The first ‘petville’ in China

Cultural heritage

Windsor Castle is a royal residence in the English county of Berkshire that is notable for its long association with the British royal family and for its architecture. Barbizon is a town located 50 miles from Paris that is famous for its art heritage. Portofino is an Italian fishing village and vacation resort that attracts celebrities with its picturesque harbour. And now, there is a pet-themed town in China: Ping Yang Pet Ville.

The rapid rise of the Chinese pet industry

According to the China Pet Industry White Book 2016, market size increased by an average of 50.7% from 2010-2014, reaching RMB 97.8 billion ($14.17 billion – €13.13 billion) in 2015. By 2020, the market is expected to exceed RMB 200 billion ($28.99 billion – €26.85 billion). 

These figures illustrate that the Chinese pet industry is experiencing explosive growth.

From leather to pet supplies

Back in the 90s, Ping Yang was the centre of the leather industry in China. At its peak, its GDP reached RMB 3.7 billion ($478 million – €443 million). This high production resulted in Ping Yang being listed as one of the case studies of water pollution by the National Environmental Conservation Agency.

Since then, the government of Ping Yang has set its mind on industrial transformation at all costs. Leather factories in Ping Yang now turn leather waste into high-protein pet food, which is sold all over the world. After twenty years of development, the area has become the ‘Pet Supplies Export Base’ and the ‘National Pet Food Export Quality and Safety Demonstration Zone’, with products shipping to more than thirty countries and regions in the world. 

The emergence of a ‘petville’

Against this background, some big manufacturers based in Ping Yang have seized the opportunity to build a pet-themed town. RMB 5.2 billion ($666 million – €617 million) have been invested and the ‘ville’s’ total planning area is 3.3 sq km (1.3 sq mi). The Pet Olympic Games held in Ping Yang in 2016 marked the kick-off of the ‘petville’ as the latest tourist attraction in China.

There are three main functional areas of Pet Ville. The first part includes tourist reception, a pet culture museum and an R&D centre. The second area is the manufacturing base, which includes a technology park, e-commerce park, manufacturing demonstration park and micro-business venture park. The third area is a residential and tourist area with a pet fashion park, tourism village, pet supplies shopping street, and a residential area containing a pet hotel, farm, hospital, theme park, distribution centre, etc.

As the first ‘petville’ in China, Ping Yang has great potential.