Witnesses to city’s rapid evolution
Five local residents shared stories of Shanghai’s development that they have witnessed, experienced and contributed to during a special dialogue between the Communist Party of China and political parties from other countries in Shanghai on Wednesday even
Woodpecker and reformer
Zheng Haiao, deputy director of the China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone Policy Research Institute, spoke about the development of the free trade zone in Shanghai.
“My job is like a woodpecker to find out regulations and rules that might restrict development of market players and then promote reforms and institutional innovations to make doing business in China more simple and efficient,” he said.
When China established its first pilot free trade zone in Shanghai in 2013, Zheng and his colleagues received their first task to do research on the negative list rule for the zone, which could enable foreign investors to enjoy the same treatment as domestic investors in areas not on the list.
“Over the past eight years, the Shanghai free trade zone has been easing market access to foreign investments,” he said. “The number of items on the negative list has been reduced from 190 to 30, and more than 12,000 foreign-invested enterprises have been set up in the region.”
Zheng said Shanghai welcomes not only foreign investments, but also foreign talent. With relaxed policies, now more and more overseas talent are making investments and starting up businesses in Shanghai.
“To help China open its door wider is the dream of all reformers like me,” he said.
Constructor and innovator
Zhu Yimin, deputy chief engineer of Shanghai Construction Group, said he grew together with the Pudong skyline.
He graduated from university in 1991. Looking back on that year, he said that Pudong had not yet been developed and was not open to the world, and he literarily could not imagine that Pudong would become what it is now.
“At that time, there were already many skyscrapers above 400 meters in other countries. I felt the gap between Pudong and the rest of the world and wanted to make a breakthrough,” he said.
“The desire in my heart was super strong, but I didn’t know when the opportunity would come. And then came the decision of developing and opening up Pudong, and, with it, my chance.”
In 1997, he got an opportunity that changed his life — construction of the 492-meter high Shanghai World Financial Center.
When the Shanghai Center was built, he said many foreign counterparts envy Shanghai builders as they have more opportunities to make technological progress than they do.
Zhu said now he has a new dream.
“I hope China will become a leading construction power in the world,” he said.
Helper and achiever
Xu Lihua is the secretary of the Party branch in Baoxingli Neighborhood of Huangpu District.
She’s been working there for nine years, serving residents and helping solve problems.
“The neighborhood has a history of over 100 years and the historical buildings are unique and beautiful,” she said. “But with increasing population, the living environment had become more and more crowded.
“The average living area for the neighborhood residents is 12.6 square meters for each family and there was even one building hosting 18 families.”
Last year, a renovation kicked off in the neighborhood, like sunshine illuminating the hearts of the residents.
But no dish can suit all tastes. Xu and her colleagues held 51 meetings with residents to explain the housing collection and relocation policies to them and listen to their opinions.
“Each family had their unique conditions and demands,” she said. “Besides the meetings, we also went to their homes for further communication. I remembered one family which I visited more than 10 times. Eventually, all the residents reached a consensus.”
With their efforts, all the more than 1,200 families signed the housing collection and relocation agreements and moved away in half a year.
Foreign investor
Larry Chan, chairman of Liwayway China Co, was born in the Philippines. Since childhood, he had thought of visiting Shanghai, the economic center of China. When he finally came to Shanghai aged 23, he said that it was the most important decision that changed his life.
Since the 1980s, his father Carlos Chan visited Shanghai frequently for market surveys, and finally found an opportunity in Deng Xiaoping’s “Southern Tour Speeches” in 1992.
In 1993, the Shanghai government set up two joint ventures in cooperation with Liwayway.
The elder Chan had said Liwayway is a beneficiary of China’s opening up to the world. The younger Chan said he fully agreed with his father.
“I remember that we did a promotion at the Shanghai First Food Store on Nanjing Road at
that time. The counter near the gate of the store seemed to have a magical power, which not only attracted a large number of customers, but also enabled us to meet many distributors from all over the country.
“More than 20 years have passed. Starting from Shanghai, we have built 13 factories in China, which now have more than 7,600 workers.”
In 2005, Chan’s father was honored as an honorary citizen of Shanghai, and he himself got the same title in 2017.
Weaver of video universe
As social networking centers keep gravitating toward video websites, Chen Rui’s bilibili. com wrote a success story from Shanghai.
The popular Chinese video website, which started 12 years ago, now has 220 million registered users from all over the world, has listed in the New York and Hong Kong stock markets and is valued at more than US$30 billion.
The website is unique in enabling live commentating. It has 340,000 channels run from outside the Chinese mainland, and some have registered over 10 billion clicks, Chen said.
He said the success of his website is an epitome of the success of many other startups in Shanghai in past years.
“The keys to our success are a touch with the future, our consistency in content values and the good business environment in this city,” he said.
Chen has no doubt that the young generation Internet users in China, more resourceful, better educated and more expressive, need high-quality video platforms to present themselves and become inspired, and his business also will tap the increasing consumer power of the Chinese market.
“We benefit from the city’s growth and reward the city with our own. We call for all people with an enterprising spirit to seek their fortune here.”