Minhang seems to have changed a world... is it a chemical hub? Min Dahuang? Beside the "First Bay of Pujiang"
As the mother river of Shanghai, both sides of the Huangpu River witness urban changes, and the several major riverside areas it flows through are the focus of Shanghai's future development. In Wujing Town, Minhang, the Pujiang River, flowing from west to east, takes a nearly 90 degree bend and then heads north, creating a unique natural river landscape. Therefore, Wujing is also known as the "First Bay of the Pujiang River".
In the past few decades, Wujing Town has gone through ups and downs, from a market town by the river, to a chemical industry hub, and then to a characteristic town. It has experienced a glorious era of industrial "five golden flowers" gathering and development, as well as a period of transformation pains for large enterprises to collectively relocate. It has also seen new possibilities brought by the "beautiful transformation" of a technology and fashion town. Once, due to its distance from the central urban area, inconvenient transportation, and lack of various supporting facilities, this place was jokingly referred to as the "Mindahuang" by people.
At present, the shore of the "First Bay of Pujiang" seems to have changed a new world. Here, there are two Double First Class universities, Shanghai Jiao Tong University and East China Normal University, as well as national level high-tech zones such as Zizhu High tech Zone, as well as aviation industry clusters such as Aviation Industry Development Corporation and China Aviation Industry Corporation; This area has also been included in the scope of the "Big Zero Bay" science and technology innovation policy source functional area, becoming an important carrier area for the construction of the Shanghai Southern Science and Technology Innovation Center
Entering a new period of strategic opportunities, how to actively integrate into the construction of "Big Zero Bay", how to explore the development of "three zone linkage", and how to build a high-quality technology and fashion city that matches the "world-class science and technology innovation bay area" have become new topics that Wujing Town must seriously answer.
The inheritance of a "lotus flower"
From remote corners to development hotspots, the data reflects the most intuitively. In 2000, the tax revenue of Wujing town was only 103 million yuan, ranking last among all the streets and towns in Minhang district. Looking back from January to August this year, Wujing Town achieved a total fiscal revenue of over 10 billion yuan, ranking first in the entire region; Among them, the town level achieved a district level local revenue of 1.174 billion yuan, which has exceeded the total revenue completed last year, an increase of 126% compared to 2022 and 107% compared to 2021, ranking first in the region in terms of growth rate.
The counterattack of Wujing Town first benefited from the strong support of Zizhu High tech Zone. In the tax revenue of over 10 billion yuan in Wujing from January to August, Zizhu High tech Zone contributed nearly three-quarters. In the more than 20 years since its establishment, the annual fiscal revenue of Zizhu High tech Zone has jumped from less than 10 million yuan to over 10 billion yuan, and the number of settled enterprises has increased from 4 to 6100, including well-known foreign enterprises such as Microsoft, Intel, and Coca Cola, as well as domestic well-known enterprises such as COMAC and AVIC, as well as technology-based small and medium-sized enterprises such as Zhichun Shares, Baichu Electronics, and Shenlian Biotechnology. In the past decade, Zizhu has achieved nine consecutive leaps in the comprehensive ranking of national high-tech zones, and currently ranks ninth among 169 national high-tech zones in China.
Further analysis reveals that a new "Lotus Blossoming" industry sector has performed outstandingly, accounting for 35% of the town's industrial tax contribution. "This is the industrial sector that we undertake the spillover effect of the 'Big Zero Bay', and it is also an important measure for Wujing Town to build a high-quality technology and fashion city with a coordinated north-south and three district linkage." Jin Haimin, Secretary of the Party Committee of Wujing Town, introduced that the 'Lotus Blossoming' industrial community built by Wujing in the northern part of the town is the most important industrial battlefield in the local area during the 14th Five Year Plan period and even in the next 10 years. We hope to form a new dual core development pattern of 'South Purple Bamboo and North Lotus' in the Wujing area in the future.
He believes that for a long time, there has been a problem of "uneven development between the north and south" in the Wujing area. In the south, there are mainly two universities and the Zizhu High tech Zone, while in the north, there are strategic blank areas, rural areas, and old residential areas in the Binjiang area. Whether in terms of urban form or economic output, there are huge differences between the two. "The planning and construction of the 'Lotus Blossoming' industrial community will be an important breakthrough for the Wujing region to seek 'coordinated development of the north and south'."
At the beginning of last year, Wujing Town proposed the idea of vigorously building the northern gate of Wujing's industrial development - the "Lotus Blossoming" industrial community. This area is located along Lianhua South Road, between Yuanjiang Road and Beiwu Road, covering an area of about 2 square kilometers. It is adjacent to Shanghai Jiao Tong University, East China Normal University, Zizhu National High tech Zone, and the "Big Zero Bay" Science and Technology Innovation Strategy Source Functional Zone. It is only one road away from the Binjiang Strategic White Space Zone and is planned to be built into a high-quality development "experimental zone" for the integration of industry and city development, the gathering of large enterprises, and excellent economic benefits.
The design of the "Lotus Blossoming" industrial community presents a distribution of "one flower and three petals", divided into three types: new land supply, independent improvement, and stock transformation. The leading industries are high-end aviation equipment, biopharmaceuticals, new materials, new generation information technology, fashion consumption, and cultural creativity. Among them, biopharmaceuticals will lead the development, and nearly a hundred types of biopharmaceutical enterprises have been gathered so far.
Recently, the "Lotus Blossom" sector has begun to make comprehensive efforts, and a batch of major projects have been unveiled. On September 16th, the investment of 1.5 billion yuan in the Senma renovation and expansion project announced the start of construction, which will create the Senma Shanghai International Operations Center and the international headquarters, fashion headquarters, and entrepreneurship headquarters of Shanghai Senma. This is the first project to start construction in the "Lotus Blossoming" industrial community and has been listed as a major industrial project in the city and district. At the same time, as the first new project to announce its entry into "Lotus Blossom", Mintian Industry, with a planned investment of 1.06 billion yuan, is also vigorously advancing, and has paid a pre tax of 110 million yuan. In early September, the "Chuang E Valley Innovation Industrial Park" built by Yilian Group with an investment of 1.8 billion yuan has been unveiled to the public, with a focus on building a Sino Korean industrial park centered on the fashion technology industry chain.
The New Road of "Three District Linkage"
In 2004, I returned to my hometown to start a business. Initially, my team consisted of only 7 people, but now I have over 1000 employees and my revenue has climbed to 3 billion yuan. At a business promotion conference in Wujing Town, entrepreneur Jiang Yuan's story of "My Story with Wujing" left a deep impression.
What she tells is actually a story of the "three district linkage" of the campus, park, and urban area. I am a local from Wujing. I chose to return to the small town to start my own business mainly because there are two Double First Class universities here. Shanghai Zhichun Technology Company, founded by Jiang Yuan, is the second enterprise to settle in the Zizhu High tech Zone. It was listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange in 2017 and has now become a leading enterprise in the domestic high-purity craft industry.
The individual story from the past has now become a phenomenon. In the "Lotus Blossoming" industrial community, a temperature technology park is somewhat famous. Currently, more than 70 enterprises have settled in the park, of which nearly 7 have become biological enterprises. As one of the first companies to settle in the park, Yuyao Biotechnology is a high-tech enterprise that leads drug discovery with AI artificial intelligence technology and focuses on clinically significant unmet late stage solid tumors. Its founder Zhou Wenbo and another founder of Xiangyao Biotechnology in the park are both under the guidance of Professor Liu Mingyao from East China Normal University. Their company has attracted multiple upstream and downstream enterprises to settle in Wujing, promoting the formation of the first biopharmaceutical cluster industrial park in Wujing. In the future, they will further support the transformation of excellent campus projects.
The development model of Wujing Town cannot follow the old path of traditional town economy, but needs to explore a new path of "three district linkage" development. "It is difficult to achieve substantial results between the 'three districts' of campus, park, and urban area if only superficial and simple linkage is maintained." Jin Haimin believes that only by finding common needs and cooperation points among everyone can the' three district linkage 'become easier.
For example, focusing on the pain points of "housing difficulties", Wujing Town has been continuously striving and comprehensively raising funds in recent years. Currently, 15 talent apartment projects have been formed, with over 11000 units of social rental housing, ranking first in the supply volume of the entire district. This provides sufficient housing security for talent retention and business stability in the "three districts".
For example, with a focus on cultivating scientific and technological innovation talents, the "Innovation Leadership Special Training Course in the Greater Bay Area" jointly organized by Wujing Town and East China Normal University is currently underway, attracting nearly 170 students to sign up, all of whom are enterprise managers and technical personnel from the Greater Bay Area. The one month course training will focus on the three leading industries of biomedicine, artificial intelligence, and high-end equipment, gather advantageous resources, and guide students to systematically learn technology and business knowledge, with innovation leadership as the core, mastering the five elements of technology entrepreneurship management. After completing the course and passing the assessment, they will receive a graduation certificate issued by East China Normal University.
For example, with a focus on the transformation of scientific and technological achievements, Wujing Town has initiated a tripartite cooperation with China Normal University and Nanbinjiang. Through the construction of incubators and the establishment of operational platforms, cooperation has been carried out in the cultivation of scientific and technological talents, introduction of industrial projects, transformation of industry, academia and research, hosting of double innovation activities, and promotion of scientific and technological innovation. The cooperation plan for the Huashi University Science and Technology Innovation Incubation Base has been preliminarily completed and is expected to open within this year. The incubation base is planned to be constructed in three phases, with the first phase of 1300 square meters of space construction basically completed. Currently, 9 achievement transformation projects have entered the docking stage.
Guided by the concept of coordinated development, the "circle of friends" in Wujing Town is expanding. Recently, the Party Committee of Wujing Town has also teamed up with the Party Committee of Shentong Group to connect 9 universities along Metro Line 15, including Shanghai Jiao Tong University, East China Normal University, East China University of Science and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai University, and national level science and technology innovation parks such as Zizhu, as well as key parks such as Liangu Science and Technology Park and Jiaotong University Science and Technology Park, to jointly create the "M9" Innovation Consortium, a distinctive brand project of industry university research and government. In the future, the consortium will build a joint education platform for school and enterprise skilled talents, jointly carry out Internet competition training and entrepreneurship competition, and provide various empowerment for entrepreneurial talents in colleges and universities.
From "Mindahuang" to "City of Life"
"In 2010, I came to East China Normal University to work and study. At that time, it was not very convenient to go to the city or commercial district. The teachers and students of the two schools often jokingly referred to this place as the 'Mindahuang', and each of us was a 'pioneer'. Zhou Wenbo, the founder of Yuyao Biology, said that for more than ten years, he has been here getting married, having children, buying a house, settling down, and starting a business, witnessing the gradual transformation of the Wujing area towards a 'technological, fashionable, and livable' urban area.".
What he felt the most deeply was transportation and commerce. "Firstly, the elevated Hongmei South Road and tunnel have been opened one after another, finally providing a fast lane for entering and exiting the city. At the same time, the long-awaited rail transit line 15 of the two schools has also been completed and opened to the main urban subway network, which will intersect with the under construction rail transit lines 23 and 5. This has completely changed the history of 'Mindahuang'. The nearby commercial areas have gradually developed from the original Wujing Pedestrian Street to the Yongde Road commercial district, Baolong Square, Wumei, Yonghui, Zizhu and other commercial entities, greatly enriching people's entertainment and life.".
Many people have also found that in recent years, high-quality schools in the Wujing area have sprung up like mushrooms after rain. East China Normal University Yongde Experimental Kindergarten, East China Normal University Affiliated Zizhu Kindergarten, Wujing Experimental Primary School, East China Normal University Affiliated Zizhu Primary School, East China Normal University Yongde Experimental Primary School, Min Education Institute Affiliated Youai Experimental Middle School, East China Normal University Second Affiliated Middle School, Private Hua'er Zizhu Bilingual School, etc., like a pearl, connect two high-quality education development belts, Zifeng Road and Yongde Road, one vertical and one horizontal. Led by the Basic Education Base of China Normal University, 17 primary and secondary schools in the Wujing area constitute the education highland in Minhang and even southern Shanghai. In the local planning, there will be more high-quality schools landing one after another.
The ecological environment here makes people proud. Every year in the golden autumn, by the first bay of the Pujiang River, the beautiful Mid Autumn Festival Moon Appreciation Concert leaves people mesmerized. From the corner of the Huangpu River, one kilometer deep inward, within the scope of the Zizhu High tech Zone, there is now the landmark "Minhang First Lake" Lanxiang Lake, which attracts surrounding residents to come for walks, fitness, and sightseeing. In the future, community commerce, Michelin restaurants, and rowing clubs will also be built around the lake, continuously improving the quality and style of the region. Within the entire town, over 40 kilometers of 11 greenways lead the entire area, and "open the door to see the green, push the door into the park" has become a daily routine
So, Zhou Wenbo discovered that nowadays, high-tech talents from East China Normal University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Zizhu High tech Zone, and aviation engines have all chosen to buy houses and settle down in Wujing. In the first half of this year, a refined decoration community in the local area opened, with over 100 subscribers including doctors. In another mature community, Zizhu Peninsula, homeowners have established an autonomous and co governed entrepreneur council. Initially, more than 40 entrepreneurs and homeowners joined, and now it is expected to reach more than 100. Unconsciously, "buying a house and settling down in Wujing" has become a preferred choice for many high-level talents.
"In the past decade, the population structure of Wujing area has undergone tremendous changes." Jin Haimin said that in the early 21st century, he worked in Wujing, where the local population was mainly composed of two parts, with farmers and elderly workers each accounting for half. Nowadays, two universities and the Zizhu High tech Zone have gathered 150000 people, coupled with an increasing number of science and technology entrepreneurs and young families buying houses due to high-quality schools. The technological, youthful, and internationalized population has become the mainstream in the region.
The gathering of various talents is the biggest resource advantage for Minhang to build a world-class science and technology innovation bay area. According to statistics, as of now, there are nearly 600 high-tech enterprises, 11 academician expert workstations, and 1 innovation research and development center in the Wujing area; At the same time, there are 350 high-level talents from the Chunshen Pyramid in the region, ranking first in the entire Minhang district. Science and technology innovation will become the "largest increment" of high-quality development in Wujing.
Here, how to enable people to not only showcase their talents, but also live a comfortable life without any worries - tearing off the old label of "Mindahuang", Wujing Town is striving to achieve the beautiful vision of "a city for a lifetime".
