Project Introduction

Beijing Caofeidian International Vocational Education Town was established in response to General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important directive during his inspection of Tangshan: to “Strive to make Tangshan a gateway city for economic cooperation in Northeast Asia, a new industrial base in the Bohai Rim region, and a key pillar of the Capital Economic Circle.” The project also aligns with China’s national strategy of coordinated development in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region.
With the development philosophy of “Build a city to promote education, promote education to gather industry, gather industry to prosper the port”. The vocational education town is committed to creating a modern coastal new town that is livable, learnable, workable, and visitable. It aims to serve as a pilot zone for vocational education reform, featuring a modern education system led by applied technology universities, supported by higher vocational institutions, and grounded in secondary vocational education.
The project seeks to become China’s leading port-based vocational education city—an international, modern, eco-friendly, and smart hub. It is envisioned as a national demonstration zone for modern vocational education and a leader in industry-education integration, education-city synergy, school-enterprise cooperation, work-study alignment, and the integration of knowledge and practice.
Beijing Caofeidian International Vocational Education Town is one of the flagship projects jointly invested and developed by China POCY Group. The total planned area spans 19.7 square kilometers, with a total investment of USD 5.43 billion.
The first phase of project was launched on February 29, 2016, and remarkably completed by July 28, 2016—in just 150 days, 123 individual buildings were constructed across three campuses, covering more than 146.7 hectares with a total building area of 1 million square meters and an investment of USD 1.4 billion.
In September 2016, the town welcomed its first institution—Tangshan Experimental Secondary Vocational School—marking a milestone of “commencing construction, completing development, obtaining school accreditation, and enrolling students all within the same year”—a pace now recognized as the ‘ Speed of China Craftsman Valley’.

  • Established in February 2016

    February 15, 2016, 18:08 – The first foundation pile was driven into the ground at the Beijing Caofeidian International Vocational Education Town, officially initiating construction of the campus.

  • February 2016

    February 29, 2016 – The project officially started, accompanied by a press conference.

  • April 2016

    April 18, 2016 – Two student dormitories topped out ahead of schedule: Building H-2, constructed by China Railway Airport Construction Group Co., Ltd., and Building H-11, constructed by China Railway 16th Bureau Group Co., Ltd.

  • June 2016

    June 16, 2016 – All 123 individual buildings across the three campuses of first phase were structurally topped out.

  • July 2016

    July 28, 2016 – Main structures of all three campuses in Phase I were fully completed. After 150 days and nights of dedicated effort, builders presented the brand-new campus as a tribute to the 40th anniversary of the 1976 Tangshan Earthquake (July 28, 1976).

  • September 2016

    September 4, 2016 – The first school within the education city, Tangshan Experimental Secondary Vocational School, officially opened, achieving the milestone of breaking ground, completing construction, receiving accreditation, and enrolling students—all within the same year.

  • September 2017

    September 6, 2017 – The first higher vocational institution, Caofeidian College of Technology, welcomed its inaugural class of students.

  • May 2020

    May 2020 – Tangshan Maritime Institute was officially approved. In October of the same year, it welcomed over 2,000 new students.

  • August 2020

    August 2020 – Tangshan Craftsman Technical School was officially approved for establishment.

  • September 2024

    September 2024 – The four colleges within Beijing Caofeidian International Vocational Education Town reached a combined enrollment of over 40,000 students.

Comprehensive Benefits

The tides of the Bohai Bay have nurtured the blue dream of the Beijing Caofeidian International Vocational Education Town—to become “China’s Leading Portside Vocational Education Town.”
Four vocational institutions have been officially approved and are now in full operation: Caofeidian College of Technology, Tangshan Maritime Institute, Tangshan Experimental Secondary Vocational School, and Tangshan Craftsman Technical School. Together, they offer nearly 110 in-demand technical and vocational programs, with a combined student enrollment of over 40,000 as of September 2024.
The rapid development of the education town has significantly accelerated the growth of vocational education in Caofeidian, providing a continuous pipeline of high-skilled talent for the industrial and port zones, and powering regional industrial upgrading and transformation.
It has also led to swift population agglomeration, forming—with neighboring institutions—an education-centered new urban zone of around 150,000 people. This has fostered the rapid development of the city’s tertiary sector, created tens of thousands of new jobs, and driven multiples of growth in regional GDP.
By hosting major international events such as the International Conference on Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) and the 2018 Belt and Road & BRICS Skills Development and Technological Innovation Competition, the city has greatly enhanced its international visibility and reputation, while also firmly establishing the “China Craftsman Valley” brand as a national leader in vocational education.