A city always contains more than any inhabitant can know, and a great city always makes the unknown and the possible spurs to the imagination. —Rebecca Solnit

Rye toward starring sky

“Rye toward starring sky” by one of China’s most talented contemporary artists Zhang Zhanzhan is being displayed at The Place in Changning. The exhibition will run through April 9 by featuring Zhang’s iconic Pupu Bear and Yoyo Rabbit.

It is the first time that The Place has tried to introduce an IP activity with the theme of art. 

Jiang Jinhong, deputy general manager of the commercial complex, said that as a landmark in Puxi that has been in operation for eight years, The Place has upgraded its business format to a “quality companion” shopping center. 

“Through this artistic theme IP activity, we hope to bring art to our consumers’ life, and at the same time expand the impact of culture and arts in Changning.”

The Rye at The Place symbolizes “harvest, prosperity, wealth and peace,” and the blue Milky Way, white clouds, and red animal sculptures bring vivid visual impact, perfect for taking pictures.

Complex to facilitate business, daily life

The construction of Gemdale Xinhua Avenue, at No. 55, Lane 222, Panyu Road, has been completed, and the process of leasing is halfway. 

The Gemdale Xinhua Avenue integrates high-end office, diversified commerce, and other functions. In terms of business format, it will include an in-house wet market, all sorts of shops and restaurants that to be presented in the middle of this year.

In buildings A, B and C, floors B1 to 2 are commercial space, and floors 3-5 are used for enterprise office.

The building A will house the East China headquarters of Gemdale Property Investment. The building C will focus on introducing enterprises in the fields of cultural media, fashion creativity and advertising design.

Without walls, the Gemdale Xinhua Avenue will join the neighboring Columbia Circle.

Crystal Hongqiao to sit atop Metro Loushanguan Road Station

A mixed-used development at 680 Tianshan Road was unveiled on February 16. Scheduled for completion by 2025, Crystal Hongqiao at the junction of Tianshan and Gubei roads will sit atop Metro Loushanguan Road Station.

Through a joint venture with New Changning Group, the Manhattan-based developer Tishman Speyer plans to transform its new Gubei site into a landmark development featuring Class A offices and upscale retail offerings.

Define ‘Silicon Alley’ in brainstorming

Surrounded by Jiangsu Road in the east, Yan’an Road W. in the south, Kaixuan Road in the west, Changning Road and Yuyuan Road in the north, and Wuyi Road and Dingxi Road in the center, the planned “Shanghai Silicon Alley” will be presented in the layout of two-by-two grids and built into a one-stop mass entrepreneurship and innovation neighborhood.

In the planned area are Shanghai Institute of Ceramics and Shanghai Institute of Microsystems and Information Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences and a number of heavy weight sci-tech firms.

The future “Shanghai Silicon Alley” will be a combination of urban renewal and sci-tech innovation, a maker space and community college of mass entrepreneurship and innovation, according to the plan.

It will become a high-end scientific and technological achievements transformation service platform in combination with the regional economic development requirements of Changning, and accelerate the continuous transformation and implementation of innovative achievements. 

It will also be a key step to consolidate the scientific and technological innovation ecosystem, strengthen the dominant position of enterprises in scientific and technological innovation, give play to the leading and supporting role of the Institute of Chinese Academy of Sciences, create a good environment conducive to the growth of technology-based SMEs, promote the deep integration and continuous gathering of innovation chain, industry chain, capital chain and talent chain, and let more scientific and technological enterprises take root and develop here, according to the plan.

Chen Jianxun, executive director of the District and County Research Center of the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, said, “The Silicon Alley will take its exclusive advantage of location to attract high-end talent and business. 

“Only the agglomeration of top-notch talent and their businesses can produce good results.”

This also coincides with the view of Zhong Jingyun, deputy Party secretary of Huayang Road Community where the “Silicon Alley” locates, “to achieve mutual achievements between people and city, people and neighborhood. 

“We are taking Silicon Alley as the experimental field to explore an innovative way with urban renewal, factor gathering, industrial innovation and talent cohesion.”

Zhang Rong, chief operating officer of Westwell Lab, one among the first techno firms to settle down in the area, believes that in today’s vigorous development of technology, it is difficult to rely on individual innovation alone, and the “Shanghai Silicon Alley” just becomes a site, allowing scientific and technological innovation enterprises in the whole ecosystem to link up and form synergy and complementarity, so as to inject vitality into innovation.

In the view of Jin Shengyi, who is with the Achievements Transformation Division of the Shanghai Institute of Microsystems, Chinese Academy of Sciences, “these new labels will help “Shanghai Silicon Alley” become the new brand name of Shanghai Science and Technology Innovation, and will also create an open and relaxed cultural atmosphere for “Shanghai Silicon Alley,” forming an innovative ecosystem that allows scientists to work, capital to invest, enterprises to venture, and the government to support.

Lin Jing, deputy director of the Science and Technology Commission of Changning District, said that Changning would take the SiliconAlley as a starting point, and revitalize the resources of the whole district.

“At the same time, centering on the construction of Hongqiao International Open Hub and the digital transformation of Changning, we should give full play to the regional and strategic advantages of Changning and give more development stages for scientific and technological innovation enterprises.”

Habitat garden set to open

The Xinjing Wucun Habitat Garden at 350 Tianshan Road W. covers 750 square meters. With the orientation of “enjoying nature and looking forward to the future,” it integrates gardening, leisure, science popularization and other functions.

It will open to the public at the end of June.

Edited by Shanghai Daily