The city of Houma,once the capital of the ancient Jin state(1033-376 BC)for nearly a millennium,has now earned another type of fame.It's known as a modern-day logistics hub and industrial base of Shanxi province.

　　Located at the junction of Shanxi and the neighboring provinces of Shaanxi and Henan,Houma used to be a trade hub in the province.

　　When it served as the Jin capital more than 2,300 years ago,the region was called Xintian.It was given the present-day name of Houma－which means horse-replenishing station for caravans－during the Ming Dynasty(1368-1644),showing it was already a trade hub more than 400 years ago.

　　Today's Houma is a logistics hub in Shanxi serving the commercial links with regions involved in the Belt and Road Initiative.Its position as a multimodal transportation hub is made possible with highways and railways linking to seaports in China's eastern coasts and freight train routes to Europe and Southeast Asia.

　　The Houma Highway Logistics Park is one of the local developments that showcase the booming logistics business in the city.

　　Renowned domestic courier company Deppon Express,for instance,has operated a huge logistics and warehousing base in the park.

　　"To meet growing demand,we have the capability to load 20 heavy-duty lorries simultaneously,"said Wang Xing,head of Deppon's operations in Houma.He added that the company is planning to add another 3,000 square meters in warehouses,which is expected to substantially increase its operational capacity.

　　The city is now applying to the General Administration of Customs for building a comprehensive bonded zone,which is expected to further incentivize and facilitate operations for companies doing foreign trade business.

　　A large number of export-oriented companies have settled or plan to settle in Houma.

　　Tangrong Machinery,for example,is an export-oriented automotive component manufacturer in Houma.

　　"With a majority of our products sold overseas,we chose to base our company in Houma because of its convenient transport links to Europe and Southeast Asia,"said Li Ying,deputy general manager of the company."The local government's professionalism and efficiency in offering administrative services and a complete industrial chain are among the reasons our company chose Houma as the major base."

　　The city's solid environment and ever-improving living conditions constitute additional draws for those who plan to do business,work or live in Houma.

　　With a total green area of 8.36 million square meters and per capita green space of 11.16 sq m in its city center,Houma is a garden-like city with national fame.

　　The local government has highlighted landscaping in its urban planning,in hopes of turning the city into"a huge garden",a local official said.

　　Zhang Zhigang contributed to this story.

　　By Yuan Shenggao