Brief

The Hongqiao International Business Center was proposed in the “Overall Planning of Changning District” in 1993, and defined as one of the three main economic zones in the 9th Five-Year Plan of the Changning District. In 1996, “A Detailed Plan of Hongqiao International Business Center” was formulated by the Shanghai Urban Planning & Design Research Institute.

After over 20 years’ development, Hongqiao Area, especially the area with Hongqiao Economic & Technological Development Zone as the core, has, on the whole, formed an urban and functional international business zone of its own characteristics, and has become one of the most well-developed business office zones in Shanghai. As time goes by, the development of Hongqiao Area is faced with competitions and challenges of various natures, especially at a time when the overall urban function of Shanghai is undergoing an adjustment and reformation process.

Since the second half of 2002, the District Urban Planning Bureau has made a survey on the function expansion of the Hongqiao Area. According to the survey, Shanghai is now being built into an international metropolis and a world economic, financial, trade and shipping center. Meanwhile, a corresponding multi-centered and open-to –the-outside city space structure is under way of construction, as well. The 2010 World Expo is going to be held in Shanghai, and great changes in the functional and  spatial structure is expected to take place in the following 10 to 20 years, by which the District and Hongqiao Area will benefit amply in terms of opportunities for development.

A discussion on “World Expo & Future Development of Changning” that centered around the function expansion of Hongqiao was held in April 2003. Various circles in the District discussed on the topics related to the enhancement of function expansion of Hongqiao, the adaption of the World Expo strategy and the improvement of service capacities of the Yangtse River Delta Economic Ring. Suggestions were put forward in the discussion that Changning should be involved in the CBD system of the City and form the SCBD function; be involved in  the east-west axial urban development strategy and playing an important role in the west section of the axial line;  be involved in the strategy of building Shanghai into an international metropolis and Changning into an international multi-functional district; be involved in the strategy of the Yangtse River Delta and build Hongqiao Area into the business center of the Yangtse River Delta Development Zone; be involved in the World Expo strategy, serving World Expo economy and forming a Changning of its own special characteristics; and be involved in the strategy of “Invigorating the City through Science and Education” and constructing a “Digitalized Changning”.   

On the basis of the survey, the District authorized RTKL Associates Inc., Japan-based Hamano Company and Tongji University in June 2003 with the design of a plan for Hongqiao International Business Center. The three design institutions published their respective studies, giving prominence to the creation of urban space form and environment, proposing an industrial orientation of a “City of Vogue” and a 3D transportation system.  

After the completion of the three concept plans, Canada-based B+H Architects was authorized to make a summary report on the basis of the opinions at the Concept Layout Expert Appraisal Symposium and the above three schemes.  Meanwhile, the District Hongqiao Area Expansion Office organized specialists’ discussions  on the planning of the sectors and the road development in the Hongqiao Area, and integrated the survey results.  After several rounds of discussions and revisions, the summarizing work  is now coming to a conclusion, and the final results will be worked out soon. The initial-stage surveys, conceptual planning and the summary work have rendered the development of Hongqiao Area more scientific and advanced, offering a solid foundation for the construction of economic carriers including commercial buildings and business facilities.

Function Expansion

The Hongqiao Economic & Technological Development Zone, covering an area of 0.652 square kilometers, is located in the west of downtown Shanghai and is, within the District, the first state-level development zone mainly for foreign trades in Shanghai.. Following its development for more than 10 years, it has become one of the most accomplished business office zones in Shanghai. 

The District Party Committee and the District Government have put forward the strategic policy of “Developing Changning by Relying on Hongqiao,” namely, expanding Hongqiao functions on the basis of the current Hongqiao Economic & Technological Development Zone to further improve its strength,  optimize its functions, enhance its vigor, and integrate itself into the World Expo and the development of Shanghai. The planning over the Hongqiao International Business Center is oriented towards  an international, commercial and cultural center.

The expanded Hongqiao International Business Center is composed of the core area, the central section and the extended section, with a total area being  3.15 square kilometers and a term for the project 12 years. The construction land is expected to arrive at an area of about 92.8 hectare, with a  total construction floorage reaching about 259 square meters.

As the confluence of the Shanghai-Nanjing and Shanghai-Hangzhou development axis, as well as the development axis  for the downtown modern service industry, the Hongqiao Function Expansion Zone, adjacent to the Hongqiao International Airport, is located at the node of the west urban development area and the west new urban development area. With an interchange network consisting of elevated highway, metro, inner-, middle- and outerring roads, and the linkage with Shanghai-Nanjing and Shanghai-Hangzhou freeways, it has been an important convergence of talent flow, logistics, information flow and fund flow.

Transportation

Hongqiao International Airport, a major part of the international airline hub, makes Hongqiao Area a gate that links up the City of  Shanghai and the outside world. In the neighborhood of the Hongqiao Function Expansion Zone, Yan’an Elevated Highway joins the  Shanghai-Nanjing and Shanghai-Hangzhou highways, with Metro Lines No. 1 and No. 2 running through the Development Area. The outer-, inner- and middle-ring roads, West Zhongshan Road, West Yan’an Road, Changning Road and Hongqiao Road form a perfect traffic network surrounding the Expansion Zone.

Cultural Environment

There are 15 foreign consulates, and more than 2,000 domestic and foreign-invested enterprises and organizations (more than 60% of which are foreign-invested enterprises and organizations) have settled in the District. Along Hongqiao Road, there are over 1,600 top-class villas and foreign residential quarters, known as the Gubei New Area. 70% of the consuls and 1/3 of the foreigners in Shanghai live in the areas around Hongqiao.

The Shanghai Garden District and the National Environmental Protection Model District are now under construction. The District is also building a sight-seeing greenbelt Hongqiao Road and Yan’an Road, which is composed of some large public green land, like the New Hongqiao Central Park, Yanhong Greenland, Shanghai Zoo, Children’s Traffic Park, Xi Jiao Guesthouse Shanghai, Hong Qiao State Guest Hotel Shanghai, etc.

  Office Buildings

Hongqiao Development Area and its surrounding areas are one of the areas with most foreign business buildings in Shanghai, including the Shanghai Foreign Economic Relation & Trade Commission, the Shanghai Foreign Investment Service Center and the Shanghai International Sourcing Promotion Center. With the continuous expansion of the dominant functions of foreign economic trade and business in Hongqiao and the enhancement of their radiation functions, Hongqiao Development Area and its surrounding areas  have become an important service function zone for the interactive development of Shanghai and the Yangtse River Delta region. In Hongqiao Economic & Technological Development Zone, there are office buildings and exhibition facilities with a total area of more than 1.3 million square meters (300,000 square meters for exhibition facilities), 4 four-star (or higher ) hotels with a total floor area of 260,000 square meters, as well as office buildings built and being built with an area of 900,000 square meters.  

Hongqiao Function Expansion Office

Hongqiao Function Expansion Office (HFEO) is an ad hoc organization under the District Government in charge of coordination and promotion of Hongqiao function expansion. According to the work responsibility of “Initiating, Coordinating, Planning, Promoting”, the HFEO takes charge of all the tasks and requirements concerning the Expansion Area development and construction as assigned by the District Party Committee, the District Government and the leadership group for Hongqiao function expansion. HFEO also takes care of the coordination and promotion of the urban designing of the zone, as well as of the decision-making on some specific plans to ensure their successful implementation. In addition to the selection and initial examination of design schemes of all the construction projects involved within the Expansion Zone, the HFEO is  responsible for coordinating and promoting all the construction projects within the Expansion Zone, implementing all the policies on foreign investments within the Expansion Zone, participating in activities over major investment projects  in the District, as well as coordinating and handling important problems in the process of foreign investments.

HFEO's philosophy is to guide the development under the approved plans,  impel the enterprise development by services and further contacts with the departments through sincerity, so as to promote the function expansion of Hongqiao and create good conditions for the rapid economic and social development of the District.

According to the work responsibility, the HFEO sets up 3 departments: the Administration Department, the Integrated Development Department, and the Foreign Investment & Service Department.

Address: 55 Gubei Road  

Fax: 52065600    

Postal Code: 200051