Songjiang struts its stuff for foreign dignitaries
Foreign guests take photos at Guangfulin Relics Park.
Foreigners learn Yexie bamboo weaving.
Songjiang District showcased its development and glamour on Tuesday to about 200 representatives from consulates in Shanghai, foreign media and foreign organizations.
Hosted by the city's foreign affairs office and the district government, the event promoted the district's science and technology strength, as well as its cultural and eco-friendly development as the "root of Shanghai."
The district highlighted the establishment of the Yangtze River Delta Region G60 High-tech Corridor, which promotes high-quality development and improving people's livelihoods.
Foreign guests visited the exhibition hall of the G60 High-tech Corridor, COSMOPlat National Industrial Internet Innovation and Experience Center, Guangfulin Relics Park and Shanghai International Studies University's Museum of Language.
They also experienced the charm of the district's intangible cultural heritage through Gu-style embroidery, paper cutting, Yexie bamboo weaving, Sijing dough modeling and fan painting.
A performance is held during Tuesday's event.
A foreign participant learns Gu-style embroidery.
Songjiang District is the fifth leg of the city's serial promotion event, and the district is representative of the city's history, culture and promising future, said Zhang Xiaosong, director-general of Shanghai's Foreign Affairs Office.
"Songjiang boasts rich ecological and cultural resources, and its location is significant in the Yangtze River Delta region's integrated development," said Zhang. "The beautiful blueprint of the G60 High-tech Corridor, the strategic planning of the district's information technology industry and the vision of the Museum of Language reveal the vitality and glamour of the district in terms of science and technology innovation, business and quality of life."
The district is home to more than 2,300 foreign-funded enterprises from nearly 120 countries and regions; close to 50 Fortune Global 500 firms have invested in the district.
Songjiang offers huge development opportunities and a first-rate business environment, said Li Qian, director of the district.
"Picking Songjiang is picking a better future," Li said. "Songjiang will expand economic and trade cooperation as well as cultural exchanges with more countries and regions."
Children display dough modeling during the event.
The event featured a traditional Chinese musical instrument performance.
"The amazing business environment and considerate services make us feel at home in Songjiang," said Cantalupo Gaetano, Chief Executive Officer of Comau (Shanghai) Engineering, based in Songjiang. "Officials help us contact clients of big cooperation projects in the district, and we also benefit from preferential policies from the G60 High-tech Corridor. All these prove that we made the right choice."
The district continues to develop at a fast clip. The Songjiang Comprehensive Bonded Zone ranks No. 1 in Shanghai in terms of import and export value.
Songjiang ranks No. 2 in the city in terms of its import and export volume and industrial output value this year.
The district is also building several world-class industrial clusters in the fields of integrated circuits, artificial intelligence, biomedicine and new energy.
