Party Newspaper Shanghai Major Research | “A Different Shanghai” is Creating the Best Practice for a People’s City
On December 19, 2024, the first China Newspaper Media Industry Artificial Intelligence Application Conference opened in Shanghai. Concurrently, a large-scale research activity titled “High-Quality Development Shanghai Tour for Party Newspapers” was held, with participants divided into three groups. The first group’s research theme was “Practicing the People’s City Concept,” and attendees visited the Shanghai People’s City Practice Exhibition Hall and the Bund’s Old Municipal Government for observation and learning.
Participants entered the Shanghai People’s City Practice Exhibition Hall, located at 630 Anpu Road, Yangpu District, covering a total area of 4,500 square meters. The venue features five themed exhibition areas: “People’s City: Ideological Guidance,” “People’s City: Shanghai Blueprint,” “People’s City: Shanghai Real Scene,” “People’s City: Shanghai Practice,” and “People’s City: Shanghai Experience,” along with 25 specialized exhibition items. Utilizing a variety of digital exhibition methods, it vividly presents the fundamental connotations of the People’s City concept and Shanghai’s best practices in building a People’s City.
On November 2, 2019, General Secretary Xi Jinping visited Shanghai and first proposed the idea that “the People’s City is built by the people and for the people” along the Yangpu Riverside. The new era and new journey have endowed Shanghai with a new mission to construct a People’s City. To comprehensively showcase the vibrant picture of Shanghai’s construction of a People’s City in the new era, the Shanghai People’s City Practice Exhibition Hall began trial operations on November 7, 2024, and has since welcomed nearly 20,000 visitors.
Gong Yongling, Secretary of the Party Committee and President of the Changzhi Daily in Shanxi, expressed her thoughts on the “Livable” exhibition content in the “People’s City: Shanghai Practice” theme area. “Through this exhibition, we have gained a deeper understanding of Shanghai’s successful experiences and practices in old district renovation and urban renewal. Despite the high cost of land, we see the gradual improvement of living environments and the continuous enhancement of life quality for the people in the process of building a People’s City. The per capita housing area for residents is also expanding, and many residents are moving from old homes to new ones, fulfilling their ‘old renovation dreams.’ This makes us feel that Shanghai has truly implemented the concept of ‘having a secure place to live,’ significantly increasing the happiness index of the people.”
Participants observed the “Livable” exhibition content at the Shanghai People’s City Practice Exhibition Hall.
Zhu Yan, Director of the Big Data Platform at the Handan News Media Center in Hebei, was deeply impressed by the “Waste-Free City” exhibition content. “The diverse digital exhibition methods here showcase Shanghai’s achievements in waste classification. As a super-large city with a high population density, it is not easy for Shanghai to advance waste classification so effectively, and this experience is worth promoting to other cities and regions across the country. I also hope to bring back Shanghai’s advanced concepts in this area to share with my hometown.”
The Bund’s Old Municipal Government was the second site visited by the participants, located in the core area of the Bund’s historical and cultural landscape and financial aggregation zone, about 300 meters from the Huangpu River. This building, which began construction in 1914 and was completed in 1922, was once hailed as “the first enclosed building in the Far East,” holding significant historical status and symbolic meaning in Shanghai. It is not only the place where Shanghai’s first five-star red flag was raised but also a benchmark for the construction of a People’s City and urban renewal.
Participants visited the Bund’s Old Municipal Government for observation and learning.
After nearly a decade of effort, this building, which carries Shanghai’s rich history and cultural heritage, has completed protective comprehensive renovations and entered the investment promotion phase in May 2024, returning with a refreshed appearance and multifunctional operational model, becoming an important landmark to appreciate the new features and functions of the Bund.
Wang Ying from the Publicity Department of Yibin College in Sichuan, who was among the visitors, shared that this was her second visit to Shanghai. During her first visit, she explored the Bund and the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum, experiencing the international and modern atmosphere of the city. In this research visit, she observed more of Shanghai’s historical development, helping her gain a deeper understanding of the living environment of the people in Shanghai, which she found more meaningful.
After concluding the day’s research activities, Ren Jiping, Director of the New Media Department at the Yangquan Daily in Shanxi, expressed her reflections. She noted that previously, she had mostly seen the prosperity of Shanghai, but during this research, she observed that whether in urban planning or construction, whether in new district development or old district renovation, Shanghai consistently prioritizes the people, continuously meeting their growing needs for a better life and enhancing their sense of gain, happiness, and security. “This has allowed me to see a ‘different’ Shanghai.”
