Shanghai Daily news

Yangpu District, once an old industrial area with gloomy factories, is shifting from a manufacturing base to an intelligence center and will take on a brand-new appearance by the time Shanghai hosts the World Expo in 2010.
"Yangpu, with several prestigious universities, is striving to become Shanghai's 'central intelligence district,"' said Yangpu District Director Jiang Zhuoqing. He said the district's rich talent pool will help it become the "brain" of the city.
At present, Yangpu is home to 17 universities and colleges, including some of the city's best schools, such as Fudan and Tongji universities, 22 national key laboratories and more than 100 scientific institutes.
The district government has proclaimed it will support construction of scientific incubators and parks, backed by the universities' rich supply of human resources and key technologies.
Industries with original technologies and initiative intellectual property rights, involving information technology, new materials, environmental protection, and modern design are especially welcome.
Currently, the district has four national high-tech parks. It also built up the Shanghai Intellectual Property Park, which provides both technical and legal protection to its customers.
"Yangpu's appearance will be greatly changed when the city hosts the World Expo 2010 and a more appealing environment will be provided for both companies and residents," said Jiang.
Over the next five years, the district will focus on the development of three key areas - Jiangwan-Wujiaochang Sub-center, New Jiangwan Town and the Eastern Bund area - all of which will play a crucial role in boosting the district's economy and supporting sustainable development.
Jiangwan-Wujiaochang Sub-center is one of four sub-centers to be built in Shanghai, together with Xujiahui, Caojiadu, and Pudong New Area's Huamu. Each will integrate businesses, logistics, cultural facilities and residential communities.
Covering 3.08 square kilometers, the Jiangwan-Wujiaochang Sub-center will include three parts - a commercial center, a central area and a knowledge-based business area.
Hualian Shopping Center, Wanda Commercial Plaza, and Jinyi Plaza Hotel are under construction and will be main attractions in the area's commercial center, which covers an area of 0.96 square kilometer.
Office buildings, residential communities and technology parks will be built in the central area and the business area.
The construction projects also include the building of a sunken plaza, a subway line, underground passages, transport terminals and road expansion.
To the north of the Wujiaochang area, the New Jiangwan Town, an area covering 9.45 square kilometers, will become a modern residential area and is designed to accommodate a population of about 80,000.
The new town's future development will be based on the premise of ecological protection for the land, which boasts well-preserved resources.
The 10-hectare Jiangwan wetland in the area is home to nearly 40 species of birds, many rarely found in the city. It is said that more than 280 wild plant species and nearly 40 freshwater plants can be found in the wetland.
To help Jiangwan become a garden town, great efforts will be made to develop large areas of green space. Parks, forests and grasslands are expected to cover 67 hectares by 2010.
To many locals, the area in northeastern Yangpu District is still known as "Jiangwan Airport" - where the People's Liberation Army once had an air base. No military aircraft have landed in the area for about 10 years.
As Yangpu is now emerging as a new area with a modern landscape, harmony between the old buildings and newer addictions is being stressed in the district's urban planning vision, according to district officials.
Visitors strolling along the district's Huangpu River waterfront, will come across China's oldest water plant, power plant, natural gas plant and many name-brand manufacturing plants that exude the nostalgic charm of old Shanghai.