CHENGDU – LINZ

Sister City Silk Road - 35 years of citiesrelationship

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Our Vision

Why to revive
the Silk Road?

The expansion of mobility has always been the decisive event in giving rise to innovation and civilization. A route that has long linked humanity and is considered the most important trade route is the Silk Road, which extends from the southern Chinese metropolis of Chengdu and reaches as far as Austria.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

The Silk Road, which used to be the source of merchandise all over the world, is being rebuilt under enormous efforts by China. The coveted good that is being traded today is called creativity. The successful 35-year city partnership between Linz and Chengdu is regarded as the foundation stone for the revival of old routes within Austria.

The so-called AUTline, the Austrian part of the Silk Road, is to connect with each other along the Western Railway route “Creative Hubs" and boost Austria's creative industries. The driving force of the creative industry could be used to pull a vibrant band through Austria, which is a powerful European counterpart to Tel Aviv and Silicon Valley.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Objects of the project

More traction for the
Austrian creative industry

The machines have already taken a lot from us, so today the creative industry is the fastest growing market. The race for talent has long since begun, the relocation of jobs has created digital nomads who need to be tracked down and shown an attractive path within a neuronal infrastructure.

Creativity as a
valuable asset

In the international competition for the creative class lighthouses are needed, which bundle, promote and visualize the creative potential of cities. The AUTline will offer workshops, fab-labs, programming spaces, future guilds, new craftsmanship and new living.

The networked creative
economy of Austria

Work and livings labs with innovative concepts that see no separate worlds, but networked structures, enrich the creative industries in Austria significantly. The HUBs act as a reload of innovation and creativity deep into the regions and are developed locally.

ÖBB as power unit
and partner

The AUTline thus forms a pulsating strand of the Austrian creative industries and positions the ÖBB by its driving force to a LokChain. As the AUTline can also be accessed by plane in Vienna, Salzburg or Linz, the optimal connection from outside the Silk Road is also taken care of.

One Belt - One Road

The Silk Road
reaches Linz.

On the occasion of the 35th anniversary of the city partnership between Linz and the Chinese metropolis of Chengdu, a unique project was inaugurated on 19 October: the Silk Road was extended to Linz as a new trade route for creativity.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

As part of the anniversary event on the evening of 19 October in the tobacco factory, the extension of the Silk Road to the Upper Austrian provincial capital was inaugurated under the title “Sister City Silk Road" in the presence of guests of honour such as Liao Chenzhen, Deputy General Secretary of the City of Chengdu, Deputy Mayor Detlef Wimmer, Consultant for City Contacts, and Chris Müller, Director for Development, Design and Artistic Agendas of the Tobacco Factory Linz.
Local businesspeople and representatives of the partner municipalities along the Westmagistrale were also present.

 
 

As initiators of the innovation hubs on the Westbahn line between Vienna and Linz, they want to form a powerful counterpart to Silicon Valley, which promotes intercontinental creative exchange.
In future, direct trains from China to Austria will run on ÖBB’s Westmagistrale to Linz. A “Sister City Silk Road", a special silk ribbon of friendship, is thus being created between Chengdu, the metropolis of 15 million inhabitants and the oldest twin city of the “Steel City" on the Danube. Its purpose is not limited solely to transporting goods, but above all to exchanging creativity and innovation.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Statements

Voices of supporters

The potential and importance of the AUTline is seen. Here are some voices of the many supporters of different disciplines and competencies, who are already following the path and driving the revival of the Silk Road forward.

Klaus Luger

Mayor of Linz and Chair of the Supervisory Board of Tabakfabrik Linz

“The idea of developing innovation hubs along the Western Railway line, clustering them according to priorities and promoting them together lays important groundwork. “

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Detlef Wimmer

Vice Mayor of Linz

“As the responsible speaker for city contacts, it is very important to me to bring the existing partnership contracts to life."

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Chris Müller

Director of Development, Design and Artistic Agendas at Tabakfabrik Linz, CEO of ATMOS

„The expansion of mobility has always been the decisive event in giving rise to innovation and civilization."

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Gerhard Kürner

CEO Lunik2, former Company Spokesperson of voestalpine

„Mobility and networking – these success factors can be traced back all the way to the ancient Romans. And this won’t change in the smart future."

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Ursula Puchebner

Mayor of the City of Amstetten

“Amstetten is currently carrying out a number of development projects in order to be optimally equipped for the future."

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Harald Katzmair

Founder FASresearch

„In principle, the conditions for mastering the ambiguities of the network age are analog and old-school."

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Karl Friedl

Managing Partner of M.O.O.CON

“Customers and potential employees no longer follow the offers of ONE company – they demand that their own expectations are fulfilled individually."

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Martin Rauchbauer

Co-Director of Open Austria in Silicon Valley and Austrian Consul in San Francisco

„It’s good for Austria not to imitate global innovation centers like Silicon Valley but rather see them as an incentive."

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Liao Chenzhen

Deputy Secretary General of the City of Chengdu

“Chengdu was the starting point of the South Silk Road in ancient times, an important trading center linking China and Eurasia."

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Georg Fürlinger

Co-Director of Open Austria

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

„Networking is the catch phrase for any well-functioning eco-system of innovation. “

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Maria Marlene Dietrich

COO CMb.industries GmbH

“The doctrine of stimulating competition has been replaced by the added value of collaboration. We know that the future lies in linking and superimposing competencies."

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Ulrike Königsberger-Ludwig

Councillor of the Province of Lower Austria

“The 'railway' or the connection to the public transport was always a guarantor for the development of a region, important for location decisions for companies and also important for the mobility of people."

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Chengdu

Where the Silk Road begins

Chengdu is the capital of the southern Chinese province of Sichuan and since 1983 sister city of Linz. The history of the city dates back to the 4th century BC. At that time, Chengdu was the capital of the Shu Empire. Chengdu is home to the famous Chengdu Panda Rearing Research Station, a shelter where visitors can see the endangered Great Pandas in a natural habitat, the Leshan Grand Buddha and many other cultural attractions.

State: People's Republic of China
Province: Sichuan
Height: 520 m
Area: 12.346 km²
Inhabitants: 15.709.700

Press Corner

Contact

Marlene Penn

marlene.penn@tfl.linz.at
+ 43 664 / 84 11 931

In this area you find a small extract of press information. If you need more information and up-to-date pictures to the event “35 years city partnership", please visit the press corner of the Tabakfabrik Linz under www.tabakfabrik-linz.at/presse

 
 
 
 

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© 2018 Tabakfabrik Linz Entwicklungs- und Betriebsgesellschaft mbH. All rights reserved / IMPRESSUM

„The idea of developing innovation hubs along the Western Railway line, clustering them according to priorities and promoting them together lays important groundwork for the highly traditional economic route and the networking of the international creative scene.

A successful 35-year city partnership connects the South Chinese metropolis of Chengdu with Linz. As a result of the intensive efforts to revive the old Silk Road whose trade routes will lead from China to Linz, both partner cities will benefit even more from each other. When the Silk Road leads to Linz, this also boosts the Western Railway line. The central station in Linz will play an important role as the project develops: for one with the modification of the former mail distribution center as a hub for start-ups and, for another, with the ÖBB premises on Wiener Strasse, which follow the theme ‘The productive city’.“

"As the responsible speaker for city contacts, it is very important to me to bring the existing partnership contracts to life.

Chengdu has mostly megacities as partners. It is a great honor and opportunity for us to be among the closest members of this international network and to deepen our cooperation even further."

„The expansion of mobility has always been the decisive event in giving rise to innovation and civilization.

The old routes are awakening to new life – just like the Silk Road, which China is currently rebuilding with enormous efforts. It’s absolutely necessary to merge Austria’s creative districts, since innovation networks don’t develop arbitrarily. With the driving force of the creative sector, a vibrant chain of innovation could be developed along the Western Railway line through Austria, which would form an appealing European counterpart to Tel Aviv and Silicon Valley. Digital nomads – like the carpenters that took to the road or the cathedral builders who wandered out – can continue to expand their skills within this network and grow through collaborations. Our goal must be to create an association which is so attractive that it will gain international significance and draw talents to Austria.The old routes are awakening to new life – just like the Silk Road, which China is currently rebuilding with enormous efforts. It’s absolutely necessary to merge Austria’s creative districts, since innovation networks don’t develop arbitrarily. With the driving force of the creative sector, a vibrant chain of innovation could be developed along the Western Railway line through Austria, which would form an appealing European counterpart to Tel Aviv and Silicon Valley. Digital nomads – like the carpenters that took to the road or the cathedral builders who wandered out – can continue to expand their skills within this network and grow through collaborations. Our goal must be to create an association which is so attractive that it will gain international significance and draw talents to Austria.“

„Mobility and networking – these success factors can be traced back all the way to the ancient Romans. And this won’t change in the smart future.

Digitization gives us the chance to reinterpret the refined system offered by the ÖBB. Talents are looking for hot spots, digital nomads need docking stations – the AUTline concept can meet these requirements. I live in Wels, work in Linz and travel for customers anywhere from Vienna to Salzburg. The networking is already happening – it’s up to us to address and utilize it appropriately. After all, the incubator of innovative approaches doesn’t have to be a valley, it can also be a railroad.“

"Amstetten is currently carrying out a number of development projects in order to be optimally equipped for the future.

The aim of these projects is, in addition to optimal networking in the region, the further development of the city of Amstetten. As a so-called Second City, Amstetten positions itself with Quartier A between the cities of Vienna and Linz as a location where traditional industry, but also trade and commerce, meet optimally with the new forms of companies such as Start Ups and Young Creativs. The most important basis for this development is a perfectly functioning infrastructure. Amstetten owes much of its economic success to its optimal connection to the transport networks. Amstetten is located on the east-west main line of the most important railway connection in Austria and far beyond. This connection is an important basis for networking with the twin cities of Linz and Vienna and forms the optimal basis for the community of the new working and living area in Quartier A. As Mayor of the City of Amstetten, I am pursuing a clear strategy of setting the best possible conditions for these important steps into the future of 'my' home town."

„In principle, the conditions for mastering the ambiguities of the network age are analog and old-school.

Take a tree: It has millions of leaves and a strong trunk at the same time. Thanks to pure decentralization, its powers are dispersed at the decisive moment. Pure centralization, on the other hand, makes the system vulnerable and open to attack. At the same time, digitization with its flickering pulse rate is shortening the perceived shadow of the future of us all. To establish trust, relationships need a future horizon, the sense of a shared path. This is increasingly absent from the economy. The concept of the AUTline links all of these components and brings them to the reliable route of the Western Railway line.“

„Customers and potential employees no longer follow the offers of ONE company – they demand that their own expectations are fulfilled individually.

An innovative, fast and flexible adjustment to the market is THE prerequisite for competitiveness. Innovation is also the missing link in generations management: It strengthens the appeal of an employer, promotes cultural change and specifically practices the development into a customer-focused organization and more agile structures. This requires spatial platforms – it’s where the ambition of networked work and cross-functional development is implemented – the HUBS along the AUTline radiate, attract, connect and offer the innovative infrastructure to promote this in the best way.“

„It’s good for Austria not to imitate global innovation centers like Silicon Valley but rather see them as an incentive to utilize and expand the existing innovative potential of our own resources, connections and strengths in the best way possible.

Vibrant interregional connecting lines like the Western Railway line don’t just link important local innovation hubs with the major European traffic networks. It is also an excellent symbol of well-understood innovation that thinks both regionally and globally.“

"Chengdu was the starting point of the South Silk Road in ancient times, an important trading centre linking China and Eurasia.

Today, the Chengdu Europa Cargo Railway and 104 international flights from Chengdu form a new Silk Road. The consolidation of the 'One Belt, One Road' initiative will give new impetus to the traditional friendship between Linz and Chengdu".

„Networking is the catch phrase for any well-functioning eco-system of innovation.

Utilizing the innovation potential of each region depends on the close connection of the various stakeholders within its ecosystem. At the same time, international and interregional networks, like those presented by the AUTline, are needed to bring the various innovation centers closer together and encourage the sharing of talents and ideas.“

„The doctrine of stimulating competition has been replaced by the added value of collaboration. We know that the future lies in linking and superimposing competencies.

Digitalisation has raised the economic location question anew, and the path can actually be the goal today. I think the idea of bringing new models onto proven routes is excellent and therefore the AUTline is exactly in tune with the future working world.“

"The 'railway' or the connection to public transport has always been a guarantor for the development of a region, important for location decisions for companies and also important for the mobility of people.

This is one of the reasons why cities and municipalities have developed well on the railways. Amstetten is also one of these 'railway towns' and even today the town and many Amstetten residents benefit from the optimal connection. Now it is important to use this advantage and further develop it with new ideas and innovative projects, such as the CreativeHUBs and the chance of a large area near the railway station - to think optimally for mobility, networking and across borders".