 and began building a national-level drone testing center on 5,000 mu in 2019. In 2021, the Jingbian General Airport obtained its A1-class, 3C-level airport use permit. As one of the country's first civil unmanned aircraft test zones, it has established a solid industrial foundation.

This cluster is building a comprehensive industrial chain ecosystem integrating equipment manufacturing, test and evaluation, and scenario-based applications. Plans include incubation centers, standardized factories, R&D hubs, test sites, and professional platforms like a 4m x 4m wind tunnel laboratory and a small and medium-sized aircraft airworthiness certification research center.

Wang Xin, Director of the Jingbian County Intelligent Unmanned Systems and General Aviation Industry Science and Technology Innovation Center, noted that testing and manufacturing infrastructure is complete, with 29 low-altitude economy enterprises registered in Jingbian and 8 officially operating within the cluster. By the end of 2026, Jingbian aims to establish its "211" low-altitude economy framework: two bases (a national first-class drone test site and a key national low-altitude economy pilot zone), one demonstration zone (a provincial leader), and one center (a provincial hub for low-altitude economy technology commercialization).