CHENGDU, Dec. 30 (Xinhua) -- Marco Polo may have been the first Westerner to set foot in Yibin in southwest China in the late 13th century, but it is said that "the first city on the Yangtze River" was coined by American archaeologist and anthropologist David Crockett Graham, who resided in Yibin during the 1910s and 1920s.
Local historians, however, dispute this claim, arguing that the name has a much longer history. They maintain that it was bestowed by the local people in recognition of Yibin's unique geographical location and rich historical and cultural heritage.
The Yangtze River, the longest river in China and the third longest in the world, originates from the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Its upper reaches are called the Jinsha River which merges with the Minjiang River in Yibin, Sichuan Province. From that point, it is known as the Yangtze River and this fact is recorded in various geographical and historical documents.
According to Marco Polo, in the 13th century, Yibin was already a "large and beautiful city" teeming with merchants and artisans. As an important node on the ancient Southern Silk Road and the ancient Tea Horse Road, this place was a bustling center for the trade of diverse commodities such as ceramics, tea, textiles, bamboo utensils, alcoholic beverages, medicinal herbs and minerals.
Taking advantage of the Yangtze, the commodities were shipped to southern and eastern parts of China, as far as the current Shanghai, which is over 1,600 km away from Yibin.
The history of this city can be traced back 2,200 years. But its most famous product, baijiu, or Chinese liquor, has a history of more than 4,000 years. The Yangtze provides superb conditions for the brewing of top-rated liquor.
For a long time, Yibin has also been known as the "capital of baijiu."
"Baijiu has been significantly supporting the development of our city," said Zhou Yongkui from the local producer of Wuliangye, one of the country's most famous baijiu brands.
Today, visitors to the city can still catch the aroma of liquor in the air, yet signs of change are already evident.
CHANGES
Previously, the city's growth rested on two pillars -- the "white" industry of baijiu production and the "black" industry of coal mining. Today, the "blue" and "green" industries have injected fresh vitality into its economy.
The "blue" industry refers to the digital sector, while the "green" industry refers to eco-friendly initiatives, reflecting China's economic transition toward innovation-driven and green high-quality development with the goal of basically achieving socialist modernization by 2035.
A pivotal moment came in 2019 when CATL, China's leading battery manufacturer, established its Sichuan Times power battery production base in Yibin.
To date, CATL has invested over 60 billion yuan (about 8.5 billion U.S. dollars) in Sichuan. With seven factories already operational and three more projects under construction, Yibin has solidified its position as the world's largest single-site power battery production base -- for every 10 power batteries produced worldwide, one comes from Yibin.
Power batteries are widely used in emerging industries such as electric vehicles and robots, providing clean and environmentally friendly energy. Yibin's central location in Sichuan's lithium-rich region, along with convenient transportation linking it to other industrial and commercial hubs in southwest China, supports this growing industry.
This anchor investment has spurred the growth of a complete industrial ecosystem, attracting over 120 supporting projects across the supply chain.
Consequently, the power battery industry has grown into Yibin's second 100-billion-yuan sector, rivaling its famed baijiu industry. The city has now proudly earned an additional title -- the "capital of power battery."
The wave of high-tech transformation extends beyond the new energy sector. Projector manufacturer XGIMI is another flagship example. The company, headquartered in the provincial capital of Chengdu, opened its intelligent optoelectronics industrial park in Yibin in 2021, a complex integrating an optical R&D and manufacturing center, quality testing laboratories, and automated production lines.
Within the park, visitors can spot a range of high-tech projectors, including models featuring facial recognition with anti-dazzle protection, and others equipped with automatic screen recognition and calibration.
Products manufactured here now reach markets across Europe, North America and Japan, marking a significant expansion of the company's global footprint.
Even the traditional cornerstone is embracing the new trend. Wuliangye has deployed technologies such as the Internet of Things, big data and AI to better manage the production processes and understand the changing consumer demands. The company has newly launched a wastewater treatment plant to advance its low-carbon production goals.
The changes in Yibin reflect Sichuan Province's ambition as a major inland economic powerhouse to contribute to the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. In 2024, Sichuan registered a total GDP of 6.47 trillion yuan, ranking fifth among 31 provincial-level regions, only trailing Guangdong, Jiangsu, Shandong and Zhejiang -- all provinces situated in the country's southern and eastern coastal areas.
The high-tech industry in Sichuan has developed rapidly in recent years and has become the core engine driving high-quality economic development throughout the province. By the end of 2024, the number of national high-tech enterprises in the province had reached 18,000, with 1,200 new ones added that year. The growth rate of emerging industries such as artificial intelligence and biotechnology exceeds 20 percent.
LEGACY
Throughout history, Sichuan has made significant contributions to the survival of the Chinese nation. Eighty years ago, the wartime capital of China during World War II was located in Sichuan, known as the "anti-Japanese rear area." The number of soldiers sent by Sichuan to participate in the war was the largest in China.
As the Yangtze River turned into a strategic battleground, Yibin earned the title of the "last shelter" on this river. Despite being bombed eight times by Japanese aircraft, the city became a sanctuary, welcoming a large influx of refugees and scholars.
Lizhuang, a small town in Yibin in particular, harbored a large number of intellectuals, playing a crucial role in preserving China's cultural heritage during the war.
Local villagers offered their private residences, ancestral halls and temples to accommodate more than 10,000 students and scholars of Tongji University who had relocated from Shanghai, as well as scholars from other regions.
Architect Liang Sicheng studied ancient architecture here, while archaeologist Dong Zuobin studied oracle bone inscriptions. They believe that these historical and cultural heritages are of great significance to the future of China.
When Joseph Needham visited embryologist Tong Dizhou's rudimentary biological laboratory in Lizhuang, he wondered how Tong could sustain his work under such harsh conditions. Tong responded simply, "I am Chinese."
Google engineer Mu Ming documented the history of Lizhuang in a science fiction story. She wrote, "The groups of miniature patterns that they have compiled and recorded, along with the texts that we have explored from the piles of old papers and ancient artifacts, will be sent from Lizhuang to Chongqing, Washington, and even to some unknown place. After aggregation, encryption, and calculation, they will become part of a larger map. It is these subtle details that make a vast pattern depicting the past, present, and future possible." Mu is a Sichuan native.
"They showed strong patriotism and a belief in China's victory, which is the legacy we have inherited," said Yang Fan, a guide working at the Zhao Yiman Memorial in Yibin.
The city also honors the legacy of Zhao Yiman, a heroic figure remembered across the nation. She traveled thousands of kilometers to northeast China to resist Japanese aggression and was brutally killed by the Japanese at the age of 31.
"It was this spirit of loyalty and resilience and a profound sense of history that forges modern Yibin to harness its past to power a new chapter of development."
"Only when the country becomes strong can we avoid repeating the tragedies of history, including being bullied," said Yang.
Tongji University, which once sought shelter in Yibin, has returned and partnered with the local government to build a science and technology innovation park in the city. Since 2016, Yibin has been developing a university city that now hosts over a dozen universities and 100,000 teachers and students, creating a rich talent pool for local development.
"Remembering history is not about remembering hatred, but about peaceful development," Yang said.
As one of the earliest cities in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River to engage in overseas trade, Yibin has once again opened its doors to the world.
In August this year, representatives from 18 companies, including Emerson, General Electric, Rockwell and SKF from the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, Sweden, Belgium and other countries participated in an event held in Yibin, where they visited local industrial parks and expressed interest in investment.
France's Dassault Systemes set up its company as well as an innovation center in Sanjiang New District of Yibin in December 2024, focusing on intelligent manufacturing and new-energy industry solutions.
The city has also established itself as an international tourist destination, utilizing the unique wonders of the confluence of the three rivers, as well as the world-class scenic area of the Southern Sichuan Bamboo Sea, where the Oscar-winning movie Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was filmed, and the thousand-year-old Sichuan cuisine, including the famous spicy Yibin Burning Noodles.
Yibin, once visited by the great Chinese poet Su Shi of the Song Dynasty (960-1279), has evolved beyond being a city of liquor and batteries. The city has strengthened its cultural appeal by revitalizing the historic district and building its first large sports arena.
Catering to the country's booming cultural and tourist market, Wuliangye opened a tourist block earlier this year near the Yangtze River, which features a baijiu culture museum and a Wuliangye workshop based on a group of ancient cellar pools that date back some 700 years.
An increasing number of foreigners now live and work in Yibin. At a recent group wedding along the Yangtze River, two Brazilian couples and one American-Chinese couple were among the participants.
Yibin is building a new city hub near the high-speed railway station that integrates high technology and commerce, with futuristic skyscrapers shaped like bamboo. Among the designers of the city hub are companies from the United States and Germany.
Today in Yibin, along the banks of the Yangtze, the ancient Wuliangye cellar pools continue their quiet work, while the time-honored aroma of baijiu mingles with the gleam of modern buildings. This harmonious blend reflects the city's remarkable journey from its rich past to a dynamic future, shaped by the resilient and ever-reinventing spirit of the Yangtze's first city. ■
