Kunming National Hi-Tech Industries Development Zone, which was established in 1992, is Yunnan province's first national zone of its kind and consists of two areas - a built-up area of 5-sq-km in the northwestern part of Kunming, and a New City Hi-Tech Industrial Base, covering 87-sq-km on Majinpu St in the Chenggong district.

In its 22 years, the zone has pushed the development of hi-tech industries, increased creativity, promoted the transformation in development model, and has developed into a pilot area for reforms and opening-up in the city of Kunming and the province. It has also brought in hi-tech industries and investment and has taken the lead in economic and industrial construction.

In 2013, it generated 140.3 billion yuan ($22.46 billion) in business, 4.27 billion yuan of revenues, and 2.04 billion yuan for the local budget. It is home to 189 hi-tech enterprises, which account for about a third of the province's total and half of Kunming's, and whose output accounts for 32.5 percent of the development zone’s total. At least 60 enterprises saw revenues of 100 million yuan, four with 10 billion, and 12 at 1 billion. The zone also had nine listed enterprises and ranked 27th nationally, according to the latest Science and Technology Ministry list.

The zone concentrates on new materials and equipment manufacturing, and bio-medicines, and also makes an effort to develop the modern services industry and industrial clusters, with these industries accounting for more than 50 percent of the zone's total income.

Pharmaceuticals account for around 25 percent of income, and the Yunyao (Yunnan medicine) industrial cluster is approved as one of the top 41 national innovative industrial clusters. With the Kunming National Bio-industrial Base, the zone has gathered more than 40 bio-medicine enterprises in the New City Hi-tech Industrial Base, including the Yunnan Phytopharmaceutical Co, Kunming Dihon Pharmaceutical, Kunming Pharma Corp, Kunming Longjin Pharmaceutical, Yunnan Biovalley Dengzhanhua Pharmaceutical, Yunnan Haobang Pharmaceutical, Yunnan Baiyao Group, Yunnan Lixiang Pharmaceutical, Newcentrury Pharmaceutical, and the Chinese Medical Sciences Academy's Medical Biology Institute. The Yunyao cluster is one of the first national innovative industrial clusters.

In new materials and equipment manufacturing, the zone's rare and precious metals new materials demonstration site and Yunnan power equipment manufacturing base have several key enterprises and projects, such as the Yunnan Germanium Co, Sino-Platinum Metals Co, Yunnan Zhengxiao Cable, Yunnan Daze Electrode Technology, Kunming Cable Group, Yunnan Tongbian Electric Appliance, Yunnan John Chester Flexible Automation Equipment, China Southern Power Grid, and Kunming Huaao Hangxing Electric Co. The zone's Kunming Aquatic Science Park has many enterprises and projects in aquatic and environmental treatments, including the Yunnan Yatai Environmental Engineering Design & Research Co, Yunnan Water Industry Investment and Development, Yunnan Originwater Technology, Yunnan Zhonghuan Jinze Technology, Yunnan Yinfa Environmental Protection Group, China Aerospace Intelligent Water Project, and the Yunnan Bokai Technology Co. It also cooperates with places such as the Harbin Institute of Technology and introduces technology from countries such as Israel.

Modern service industries, such as e-commerce, general aviation, and satellite technology are also developing steadily and the development zone has a plan to improve its technological innovation and has set aside 5 percent of its budget for scientific innovation to support enterprises in technological innovation.

The zone has 17 national technology innovation bases, four national engineering and technological research centers, seven national enterprise technology centers, one key national enterprise laboratory, three national research institutes, six academician work sites, four specialist work sites, six postdoctoral work sites, and a 515-square-meters technology incubation base. It also holds 2,237 patents, 1,204 of them for inventions, and has been designated a national intellectual property rights pilot zone by the State Intellectual Property Office.

The zone's technological innovation association for rare- and precious-metals new materials is a national experimental association.

It has southwestern China's first aquatic science site for water technology and is cooperating with the Chinese Science Academy's Kunming Institute of Botany and Kunming Institute of Zoology to build an innovative public service site for bio-technology. It has a special fund of 30 million yuan annually for attracting talented personnel and to develop top-quality innovative personnel and improve management.

The zone's built-up area is integrated with the downtown area of Kunming, for a beautiful area with convenient transportation and complete support facilities. Many high-tech enterprises, institutes, company HQ, and top elementary and secondary facilities have moved here. The new city area has added 48-km of roads and a lot of support facilities for water, sewage treatment, and natural gas. Its facilities support industrial construction and development, which in turn, attracts more projects and promotes industrial development.