The international manager reconciles cultural dilemmas. —Fons Trompenaars

Café digital

The GI CAFÉ at Yuyuan Road integrates coffee, digital art, XR technology and other elements, breaks the boundary between real and virtual world and becomes a check-in spot among coffee lovers.

The café has two floors with white and grass green as its main colors. 

The first floor of the cafe is mainly divided into two areas, one is the bar service area, and the other is the digital art exhibition area. The five LED screens are dazzling, showing five digital art works with different painting styles. 

The works are created by digital artists, which correspond to the longitude and latitude of the place where the coffee beans are produced. The changing pictures visualize the original bean flavor, which is very innovative, aesthetic and interesting. 

The second floor includes indoor and terrace, continuing the design style of the first floor, and the space is being further improved.

At present, GI CAFÉ offers Americano, Latte, Flat White and Cappuccino.

AI solution to defect detection

The Changning-based DeepBlue Technology developed a defect detection device greatly improves quality inspection efficiency, ensures product quality and improves productivity.

The chip appearance detection platform is customized for a high-end medical equipment key spare parts dealer to find defects.

Defect detection is a very important link in the production process of traditional manufacturing, especially in the processing of high-end medical device parts. 

For example, the quality problems of tungsten molybdenum thin films on CT machines will directly affect the stability of medical devices, and thus affect the health of patients.

At present, for the defect detection of medical device parts, the mainstream method still relies on manual visual identification. However, the manual method has many problems, such as high labor intensity, high repetition of work, high false detection rate, and the product quality is greatly affected by human factors. 

If the product defect detection cannot be completed stably, continuously, accurately and efficiently, the factory will not be able to stably provide reliable and qualified products to the users.

In response to the above requirements, DeepBlue Technology has adopted a combination of software and hardware, such as traditional machine vision combined with self-developed deep learning algorithm and AI software platform, to carry out the overall idea of product defect detection.

The image acquisition adopts the innovative solution of combination deployment of multiple industrial vision schemes, realizing the function of detecting and recognizing multiple defect patterns at the same time.

In the detection algorithm, the self-developed model algorithm ensures the accuracy of classification and target location detection.

Changning’s culture, tourism industries thrived over the past 10 years 

In the past 10 years, Changning’s public cultural service system has been continuously improved, Changning’s cultural tourism resources have been continuously integrated, Changning’s cultural digital transformation has been continuously deepened, and Changning’s cultural atmosphere has been constantly enhanced... Behind these changes is Changning’s constantly improving cultural soft power.

Changning is a downtown district saturated with culture. Over the past decade, Changning has constantly explored a new path of “high-quality plus balanced” development of public cultural services to meet people’s new requirements for inclusive, shared and high-quality public cultural services. 

Last year, it was honored by the State Council as “National Public Cultural Service System Demonstration Area,” providing a strong value guidance and cultural soft power for the comprehensive development of regional economy and society.

Combining private art museums, characteristic bookstores and fashion cultural landmarks, Changning created a number of public reading, art, dance and other public cultural spaces to form a four-level cultural facilities network of city, district, community and residential compound, and enable access to public cultural services within 10 minutes. 

Changning has formed cultural brands in dance, music, performing arts and reading. The annual Lotus Awards, China's top award for dancing art, Hongqiao Autumn Art/Tourism Festival, Shanghai Changning International Lawn Concert Series, International Accordion Festival, International Exhibition of Traditional Fine Arts and the Shanghai Creative Design Contest are people’s favorites. 

The harmonica ensemble “Fall in love with the City” from Changning won Qunxing Award － China’s top award for amateur performance artworks and artists － again in 2022 after folk music ensemble “He Ming” from Changning received the honor in 2019.

In the next stage, Changning will continue to improve the efficiency and influence of public cultural services, continue to deepen the integrated development of culture and tourism and promote the prosperity of culture and tourism.

It will continue to promote the digital transformation of cultural services, increase the online broadcasting of various cultural activities, strengthen the original research and development of public cultural digital products, expand the intelligent experience scenarios and intelligent service scenarios of public cultural services, so that people in Changning can enjoy more high-quality public cultural products, and let Changningers encounter culture and art anytime and anywhere.

Elegant place contributes to Sino-Greek relations

One of the offline platforms of China International Import Expo, “HOW” at 735 Yuyuan Road offers Greek products and Mediterranean recipes.

The H Kitchen next door features olive oil, red wine, coffee and yogurt from Greece as well as healthy three course dinner.

Since its establishment in May 2018, “HOW” has become a well-known center of Greek culture and life in Shanghai. It is not only the center of cultural exchanges and economic and trade cooperation between China and Greece, but also the center of China Greece “Belt and Road” activities. 

At the same time, it also functions as a museum, such as the spread of Greek history, Greek product exhibition, Greek wine and olive oil experience, Greek wedding planning and Greek tourism experience, and displays more than 6,000 years of Greek civilization.

The district foreign affairs

Focusing on the construction of Hongqiao International Open Hub and accelerating the digital transformation, Changning has concentrated on improving the soft power of international community of excellence, creating and expanding the brand of Changning foreign affairs.

Changning District initiated Hongqiao Friendship Award in 2020 as the first district level external commendation. It also established Hongqiao Friendship Alliance as the first district level regular exchange platform for foreigners in Shanghai.

The alliance members put forward many valuable opinions and suggestions on the construction of Changning and Hongqiao International Open Hub from the perspectives of international cooperation, industrial development, business environment, talent service and urban development.

Last year, a total of six outstanding foreigners from Changning won the “Magnolia Silver Award,” set a record in Changning’s history and among all the downtown districts. 

Many member units of Hongqiao Friendship Alliance actively participated in the 4th China International Import Expo, including Bosch, Unilever, Michelin and Inditex. 

Over 70,000 expats live in Changning, accounting for more than 20 percent of the city’s total overseas population. A third of Shanghai’s foreign consulates and half of diplomats’ residences are in Changning.

Changning aims to become a key hub for China’s dual-circulation strategy, and an international district with global influence, according to the district government.

Edited by Shanghai Daily