Lyusi Port in Nantong. [Photo/Nantong Daily]

A group of Chinese journalists and online influencers took part in a two-day media tour of Nantong, Jiangsu province, on Aug 13, exploring how the city is reshaping its 276‑kilometer coastline through smart ports, advanced shipbuilding, and renewable energy.

At Lyusi Port in Lyusigang town, automated cranes and 5G‑guided unmanned vehicles move containers with quiet precision, a vivid sign of the former fishing community's transformation into a modern trade gateway.

Smart port, global reach

Lyusi Port now operates four 100,000-metric ton terminals. In 2025, it handled over 200,000 twenty-foot equivalent units, serving 54 countries and regions with shipping routes to Japan, the Middle East, and other destinations. The port has also attracted 182 large‑scale industrial enterprises, with projects worth 10 billion yuan ($1.48 billion) supporting a growing port‑side industrial cluster. In addition, a rail‑river‑sea transport network links the port to the Yangtze River hinterland and Shanghai's Yangshan Port.

Digital shipbuilding

At China Merchants Heavy Industry (Jiangsu), a digital management system tracks steel plates through a U‑shaped laser‑cutting line, with robotic arms handling most tasks. At Nantong Zhenhua Heavy Equipment Manufacturing, three automated production lines have boosted monthly output to over 10,000 tons, exceeding the original design capacity of 8,000 tons.

Green energy and ecological restoration

In Rudong county, a 400‑megawatt solar‑hydrogen‑storage project spans 4,300 mu (286.67 hectares) of tidal flats. Beyond generating zero‑carbon power, the installation has helped suppress invasive smooth cordgrass, allowing shorebirds such as egrets and seagulls to return. Meanwhile, China National Petroleum Corp's flagship Blue Ocean New Materials polyolefin plant is 87 percent complete and scheduled to begin production in September; its proximity to the Tongzhou Bay port area will cut logistics costs and shorten supply‑chain response times.

From its busy terminals to its high‑tech shipyards and solar arrays, Nantong's coastline is steadily evolving into a corridor of industry and innovation, transforming a cluster of fishing villages into a modern maritime city that reaches out to the deep blue sea.