Photo taken on April 24, 2017 shows the scenery of the county seat of Rongcheng, north China's Hebei Province. (Xinhua/Mou Yu)
A total of 183 global teams will compete for right to design Xiongan New Area, after north China's Hebei Province invited international bids in late June.
As of the July 3 deadline, 103 overseas and 176 Chinese design companies and organizations had signed up. They constitute 183 design teams, according to Xiongan New Area management committee.
Some 12 design teams will be selected to proceed to the next round of onsite consulting with local government officials and experts, before they submit a design plan on August 20.
According to China Association of City Planning, international design consultation is a common practice, with many global cities and China's Shenzhen Economic Zone and Pudong New Area all having invited global bidders.
In April, China announced plans to establish Xiongan New Area 100 kilometers south of Beijing. It will cover Hebei's Xiongxian, Rongcheng, and Anxin counties.
