Qingpu working on breakthrough to serve city upgrade blueprint

With its great location and robust natural environment, Shanghai's suburban area of Qingpu is working to make breakthroughs to support regional upgrade plans.

Qingpu is among the five new suburbs announced by the Shanghai government earlier this year in its latest effort to seek new engines for future economic and social growth.

Located in the western suburbs of Shanghai, Qingpu borders Jiashan county of Zhejiang province to the south, and Wujiang and Kunshan of Jiangsu province to the west. It plays an important role in integrating the development of the Yangtze River Delta area, a national development strategy.

Authorities of Qingpu have given a clear position for the new suburb: that Qingpu will be developed into a gateway of Shanghai as well as the center of the Yangtze River Delta Ecology and Greenery Integration Demonstration Zone. Finally, it will become a hub of the delta city cluster.

Qingpu will make efforts to improve its regional competitiveness, global appeal and vitality, said Zhao Huiqin, Qingpu's Party secretary.

The development of Qingpu will also create a unique scene that combines the flavor of ancient Jiangnan－the area south of the Yangtze River－and modern civilization, Zhao said.

With a planned area of 91 square kilometers, Qingpu is expected to have 550,000 permanent residents by 2025, and 650,000 by 2035, according to the new city's objectives.

Major projects

To achieve its goal and accelerate the development of Qingpu, local officials announced a combined 10 major projects set to launch during the next five years.

These projects, with a total investment of 500 billion yuan ($77.73 billion), cover a wide range of fields, including public service, city infrastructure, ecology and industry development.

A comprehensive transportation hub valued at 41 billion yuan will be built in the area and integrate railway and subway networks in Shanghai as well as the railways of neighboring cities.

A Yangtze River Delta Art Center, with an investment of 1.8 billion yuan, will also be constructed in Qingpu. The art center will include two theaters with a total of 1,700 seats, an 800-seat musical hall and a 300-seat lecture hall. Various performances such as opera, dance, music and drama will be staged at the center when completed.

A central park with an area of 1-sq-km will be built with sports and children play facilities.

The first two phases of a water park circling the district have also been completed. The water park integrates unique water characteristics, historical culture, ecological waterscape, fitness and leisure tourism. Local officials said the third phase is under construction.

Qingpu also plans to invest 5.3 billion yuan to carry out urban renewal in its old towns. An area of about 3.2 sq km will be renovated.

The projects also include a medical research complex built in partnership with Fudan University. The complex merges multiple disciplinary studies and functions, such as rehabilitation medicine research, biomedicine research, clinical research, big data and education training.

A new school designed to unlock the full potential of 5G technologies, with an investment of 1 billion yuan, will also be built. It will promote comprehensive education and innovation while also meeting the need for innovative talents in future education.

The Qingpu branch of Zhongshan Hospital, one of the top public hospitals in Shanghai, is expected to start construction this year. It will have 1,200 beds.

Qingpu will also invest 9 billion yuan into its digital economy belt project along the G50 Expressway, which is a major national transport line with a total length of more than 1,800 km.

Qingpu will take measures to improve service systems among its 84 communities. An online service center known as Happy Cloud will be built to improve community management and service standards.

The new city's development is systematic work which incorporates many other aspects such as planning, construction, development, management and operation. It requires an efficient working system to ensure a high-quality new city development, Zhao said.

Qingpu has already established a working mechanism covering various aspects to better promote the development of the new city.