Guiyang Government of China issued a whitepaper on Guiyang Blockchain Development and Application On December 31 2016. Guiyang is a Southwestern city in China and the capital of Guizhou province. As a city 2000 km (1242miles) away from China’s eastern coast and known more for its cool days in summer and natural scenic sites, Guiyang has shown its boldness and ambition in designing blueprint of Blockchain’ applications in management of government data, people’s livelihood and commerce and trade.

In the 86-page-long whitepaper, Guiyang government lists the opportunities and problems Guiyang faces after the introduction of the basic knowledge of Blockchain. The Whitepaper reads:

The State Council has recently issued the Initiative Information Technology Application of 13^th Five-Year-Plan for Social and Economic Development in China. The Document makes it clear China will build itself into a leading country in the world by 2020 and Blockchain technology has been included in the initiative. For Guizhou Province, big data industry will be the strategic powerhouse to drive its economy in the 13^th Five-year-Plan period.(2016-2020) Guiyang is the center of Guizhou province, faces great opportunities under such backdrop. Second, big data technology has enhanced Guiyang’s city governance in recent years. The promotion of new technology will enjoy a sound environment…Guiyang government is proactive in embracing innovation brought by Blockchain…

For challenges, it reads,

Generally, there are still no national-level rules and regulations on Blockchain industry. The implication of Blockchain technology in privacy, ethics, law and society is yet to be clear. There are no industry or technology standard either. No government-led and national-level application of Blockchain technology which can be guidance for the industry has come into being yet. Blockchain technology is still in its infancy. Locally, Guiyang needs to further enhance its data infrastructure and thus the digitalization of the city. Guiyang still lacks enough talents of Blockchain technology…

Timetable

The whitepaper states the timetable for Guiyang’s Blockchain development.

In 2017, Guiyang will explore Blockchain application in government data sharing, public monitoring of the government, internet finance monitoring, precise poverty-relief, healthcare, smart transportation, supply chain management, digital logistics, data trade, promissory notes and credit rating for small and medium enterprises. （the whitepaper has detailed descriptions of each scenarios）

In 2018, Guiyang will explore more applications and set industry norms and standards

In 2019, Guiyang will further complete its Blockchain development structure with better promotion systems and better talents cultivation systems.

In 2020, Guiyang will complete its innovation ecosystem of Blockchain technology by promoting Blockchain in government, commerce and civil areas, making Guiyang the leading city of Blockchain technology in China.

Sovereign Blockchain

The whitepaper states that Sovereign Blockchain is core concept for Guiyang’s Blockchain development. A Sovereign Blockchain must be within the sovereignty of China, under the regulation of law and based on decentralized ledger and consensus for public value to be delivered, migrated, shared and value-added.

Why Guiyang?
Hardly can people believe it’s not Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou or Hangzhou, but Guiyang, whose GDP only ranked 77^th in China in 2015, to be the first local government to issue an official document on Blockchain development plan after the Chinese central government released its national-level whitepaper of Blockchain in October 2016. But there are reasons for the mountainous Guiyang to do so.

Since 2014, Guiyang government has been making efforts to developing “big data” industry by attracting enterprises and talents via preferential policies. Chen Min’er, Guizhou Province’s Party Chief,  is the head of Guizhou Big Data Development Group. Now with Alibaba’s cloud technology, Guiyang has moved the data of various governance systems in the Cloud system. Guiyang now seldom purchases data servers. Guiyang is also the host city for China’s international big data conferences in 2015 and 2016. It’s city-covered transportation data is shared to the public in real time. Guiyang government began to invite experts of Blockchain to lecture its officials from Finance Office. In 2015 Guiyang set a Global Big Data Exchange where data like trade records of a certain industry or government data (only legal part) can be traded, a platform into which Blockchain is claimed to be able to be applied.

Guiyang Big Data Exchange and Guiyang Crowdfunding Finance Exchange

When interviewed by 8btc, David Li, the  overseas manager of Onchain, the leading Chinese Blockchain technology company based in Shanghai expressed optimism about Guiyang’ move:

Though it remains to be seen to what extent the the efforts of Guiyang GOV in blockchain can be put into practice, it is certainly welcomed that more local governments in China are acknowledging the potentials of the technology. As we have anticipated China is indeed welcoming technological innovations with a friendly take on Blockchain Technology and even include it in the national strategy, enterprises will have more motives to keep on exploration in Blockchain technology.