Blueprint for Qingpu New City is outlined

The Qingpu New City covering 92 square kilometers reaches the Laotongbo Pond in the east, Huyu Highway in the south, the east bank of Dianshan Lake in the west and Huchang Highway in the north.

As the cultural center of the district, the Qingpu New City balanced the development gap of the east and west parts of Qingpu.

Now, with the landing of two national strategies – the Yangtze River Delta Ecology and Greenery Integration Demonstration Zone and China International Import Expo, in Qingpu, the Qingpu New City bears new mission, and it is expected to be a future city representing Qingpu based on its new-round development blueprint.

Five industries lead future development

The development of SPH Xing Ling Sci & Tech Pharmaceutical Co Ltd, one of the most representative biomedical companies in Qingpu New City, has been remarkable since 2013.

Relying on high-standard manufacturing requirements on two pillar products, the ginkgo biloba extract and artificial musk pharmaceutical ingredient, the company keeps expanding the market.

In 2019, it became the "champion" of biomedical companies in Qingpu District Industrial Zone in terms of average output value per mu (666.7 square meters) of land, but subsequently, its old factory could not satisfy the production capacity, hindering the company's development.

Construction on a new production base started. The base covering about 64 mu of land with a total investment of 580 million yuan (US$89.6 million) is 20 minutes drive from the old one and can satisfy the manufacturing demand of the company for seven years.

A large number of leading domestic and international biomedical companies gather in the Qingpu New City, which will form one of the industrial clusters that are worth 100 billion yuan between 2021 and 2025, and the Qingpu New City has created good environment for innovation and entrepreneurship.

The concentration of biomedical companies may bring competition, but more importantly, it provides an opportunity for resource sharing and learning from each other, said Li Rongrong, deputy Party secretary of the company.

It will also make best use of the agglomeration effect, leading to better and more convenient market access after the improvement of the industry chain, said Li.

The Qingpu New City will focus on the development of industrial innovation parks in biomedicine, hydrogen energy, artificial intelligence, comprehensive bonded zone and electronic information between 2021 and 2025.

These emerging industries have infinite potentials in the development of intelligent manufacturing in Qingpu  District in the future.

The development of Qingpu is closely linked with water. The water park project circling the Qingpu New City is a livelihood project with the largest investment in Qingpu between 2016 and 2020.

The park covering about 24 square kilometers and surrounded by four rivers totaling 21 kilometers is located at the core area of Qingpu New City.

The Qingpu New City CBD under development is located here, and 360,000 residents are living here.

Flourishing on water

The park is an iconic project of ecological and environmental improvement catering to the demand of Qingpu. It features 43-kilometer greenway along water, nearly 3,000 mu riverfront spaces, sports venues, cycling and walking tracks, resting places and libraries.

Its construction took more than three years, and it opened to the public on the first day of 2020.

Xue Chunrong, a resident living at Qinghuxuan residential complex in Zhaoxiang Town, has benefited from the park.

He visits the park almost every day which is minutes' walk from his home.

"In the past, the area was idled and dirty, and now it has taken on a brand new look," said Xue, 71 years old. "It is beautiful in every season."

Xue's sense of happiness does not only come from the park. He moved to the residential complex in 2014 from Songze Village.

"In the past, there was no wet market, hospital or bank near my home, posing great inconvenience," he said. "Now, everything is at doorway."

Bus stations are just outside Xue's residential complex, and it is easy to reach the Metro station.

The only regret is that the community-based activity center for seniors is not big enough, and there is no community-based canteen for the elderly.

But these are not far.

In Qingpu District, a trial of "Happy Community" is underway.

"Communities bear the expectation of residents on high-quality life, and the trial aims to be a good example of practice toward the goal," said Zhu Jiajun, director of the Qingpu District Research Center.

The "Happy Community" will overturn traditional community governance model and bring real benefit to residents, he said.

In the future, communities in Qingpu will become service complexes integrating government affairs service, meal service for elderly residents, daycare, medical treatment, culture and leisure, express delivery and activities for children with a digital approach.

When residents raise demand, the service request will be forwarded to relevant suppliers. The residential complex where Xue lives has been listed in the trial of the first 20 "Happy Community" in the district this year.

A residential community service complex covering nearly 800 square meters is taking shape at the entrance of the Qinghuxuan residential complex.

Unlike traditional neighborhood committee, it is more like a meeting room for community residents.

Communities are becoming residents' source of happiness in Qingpu.