Cultural industries thriving in Pudong

Cultural industries have turned into a pillar of Pudong’s GDP, growing to 10.9 percent of the total since opening-up began 28 years ago, and that number will rise to 15 percent in the coming two years, according to the Pudong publicity department.

The CPC Central Committee and the State Council announced the development and opening-up of Pudong New Area on April 18, 1990, seeing stretches of farmland morph into today's Shanghai free trade area.

The 1862 Theater is one of the highlights of the 22km-long public space now open along the Huangpu River. It promotes Sino-foreign culture exchange, producing works like a Kunqu Opera version of Hamlet.

“People would rather have bought a bed in Puxi than an apartment in Pudong dozens of years ago,” said Sun Yu, the deputy chief of the Pudong publicity department. “But things have changed.”

International residents now flock into Pudong, where one of the international communities, Biyun, to the west of Jinqiao, is now home to over 2,000 families from over 60 foreign countries and regions. 

Meanwhile, the community continues to integrate Chinese culture into its services, including calligraphy, Chinese medicine and handmade Chinese food.