Dongguan in Guangdong, dubbed the "World's Factory," has not only maintained its high order volumes and robust production at the beginning of 2026 but also shows a convergence of cross-industry integration and innovation across multiple sectors.

Unlike the traditional post-holiday work resumption with bursting firecrackers and performing lion dances, Dongguan Guangliang Holding Group Co., Ltd. started the new year with a high-tech ceremony: a drone-delivered "red envelope rain."

Starting out as a geographic surveying firm, the company has leveraged its strength in data resources to expand into two emerging business sectors: AI plus and low-altitude economy plus.

"This year, the government has stepped up efforts to promote the commercialization of application scenarios, which gives us the perfect stage to fully demonstrate our capabilities," Liu Xianqing, vice president of the group, said.

Home to more than 220,000 industrial enterprises, including 14,000 industrial enterprises above the designated size, Dongguan boasts world-class industrial clusters in electronic information and high-end equipment manufacturing, as well as numerous "hidden champions" in niche segments.

Cross-sector exploration, built on enterprises' existing production capabilities, is driving a new round of supply-side upgrading in the manufacturing hub.

In the workshop of Shini Plastics Technologies (Dongguan), Inc., injection molding machines, die-casting machines and automated production lines are running at full capacity to meet orders.

"We also plan to step into the low-altitude economy and humanoid robot sectors, developing more businesses tailored to new consumer demands," Wu Junrui, general manager of the company, said.

Despite global market fluctuations and weakening demand, Dongguan's manufacturing sector demonstrated strong resilience in 2025. The city's annual GDP crossed the new threshold of 1.2 trillion RMB, with the total output value of industrial enterprises above the designated size exceeding 2.6 trillion RMB, a milestone driven by the transformation of local manufacturers.

Dongguan Finecables Co., Ltd. is another enterprise that has grown through continuous innovation. On the first day of work resumption, the company landed overseas orders worth nearly 10 million RMB, with its production schedule packed until June.

Low-altitude economy products have to be lightweight, waterproof and highly stable. The company's core strategy is developing high-performance connectors to meet evolving consumer needs.

Forward-looking planning and cross-sector breakthroughs have made Dongguan enterprises highly popular among domestic and foreign buyers alike. In 2025, the city's total foreign trade volume hit a record high of 1.58 trillion RMB, up 13.8 percent year on year. It marked 21 consecutive months of positive growth with improvements in both scale and quality.

During the 2026 Spring Festival holiday, the HKIA Dongguan Logistics Park maintained round-the-clock operations, handling 42 import and export flights. They carried about 800 tons of goods worth over 150 million RMB.

Mo Meixin, deputy general manager of Dongguan Port Industrial Investment Co., Ltd., said the proportion of high-end manufacturing and cross-border e-commerce goods, which have high air freight service requirements, has risen significantly. The park is now connected with  more than 60 countries and regions, with a growing share of shipments bound for Europe and Belt and Road Initiative partner countries.

The park plans to increase the frequency of charter flights to India, Spain and Belgium. Over 90 percent of the wharf is set to be completed this year and its full operation is scheduled for next year.

By breaking industrial barriers on supply sides and seizing new opportunities from composite consumer demands, Dongguan's manufacturing enterprises are embracing 2026 with strong confidence and clear growth expectations.