Origin of Shanghai Local Culture: Generous Admission and Tolerance, Lingering Charm and Mellowness
Hongkou has inherited abundant historic and cultural treasures from the past. The North Bund is not only one of the cradles for Shanghai’s shipping industry, but also the birth place of the first securities exchange in People’s Republic of China. Waibaidu Bridge, Shanghai Broadway Mansion, Astor House Hotel, Moishe Synagogue, Xiahai Temple and Duolun Rd. have recorded the steps of the long and mellow history of Hongkou, reflecting the old Shanghai flavors and local cultural features everywhere.
Modernized District: Golden Triangle, Functional Highland
Hongkou originated its name from Hongkou Port. Situated at the joint of Huangpu River and Suzhou Creek while facing to the south, Hongkou enjoys a convenient traffic network and is one of the downtown districts of Shanghai. Hongkou boasts of an area of 23.4 k㎡ and governs 8 communities, with a total population over 1 million. The Inner-Ring Road and the Central-Ring Road cross over the district, while Metro Lines like Line 3, Line 4, Line 8, Line 10 and Line 12 intertwined through. Hongkou Football Stadium Transportation Hub and North Bund Transportation Hub offer multi traffic options and the Bund Tunnel, Xinjian Rd. Tunnel and Dalian Rd. Tunnel provide easy access to the Bund and Lujiazui area.
Three Functional Areas
North Bund Shipping Service Cluster
As a key functional area of Shanghai International Shipping Center, as well as an important component of “Bund Financial Cluster”, it forms a “Golden Triangle” of Shanghai’s urban function highland together with the Bund and Lujiazui.
North Sichuan Rd. Trade, Tourism and Cultural Street
As one of the top ten urban commercial centers in Shanghai, it is modern fashion and cultural deposits. Shanghai Wine Festival and North Sichuan Joy Festival has become one of the most important commercial, tourism and cultural events.
Dabaishu Intellectual Innovation and Service Trade Ring
Daibaishu area has been approved as the Hongkou Park of Shanghai Zhangjiang High-tech Park. Apart from that, it has also completed projects like State Digital Media Technology Industry Base (Shanghai Park) and State Digital Publishing Base Hongkou Park.
Shipping Service Industry: Blue Shipping, Focus on High-end
At present, there are over 3000 shipping service companies and over 20 shipping functional organizations or institutions in the North Bund, which makes it one of few areas with the largest collection of shipping companies, shipping functional organizations and shipping elements in the country.
Centering on the establishment of modern shipping service system, Hongkou endeavors to develop high-end service industries, with focuses on shipping exchange, shipping finance, shipping consultation, maritime laws, port service and cruise passenger transport. It is aimed to improve the capacity to allocate shipping resources and build a complete shipping service industrial chain.
New breakthroughs in shipping service industry in 2011：
The 1st WFOE cruise ship service company—Costa Cruises Service (Shanghai) Company.
The 1st Non-asset Based Carrier pilot project—CH Robinson Worldwide (Shanghai) Co., Ltd..
The 1st shipping industry funds management company—Shanghai Shipping Industry Funds Management Co., Ltd.
The 1st shipping freight index exchange—the newly established Shanghai Shipping Freight Exchange Co., Ltd. has launched derivative products based on Shanghai Container Freight Index China Coastal Bulk (Coal) Freight index.
After the successful launch of the first batch of shipping brokerage companies on a trial base in 2010, the second trial has also been accomplished. Up till now, there are altogether 13 shipping brokerage companies in the North Bund, including the world renowned Clarksons, SSY, Howe Robinsons.
Financial Service Industry: Golden Fortune, Development with Features
In the past three decades, assets management has remained the most fast growing field in the financial industry. But in China, it has just started. The North Bund in Hongkou District can be considered as a treasure land for the development of Shanghai financial service industry, as the first securities exchange in the history of People’s Republic of China commenced its business in this area.
Hongkou shall strive to develop a financial service system featuring assets management, private financing, equity investment, venture capital, hedge fund and securities and futures transactions.
A fast clustering of financial service enterprises:
Among the 5 publicly offered fund management companies newly set in 2011 nationwide, 2 were settled in Hongkou.
By now, there are already 3 publicly offered fund management companies in Hongkou, just next to that of Pudong.
45 financial service companies of a large variety set their foot in Hongkou, such as fund management, equity investment, assets management, and innovative financial service providers like Sailing Capital International.
North Bund Fortune & Culture Forum is held annually and has become a brand and image of Hongkou.
China Securities Co., Ltd. and New China Life Insurance have purchased office buildings in Hongkou.
Modern Commercial and Trade Business: Red Trade and Tourism, Quality Brands
Commercial and trade business is not only the traditional industry of Hongkou, but also one of the leading industries to realize the “12th Five-Year Plan” goal of development through innovation and transformation. In recent years, sticking to the principle of “being international and fashionable” as well as “demonstrating vitality and features”, North Sichuan Rd. has achieved a constant improvement of its service quality and embraced the arrival of many world famous companies. Particularly, Shanghai Wine Festival has registered several honors.
Taking advantage of the construction of large-scale projects like the refurbishment of Memorial Hall of CPC’s 4th Representative Conference, Hongkou shall integrate its culture, trade and tourism resources. It shall enhance the development of modern community business and trade as well as improve the layout of a multi-layer modern business industry. It shall push forward the growth of Shanghai International Wine Trade Zone, improve its function of trade services and build itself into a gathering and distribution center for imported commodities so as to set up a distinctive trade development framework.
Culture and Innovative Industry: Dazzling Industry, Carrying Forward
Culture has always been a business card of Hongkou, from which Shanghai’s local culture originated. Among the 12 historic and cultural preservation areas, 2 and a half are located in Hongkou, namely, Shanyin Rd. area, Tilanqiao area and half of the Bund historic and cultural preservation area at the northern riverfront of Suzhou Creek. 1933 Shanghai, as one of the first batch of Culture and Innovation Industry Parks in Shanghai, represents a perfect combination of old architecture and fashionable ideas and has won wide acknowledgement and intensive attention in Shanghai and even all over the country.
Hongkou shall accelerate the integration of resources and the upgrading of industrial structure, so as to achieve an integrated development of culture and innovation, trade, tourism, sports and information industries.
Green Industry: Low Carbon, Spring for Vitality
With Shanghai Garden Lane as the core, and relying on functional organizations like Shanghai Environment & Energy Exchange and Shanghai Energy Efficiency Center, Hongkou is dedicated in the development of low-carbon productive service industry and the establishment of the League of Shanghai Energy Saving Industry. Hongkou is also exploring ways which can integrate financial products into the low carbon industry, such as carbon trade and carbon interrogation on a trial bases.
Business and Commercial Functions: International and Fashionable, High Quality
3 million ㎡’s development space—Hongkou has completed 1 million ㎡’s floor area, with 1 million ㎡ under construction and another 1 million ㎡ planned. The goal is to attract a large number of quality companies with high growth potential into these buildings in a way to achieve the booming and prosperity of the downtown area of the international metropolis.
3 layers for the overall planning—the planning of the North Bund sticks to the principle of sustained development. The first layer along the riverfront is under construction, while the overall planning of the second and third layers pays more attention to the layout of the underground space.
3 Sections, 5 Groups divided for the development—the business models are under successful transformation. Large shopping malls like Capitaland Cloud Nine, Citic Plaza, One Prime, CITIC Plaza Shen Hong，Paris Spring, Dongbao Department Store and Baodaxiang Shopping for Kids, connected by a string of brand boutiques, creating together the longest shopping street in Shanghai.
High-quality Investment Environment: Stylish Life, Suitable for both Business and Residence
With its convenient traffic network, superior comprehensive environment, well-matched service facilities, Hongkou is an ideal land for the growth of companies. In addition to that, Hongkou is also well-known for it advanced social welfare, improved public services, clean city environment and social order and stability. Investors, management personnel, technicians and other professional talents are all entitled to the specially designed one-stop services, such as apartment purchase/lease, training, medical care, children’s education and so on.
Upon completion, Ruihong New City Commercial Block will cover a floor area 300,000 m2 in total. Relying on its creative open space design and rich combinations of different business modes, the block shall organically integrate green and healthy residential area, fashionable and distinctive stores and innovative and energetic business zones together, creating a successful example of a functional area suitable for both residence and business in the downtown area of Shanghai.
Shanghai Musician Valley (SMV) is situated in the peninsular area formed by Shajing Creek and Hongkou Creek. With the stationing of the State Music Park Zone, the refurbishment of Jiaxing Theater, as well as the rejuvenation of old historic buildings like 1933 Shanghai, 1913 Villa and Peninsular Bay, SMV has become an embodiment of a perfect marriage between old local community culture and new fashion elements.
Brand-new North Bund: Dual Tasks, Integrated Development
In 2009, the State Council specified the North Bund as the core functional area for the construction of Shanghai International Shipping Center. In the General Urban Plan of Shanghai, the North Bund was included into the CBD area of Shanghai, together with the Bund and Lujiazui area. It is also an important part of the Bund Financial Strip of Shanghai International Financial Center.
Stepping into 2012, Hongkou shall dedicate itself to carrying out the Comprehensive Reform of North Bund Shipping and Financial Service Industry on a trial base to achieve an integrated development of shipping, finance and trade, with the establishment of modern shipping service system and specialized financial service system as the breakaway point. Functionally complementary to the Bund, Yangshan Deep-water Port and Pudong Waigaoqiao Area, the North Bund is designed to have five functions—“One Base plus Four Centers”, namely, the Base for enterprise headquarters, the Center for market elements, the Center for cruise passenger transport, the Center for port services and the Center for cultural innovation.
A Colorful Future for Hongkou: Abundant Opportunities and Bright Prospect
Guided by the principle of innovation and transformation, Hongkou shall seize the opportunity of the era and accelerate the economic structuring, in order to achieve an industrial layout consistent to a downtown area of an international metropolis, an urban visage consistent to its unique location and rich historic and cultural heritage, and a community ecology consistent to the district’s fast development.