Construction of five world-class cultural facilities will be completed in the Pudong New Area in 2020, according to local authorities.

The construction is part of local government efforts to create a cluster of cultural venues and showcase Shanghai’s diverse cultural charm. It echoes to the city government’s campaign to promote Shanghai’s “four brands”: services, manufacturing, shopping and culture.

The venues are the Shanghai Planetarium, Pudong Art Museum, east branch of the Shanghai Museum, east branch of the Shanghai Library and Expo Culture Park.

Weng Zuliang, Pudong’s Party chief, compared a cultural venue to a mountain and a cluster of venues to a mountain range.

The Shanghai Planetarium, a new branch of the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum, will be the largest facility of its kind after completion. It is designed to cover over 38,000 square meters, larger than five standard-size soccer pitches.

Construction started in 2016, and this month the steelwork has finished. It will feature a domed movie theater, an astronomical observatory and giant telescope equipment.

The east branch of the Shanghai Museum will be just 300 meters away from the east branch of the Shanghai Library, once completed. Together with the current Shanghai Science and Technology Museum and Shanghai Oriental Art Center, they will form a 1-square-meter “cultural highland.”

Under the plan, the east branch of the Shanghai Museum will cover 105,000 square meters, more than twice the size of the Puxi address which opened in 1996 in People’s Square.

The east branch of the Shanghai Library, covering an area of 115,000 square meters, is designed like a “well carved jade” and is meant to be a cultural oasis. It will hold 4.8 million volumes, and each year it will hold more than 200 lectures and other cultural activities.

The Pudong Art Museum will be located along the Huangpu River in the heart of the Lujiazui financial center. The other riverside venue, Expo Culture Park, will cover 1.88 square kilometers, making it the largest green space in urban Shanghai. It is designed as an ecological park incorporating new cultural landmarks, such as a new opera house which will be erected there.

Additionally, Pudong will step up efforts to become a top commercial hub. International brands will be encouraged to make their Chinese and even global debuts in Pudong. Also, cooperation with renowned retailers will be improved.

To better develop Pudong’s industries, particularly pharmaceuticals and electronics, a series of favorable policies are being offered to draw top professionals to the area.

A maximum of six overseas professionals from the same research team can apply for permanent residency and top performing overseas graduates can apply for permanent residency after they have worked for three years.