China's next 'smart city' may come together sooner than expected. The northeastern city of Dalian already hosts a world-renowned forum every two years. Some say one day everything there will literally be connected. CGTN's Xu Xinchen shows us Dalian's smart city aspirations.

American Tyler Christler stumbled upon internet fame in China three years ago. Now with a fan base of half a million, people fell in love with his short video skits, during which he speaks fluent Chinese, tinted with a slight Dalian accent. He proudly regards Dalian as a second home.

TYLER CHRISTLER "In my opinion, it is the most developed and most international city in the northeast of China."

Having lived in the city for a decade, he is now married and has a family here. Christler refers to Dalian when talking about the city's development.

TYLER CHRISTLER "I think that we are trying as best as we can to keep up with technology."

As Christler has witnessed, Dalian is cranking up its development on technology. According to the city government, they plan to build Dalian into a people-oriented smart city.

How smart? Everything would literally be connected.

LOCAL RESIDENT "I used to line up at different windows to pay fees but now. I can deal with it on mobile apps like WeChat."

LOCAL RESIDENT "Now the subway is even more convenient as I can simply board trains by scanning my smart phone. No need to purchase tickets separately."

The city's early start in the tech sector back in the 1990s helped it become one of two hosts for the Annual Meeting of New Champions or the Summer Davos. As the forum returns to Dalian in 2019, the city hopes to use its smart city blueprint to attract more champions to stay. The internet of things, big data and more all seem to help.

SU HANG, ASSOCIATE DEAN COLLEGE OF INTERNATIONAL ECONOMICS AND TRADE, DUFE "First, smart city is a phrase often used globally. Since the Summer Davos came to Dalian, the city always wanted to be more connected with the world. Smart city status and digitalization show Dalian's efforts in trying to be on top of it all. In addition, it is an attempt to improve the local business environment with these technologies."

And with the Summer Davos held in the city every two years, more people from around the world, like Tyler Christler know more about Dalian.

TYLER CHRISTLER "It makes Dalian more international. It is a big forum they have. And we are proud to have it."

Nevertheless, Christler thinks Dalian still needs to work hard to catch up with cities like Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen. Dalian's GDP growth is expected at around six and half percent for 2018, a strong number compared with cities from other countries. But people have been used to high growth figures, close to double digits in China. How can Dalian flatter investors with 6.5? Only time will tell in this smart city hopeful. Xu Xinchen, CGTN, Dalian.