Putuo summit to boost culture and innovation

Shanghai aims to boost its culture and innovation by attracting and supporting companies in the Internet film, animation, game and eSports sectors. 

One of the first such industrial clusters has been developed along Jinshajiang Road in Putuo District. Over 130 leading film and television companies have established bases there to tap into the rapid development of China’s film sector, including  Alibaba Pictures, Tao Piaopiao, Union Pictures and Suning Universal Media. 

These industry leaders have produced top-grossing movies and television series such as “Operation Red Sea,” “Detective Chinatown II” and “The Grain field,” said Wang Chunming, director of the district's culture and tourism bureau.

To further drive the development of the film industry in the city, industry leaders, scholars and government officials are to put a plan of action together next week.

The Internet Summit of the 2019 Shanghai International Film & TV Festival, hosted by the Putuo government, will be held on June 11-12. The summit will showcase a number of outstanding, popular and new Internet films, as well as creating a platform for industrial exploration, talent exchange, project incubation and promotion, Wang said.

The Jinshajiang Road film industry cluster on the north bank of the Suzhou Creek is mainly based on existing innovation parks such as the Universal Software Park and the industrial park of East China Normal University.

The district government and the park operators will help reduce costs for film companies and support their development, said Song Zheng, the software park's general manager.

Putuo also plans to develop an electronic sports center along Suzhou Creek.

The IMBA eSports center, the city's first facility of its kind in a shopping complex, has opened for both top-level competitions and amateur players at the Global Harbor Mall, the biggest downtown shopping mall.

The 1,500-square-meter center on the fifth floor has 240 professional eSports computers and many compartments for the training of professional teams and amateur group players.

Elsewhere downtown, the city's first eSports theme park, covering 28,000 square meters, will be built in the Changfeng business district for eSports games, training and broadcasts.

In another key project, an eSports complex covering 80,000 square meters both above and below ground will be developed on the site of the city's former Caojiadu Flower Market. The popular market was shut in December 2017 to make way for the eSports park which will feature game and training centers as well as eSports-themed hotels and offices.