Jiangsu Shanhe General Aviation's Operations Director, Wang Zhuoluo, noted that his company had long been considering expansion into Guangdong, viewing the partnership with Zhongshan's Fusha Town as a natural alignment of complementary strengths. On September 8, at the 2026 Guangdong Rural Premium Asset Revitalization Investment Promotion Event held in Shanghai under the theme "Meeting Guangdong in the Countryside, Attracting Investment for the Future," Wang signed an intent agreement with representatives from Fusha Town.

At the event, Guangdong presented 374 premium rural asset projects to potential investors from the Yangtze River Delta region. The offerings ranged from ancient villages and idle properties to island tourism and hot spring wellness projects, as well as emerging low-altitude economy ventures. Fusha's key asset was approximately 75 square kilometers of available airspace alongside a rapidly developing rural low-altitude economy industrial base. This signing revealed a deeper shift in Guangdong's rural investment strategy: the province is no longer merely seeking capital but is actively pursuing long-term partners capable of converting resources into thriving industries and bringing projects to market.

Why did a Yangtze River Delta enterprise choose Guangdong and specifically Fusha? For Wang, the decision hinged on market access and industrial infrastructure. Guangdong offers a vast market and comprehensive supporting industries, making it an attractive destination for the company's planned expansion. The selection of a specific location, however, required careful consideration of factors such as geographic positioning, availability of adequate facilities, flight operation feasibility, and the potential for future aircraft manufacturing. Fusha presented a compelling case with its evolving industrial ecosystem.

Li Bo, the Deputy Party Secretary and Mayor of Fusha Town, explained that the town possesses distinct advantages in airspace, facilities, and location, providing a solid foundation for low-altitude economy development. The local government aims to leverage this new business sector to revitalize resources and attract industries, thereby creating new avenues for high-quality town development. Currently, Fusha boasts 75 square kilometers of usable airspace, with Phase I of its rural low-altitude economy industrial base spanning 60 acres and already operational. This phase includes a 400-meter runway and an 8,000-square-meter hangar, hosting 14 low-altitude projects covering aircraft manufacturing, drone R&D and testing, low-altitude tourism, and general aviation services. Phase II construction is underway, along with planning for additional reserved land for related industries.

The partnership emerged from a convergence of corporate needs and local resource advantages. Wang emphasized that the critical factor was the availability of industrial space. His company's aircraft are entering the civil aviation airworthiness certification phase, which imposes strict requirements on manufacturing and testing facilities, and these needs had been discussed in advance. Beyond physical space, Zhongshan's existing supply chains in hardware, electronics, and new materials can support low-altitude equipment manufacturing. Wang praised Fusha's planned low-altitude industrial base for its excellent clearance conditions, complete flight facilities, and ample industrial space, ensuring smooth implementation of the company's aircraft manufacturing and operations projects.

The Jiangsu Shanhe agreement illustrates that a company's location choice extends beyond land or assets to encompass the full package of industrial space, infrastructure, upstream and downstream support, and future market potential. Guangdong brought 374 projects to Shanghai, presenting a comprehensive portfolio that clearly communicates available resources, support conditions, and target industries. The province continues to enhance its resource endowments, supporting infrastructure, and policy guarantees to achieve precise matches between rural resources and corporate needs, transforming good resources into quality projects and driving development.

Beyond mere capital acquisition, the search is for true partners. Fusha's low-altitude industrial base represents just one of the 374 projects. The broader portfolio includes ancient villages, former school buildings, idle properties, hot springs, islands, and natural landscapes. Some projects have mature infrastructure while others require fresh business concepts. Collaboration models vary widely, encompassing investment and construction, site leasing, co-operation management, entrusted management, and industry introduction. The types of partners sought are increasingly diverse, signaling that rural asset revitalization can no longer be equated simply with securing funding.

An idle house, an ancient village, or a scenic landscape is a resource but does not automatically become a sustainable commercial venture. Transforming resources into assets and then into industries requires business models, consumption scenarios, and professional management. Once a project is established, its ability to attract visitors and generate stable returns depends on brand development, marketing channels, and market reach. The low-altitude economy follows this same principle. Fusha possesses airspace, a runway, hangars, and industrial space, but forming a genuine industry requires the continuous integration of aircraft manufacturers, component suppliers, R&D and testing institutions, and application scenarios such as flight experiences and aviation education. Jiangsu Shanhe brings not just investment but also specialized capabilities in aircraft R&D, manufacturing, test flying, and general aviation operations.

Expanding the perspective from the Fusha-Jiangsu Shanhe pairing to the broader Guangdong-Shanghai engagement reveals a similar logic. One side offers rich resources, vast markets, and industrial capacity, while the other brings concentrated expertise in capital, technology, operations, brand building, and market channels. Both sides are seeking the "other half" essential for their mutual development. Zhu Hongfei, Managing Director of Fangzheng Duoce Fund, noted that idle farmhouses, old factories, school buildings, and agricultural tourism projects typically struggle to attract social capital due to fragmented ownership and unstable cash flows. He emphasized that fund participation in rural projects must go beyond financial solutions to integrate industry chains and distribution channels.

Professional operating agencies are thinking ahead about post-construction sustainability. Zhuochuang Xiangjian, drawing on over a decade of rural project experience in Guangdong, advocates for "operations-first" planning, meaning business formats and management strategies are considered during the project design phase. Different rural assets require different collaborative resources, ranging from funding to industrial capabilities and from planning and design to professional operations. This explains why Guangdong's Shanghai outreach targets not only investment institutions but also tourism operators, planning and design firms, digital culture and technology companies, and brand marketing specialists. Guangdong brings resources and opportunities; Yangtze River Delta enterprises contribute industrial expertise, technology, operations, and market access beyond capital. In this context, "partner" carries a richer meaning than mere "investor."

Rural asset revitalization is evolving from simple resource development to a collaborative model involving resources, capital, industry, and operations working in concert. This approach enables rural ecological assets, cultural heritage, and distinctive resources to genuinely enter markets, form industries, and inject sustained momentum into county and town development. The handshake at the investment fair marks only the beginning. Following the Shanghai event, both sides have developed a clear action plan for implementation back in Fusha. The town will continue upgrading its low-altitude industrial base with communications, navigation, surveillance, drone countermeasures, and low-altitude intelligent network systems, while also advancing supporting infrastructure for roads, parking, environmental improvements, and hospitality services.

Industrial recruitment will proceed in tandem. Mayor Li Bo stated that Fusha will prioritize attracting manufacturers of complete low-altitude aircraft, components, and parts. Jiangsu Shanhe, for its part, plans to start with application scenarios that can quickly establish market presence. Wang explained that the company will initially focus on flight experience programs and pilot training as low-altitude tourism offerings. As industrial facilities mature, operations will expand to include aircraft manufacturing and test flying. From the moment of signing, both parties have been thinking beyond a single project to a gradually expanding industry chain: front-end flight experiences, aviation education, and training; mid-stream general aviation operations and test flying; and back-end aircraft and component manufacturing. The signed agreement is thus progressing from paper to concrete implementation.

In May, Guangdong held its first rural asset investment event in Beijing. Now the province has brought more premium rural assets to Shanghai and actively promotes them to the national market. While cities and projects change, Guangdong's commitment to opening up and connecting with premium market resources remains constant. The province seeks not just capital but also technology, industry, operations, and market channels. The goal extends beyond signing agreements to providing ongoing services that enable projects to take root and flourish. The Fusha-Jiangsu Shanhe partnership demonstrates that "rural partners" are not fleeting encounters but long-term collaborations based on complementary advantages. Local governments provide resources, infrastructure, and development space while enterprises contribute industrial capabilities and market vitality, finding common ground for growth through precise alignment. As more such win-win partnerships land across Guangdong's countryside, quality resources will accelerate their transformation into strong projects and industries, injecting sustained development momentum into the province's "Hundred Counties, Thousand Towns, Ten Thousand Villages" initiative and advancing the vision of a prosperous, beautiful, and vibrant rural Guangdong.