Chinese Work-Study Movement in France remembered
Officials launch the exhibition.
An exhibition about the history of the Chinese Work-Study Movement in France was launched at the 12th North Bund Fortune and Culture Forum in Hongkou District.
The exhibition titled "Sailing from the North Bund, Opening Eyes to the World" marks the centenary of the Work-Study Movement and the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and France this year.
From March 1919 to December, nearly 1,800 young Chinese from across the nation embarked from Huishan Wharf and Yangshupu Wharf in Shanghai to France.
They aimed to seek solutions to save their country and people. The movement has contributed to the introduction of Marxism in China, the founding and growth of the Communist Party of China, and enhanced Sino-French cultural exchanges.
Figures such as Premier Zhou Enlai (1898-1976), state leader Deng Xiaoping (1904-1997), early CPC leader Cai Hesen (1895-1931) and former Mayor of Shanghai Chen Yi (1901-1972) were among the youngsters who once studied in France.
The exhibition depicts the movement more than a century ago and the historical moment of their departure from the North Bund through restoration and scene reproduction, according to the Hongkou government.
The exhibition will run through March 31, 2025, at the Xiamen International Bank's Shanghai branch, at 78 and 88 Yangshupu Road of the North Bund in Hongkou.
Under the theme "Integration and Development: The New Journey," the forum welcomed 300 guests from mainly the finance and culture sectors.
In 2023, Shanghai's financial industry contributed 864.6 billion yuan (US$119.7 billion) to the GDP, accounting for 18.3 percent of the city's total and 8.6 percent nationally. Financial market transactions soared by 15 percent year-on-year, reaching 337.3 trillion yuan, said Xie Dong, the vice mayor of Shanghai.
The city's asset management sector now holds nearly 30 percent of the national market share, leading in various asset management categories.
Hongkou has played a pivotal role in integrating into Shanghai's vision as an international financial center, with the North Bund area emerging as a key asset management hub, Xie told the forum.
Cao Jie, deputy director of the Hongkou District Finance Bureau, said the North Bund is becoming a central zone for global asset management.
In 2023, the North Bund welcomed 87 new financial enterprises and institutions, bringing the total to more than 2,100, with asset management reaching a scale of 8 trillion yuan, said Cao.
