The city of Yangquan in North China's Shanxi province has seen a boom in local digital economy and a strong start to smart city development.  

In 2023, Yangquan introduced a series of plans and policies to support the development of its digital economy. 

Additionally, the city allocated 5.1 million yuan ($708,440) in special funding at the municipal level for the digital economy. It also gave financial support to a number of demonstration projects and exemplary digital economy enterprises.

The city also oversaw the development of several digital economy clusters. Phase one of the CEC Digital Economy Industrial Park has commenced operation, with 63 companies currently signed and settled. A total of 82 companies have settled in No 7 Shanxi Smart City.

Yangquan has accelerated the transformation of its traditional industries through digital empowerment.

It completed the intelligent transformation of 104 mining faces in four coal mines, with all coal mines in the city each having completed intelligent upgrades. Several industrial internet platforms have been established.

In regard to digital transformation in the agricultural sector, Pingding county in the city has established a forsythia purchasing and trading platform, and Yuxian county has developed 5G-based smart fruit and vegetable greenhouses.

In the service industry, scenic spots such as Niangzi Pass and Cangshan Mountain have implemented electronic ticketing and online ticket reservations.