The 15th National Games, jointly hosted by Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao for the first time, recently came to a successful conclusion. The emblem with the concept of "prosperity and inclusiveness" is highly ingenious and popular, with the Guangdong Kapok Flower, Hong Kong Bauhinia Flower, and Macao Lotus Flower overlapping and rotating to form a concentric gift flower, symbolizing the integration and interconnectedness of the Guangdong Hong Kong Macao Greater Bay Area, infinite vitality, backed by the motherland, and blooming in the world. This is a vivid interpretation of the coordinated development and accelerated integration of the Guangdong Hong Kong Macao Greater Bay Area over the past year. The Guangdong Hong Kong Macao Greater Bay Area is one of the most open and economically vibrant regions in China. The construction of the Guangdong Hong Kong Macao Greater Bay Area is a major national strategy personally planned, deployed, and promoted by General Secretary Xi Jinping. This year, the three regions of Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao anchored the goal of building a dynamic and internationally competitive first-class bay area and world-class city cluster, worked together steadily, deepened cooperation, accelerated the connection of various elements, and continuously deepened the construction of the Greater Bay Area, achieving new results in integrated development. Infrastructure "hard connectivity" is an efficient and collaborative infrastructure interconnection, which is the "hard support" for the coordinated development of the Guangdong Hong Kong Macao Greater Bay Area. The efficient and convenient "hard connectivity" of the Greater Bay Area has been more concretely expressed both inside and outside the 15th National Games venues: athletes from Hong Kong depart from West Kowloon Station and travel directly to the Guangzhou venue via the Guangzhou Shenzhen Hong Kong high-speed railway within one hour; The Macau delegation made a seamless transition to the Zhuhai training base via the Hong Kong Zhuhai Macau Bridge; Viewers from mainland China watch diving in Guangzhou in the morning, basketball in Hong Kong in the afternoon, and table tennis in Macau in the evening, experiencing the "three places to watch games in one day" itinerary of silk skating... With the increasingly perfect transportation facilities in the Guangdong Hong Kong Macao Greater Bay Area, the urban agglomeration is more closely connected, and the integrated development within the area is more smooth. As of now, the operating mileage of railways in the Greater Bay Area has exceeded 2800 kilometers, and the operating mileage of urban rail transit has exceeded 1500 kilometers. Inter city railways have achieved networked and public transportation operations, and rail transit travel has become a reality with "one network, one ticket, and one city", accelerating the formation of the "one hour living circle". The bridge flies over things, and the sea has turned into fertile land. From January to October this year, the traffic volume of the five river and sea crossing channels (Huangpu Bridge, Nansha Bridge, Humen Bridge, Shenzhong Channel, Huangmaohai Sea crossing channel) at the mouth of the the Pearl River totaled 137 million, up 10.52% year on year; The total traffic volume of the Hong Kong Zhuhai Macao Bridge was 4.3209 million, a year-on-year increase of 19.6%. The strong traffic demand of these six cross river and cross sea channels is a powerful proof of the accelerating integration and development of the Greater Bay Area. The interweaving of air routes in the sky and the non-stop operation of air cargo stations, the "air network" in the Guangdong Hong Kong Macao Greater Bay Area has been continuously updated: in September, Terminal 2 of Hong Kong International Airport was put into use in stages; In October, the T3 terminal and fifth runway of Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport were officially put into use; In November, Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport entered the "three runway era"... The expansion of the airport has brought about an increase in passenger volume and an upgrade in air rail intermodal transportation. The world-class airport cluster in the Guangdong Hong Kong Macao Greater Bay Area is moving from blueprint to reality, becoming a global "traffic king". The International Air Transport Association predicts that by 2030, the demand for air passenger and cargo transportation in the Greater Bay Area will reach 387 million passengers and 20 million tons. At midnight on November 15th, the lights were on at the Zhuhai Highway Port of the Hong Kong Zhuhai Macao Bridge. A private car with a Guangdong C license plate slowly entered the "one-stop" dedicated inspection and release channel. The customs system quickly completed data exchange, and then the screen lit up with the words "please pass". The "Guangdong car south" policy was officially implemented. The 'Guangdong Bus Southbound' policy has achieved a bridge, two-way travel, and benefits for all industries, bringing unlimited opportunities to Hong Kong, "said Chen Meibao, Secretary for Transport and Logistics of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government. The rule mechanism of "soft connectivity" continues to deepen. On November 8th, a cross-border road cycling race was held intensively, with participants speeding on the track, crossing Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao without stopping. This is the first cross-border event in the history of the National Games. A 231.8-kilometer ultra long track connecting Zhuhai, Macau, Hong Kong, and Hengqin, where athletes cross ports six times without stopping for one second during cycling. The successful hosting of this cross-border competition is attributed to the innovative breakthroughs in the connection of rules and mechanisms among Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao. The secret of 'seamless' customs clearance lies in the innovative use of the' pre inspection+closed-loop management 'mode to ensure smooth clearance of people, vehicles, and goods, "said Yuan Xiong, Deputy Director of the Executive Committee Office of the Zhuhai Division of the 15th National Games and the Paralympic Special Olympics. Deepening the "soft connectivity" of rules and mechanisms is one of the key breakthroughs in promoting the integrated development of the Greater Bay Area. Since the beginning of this year, Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao have continuously broken down institutional barriers, accelerated the flow of innovative factors, and transformed "institutional differences" into "institutional benefits". In the field of people's livelihood, Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao jointly issued 262 "Bay Area Standards" and issued 270 "Bay Area Certification" certificates. The "Hong Kong Macao Medical Device Connect" has achieved full coverage in nine cities in the Greater Bay Area, benefiting over 10000 patients. 187 high-frequency government services have been "cross-border", and the level of market integration in the Greater Bay Area continues to improve. This strawberry is a 'Bay Area Certified' product that my daughter likes to eat, fresh and sweet. ”Recently, Ms. Chen, a Hong Kong citizen, was shopping at a supermarket near her home. She picked up a box of strawberries and scanned the QR code on the packaging box. With the 'ID card' on the product, you can feel more at ease when purchasing, "said Ms. Chen. In the field of science and technology innovation, the flow of research funds, data elements, experimental resources, etc. is accelerating, and technological innovation and industrial collaboration are constantly reaching new heights, stimulating the surging momentum of high-quality development in the Greater Bay Area. As of now, the Greater Bay Area has laid out 9 major technological infrastructure, built 2 national laboratories, 45 national key laboratories, and 33 Guangdong Hong Kong Macao joint laboratories; National and provincial science and technology plan projects continue to be open to institutions in Hong Kong and Macao, and Guangdong's provincial-level financial research funds have been cross-border disbursed to Hong Kong and Macao, totaling over 600 million yuan; The innovation index of the "Shenzhen Hong Kong Guangzhou" innovation cluster has jumped to the top in the world this year, and the "Macao Zhuhai" cluster has also been listed in the global top 100 for two consecutive years; The collaborative model of "Hong Kong and Macao universities - Hong Kong and Macao scientific research achievements - Pearl River Delta transformation" has enabled more and more scientific research achievements to be successfully implemented... A new pattern of development in the bay area driven by technological innovation is accelerating. The closer the residents of the Bay Area are to the successful hosting of the 15th National Games, the more they are connected, bringing a sports craze to the Greater Bay Area. The enthusiasm for national sports extends from professional venues to the streets and alleys, where people enjoy the charm of sports to the fullest. Bay area residents exchange skills and enhance friendship through activities such as basketball, badminton, dragon and lion dance. At the first "People's Cup" Sports Carnival held in Shenzhen not long ago, 420 young people from Shenzhen, Hong Kong, and Macau competed on the same stage. Macau youth Huang Ruikun said, "This competition is like a bond that tightly connects friends in the Greater Bay Area." With the expansion of living radius, the shortening of time and space distance, and the convenience of business and travel exchanges, the Greater Bay Area has moved from "hard connectivity" and "soft connectivity" to "heart connectivity". The mutual flow between Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao has become increasingly smooth and prosperous, and the livable, business friendly, and tourist friendly high-quality living circle has accelerated its realization, confirming the profound transformation of the Greater Bay Area from "geographical connectivity" to "human heart integration". At present, over 200000 Hong Kong and Macao residents are working and developing in Guangdong, over 8000 Hong Kong and Macao professionals are practicing in Guangdong, and over 350000 Hong Kong and Macao residents have participated in pension, unemployment, and work-related injury insurance in Guangdong. Integrated development and joint construction of the Bay Area have become a common consensus among residents of the three regions. The sense of gain, happiness, and security among the people in the three regions is constantly increasing. More and more young people from Hong Kong and Macao are pursuing their dreams in the Greater Bay Area, and achieving better development by integrating into and serving the overall development of the country. After graduating, Macau youth Liang Jiaxing chose to start a business in Hengqin and co founded the "Yima Tea Record" tea restaurant with his friend Xiao Jiayuan, bringing the fragrance of Macau to Hengqin. Similar employment and entrepreneurship stories are constantly emerging in the Greater Bay Area. Our family basically goes' north 'for shopping and tourism every week, with a journey of over an hour, which is very convenient. It feels more like a home in the Greater Bay Area. ”Mr. Wu, a Hong Kong resident, sighed and said that cross-border consumption in the Greater Bay Area continues to be booming, and the "crowds of people" at various ports between Shenzhen and Hong Kong have become the norm. Data shows that as of November 23 this year, the cumulative number of inbound and outbound personnel at Shenzhen Port has exceeded 240 million. Standing by the banks of Lingdingyang and looking into the distance, the Hong Kong Zhuhai Macao Bridge spans the blue waves like a giant dragon. On the bridge deck, cross-border trucks flow endlessly, and the economic and trade potential continues to be released; Vehicles from Hong Kong and Macau travel back and forth, and cultural and tourism consumption continues to rise... With roads connected, cities integrated, and hearts connected, a new picture of integrated development in the Greater Bay Area is slowly unfolding. A vibrant international first-class bay area and world-class city cluster are growing rapidly. (New Society)