A healthy system

But housing alone does not make a home. For families moving to a new city, healthcare is often the real test. That is where doctors like Lu Yan come in.

Lu, a neurologist from Xuanwu Hospital of Capital Medical University in Beijing, serves as executive director of the neurology department at Xiong'an Xuanwu Hospital, built under a management agreement with its Beijing counterpart.

Since September 2023, she has regularly worked in Xiong'an, usually two days a week. Lu is one of many Beijing-based specialists sent to the new area to ensure high-quality medical care.

At 6:20 on a typical morning, a hospital shuttle departs Xuanwu Hospital in Beijing, carrying doctors and nurses who split their time between the two cities. The bus arrives in Xiong'an at 7:50 am, and the Beijing specialists begin their day.

"Our goal is to reach the same level of care as in Beijing,"Lu said. "The equipment here is top-notch. The environment at the new hospital is better. And with Beijing specialists coming regularly, the standard is rising quickly."

In 2024, her department handled 9,615 outpatient visits. Last year, that figure jumped to 18,489 — an increase of over 92 percent.

"More than half of the patients are local, with the rest coming from nearby cities or even further, like Inner Mongolia and provinces in Northeast China," Lu said, adding that the numbers reflect growing recognition of the hospital's treatment capabilities.

She said one patient from Beijing's Huairou district chose to be treated in Xiong'an. "The rooms have two or three beds, private bathrooms, TVs — it's like a hotel," she said. "When patients in Beijing can't get a bed right away, they can come here and get the same care in a better environment."

To improve the hospital's medical capabilities, new recruits are sent to the Beijing hospital for further training. "They even have the same opportunities as those of us from Beijing to pursue further studies," Lu said.

She said her ultimate goal is to achieve the same standards of management and treatment in Xiong'an as in Beijing's medical system.

"The high-quality public services are the 'soft power' of Xiong'an, which is the core factor in attracting talented people and their families to settle here," the economist Mu said.

For newcomers like Liu, such attractions matter. On weekends, she sometimes takes her cat to Yuerong Park. The lake is clear, the sky is blue, and birdsong can be heard drifting through the trees, she said.

"It's a city that makes you feel comfortable," Liu said. "Built with a vision for the future, not just for now. I think it's a place where you can catch the opportunities for both work and life. And that, to me, is what makes it work."