Right answer for right ones Why do we love Changning?

“There are thousands of reasons for Changning to attract people (talent), but it comes down to one thing: in Changning, people and the city can make mutual achievements,” said Wang Lan, Party secretary of Changning, in the “2022 Dialogue with District Party Secretaries.”

A new round of urban renewal in Changning makes the old streets full of vitality: trendy shops and painted sculptures have given them a fashionable style, and old buildings have become new spaces, attracting a number of innovative startups.

One year ago, 333 Wuyi Road became the new headquarters of Black Lake Technology, a “unicorn” of the industrial Internet. “We are closer to customers and hear more first-line needs, so we have developed new products that can help small and medium-sized manufacturing industry transform. 

“At present, the growth is very significant, with a monthly growth of 30 percent over the previous month, and an annual growth of three times over last year,” said Zhou Yuxiang, founder and chief executive officer of the company.

Apart from Black Lake Technology, Wuyi Road and neighboring Dingxi Road and Yuyuan Road also house a number of other high-tech firms. As a result, a new one-stop “mass entrepreneurship and innovation” neighborhood — “Shanghai Silicon Valley” came into being. 

Wang Lan said that it is presented in the layout of two-by-two grids 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 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 Wang.

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. 

As a built-up area, how to break through the bottleneck and achieve new development? Changning has been exploring and practicing. “I think we have gradually found the answer. We should seize the important opportunity of the development and digital transformation of Greater Hongqiao; moreover, we should develop new industries and open up new tracks through urban renewal,” Wang said.

Changning introduced a new policy for overseas returnees. It provided rent subsidies of up to one year and up to 45,000 yuan (US$6,449) for qualified international students who live in Changning. As a result, a large number of enterprises have attracted and recruited a number of them. After receiving a phD degree from Hong Kong University of Science and Technology in July this year, Wang Yiru chose Changning as her first stop when she returned home. 

“I joined Bosch (China) Investment Co, Ltd, received talent subsidies in November, and stayed in an apartment only 10 minutes’ walk away from the company.”

Since the introduction of the policy, Changning has accepted the applications submitted by more than 1,000 overseas students, more than 750 people have passed the review, and 203 people have now moved in. 

Wang Lan said that the effect of “gathering talent from all over the world” has already appeared. 

“More than one third or 60 of the students who have moved in have been with transnational conglomerates in Changning.

“Changning is also building more stages to provide the best opportunities and the best environment for the development and growth of young people,” Wang said.

“So far, tenants of an office building in Changning contributed 11 billion yuan of tax revenue this year.” During the past eight years, Wang also felt a lot about the Party construction work in the building where leading foreign-funded companies gather. 

The Shanghai Arch Center houses 135 companies, including eight Fortune Global 500 enterprises. Through the Party service center in the building, a number of services required by the tenants are delivered, according to Fan Xiaotong, executive vice general manager of the Shanghai Arch Real Estate Co, Ltd. 

Party construction and property management have extended to 72 key office buildings in Changning. The tenants of the buildings have chipped in 63 percent of the total tax revenue of Changning in the first 10 months of the year, according to Wang.

Meanwhile, a wall between the Aijian and Hongqiao residential compounds at Anshun Road has been removed for the convenience of local residents to get to the nearest Metro Line 10 station and wet market after three years of negotiation among residents of the two sides. Both sides agreed to merge the two residential compounds together and launched joint governance.

At the same time, dozens of new landmarks are under construction to better the lives of Changningers. “One after another, we continuously realize Changningers’ yearning for a better life,” said Wang.

 

 

Edited by Shanghai Daily