In Shanghai, there is such a place, which is not only affiliated to Zhangjiang Science City, but also to the international tourist resort. It is the thousand-year-old town of Pudong - Hengcha.
Once there, you'll find a large field all around. Is there still such a blank space in Zhangjiang?
Blank space is what makes it huge.
A thousand-year-old town in decline
In Shanghai, there are many ancient water towns in the south of the Yangtze River. For example, Fengjing, Qibao, Xinchang, Zhujiajiao, etc., are very popular. The thousand-year-old town of Hengcha is particularly low-key.
Hengcha, which began with a river called the region, appeared in the late Tang Dynasty, when this area became a land and belonged to Suzhou Prefecture. In the Yuan Dynasty, because the place was full of water, the stream was often full, and it was renamed as the river.
In the Ming Dynasty, the topography here was called "Flagpole Fall - Heng Chu (Sleep)", hence the name Heng Chu.
During the Qing Dynasty, folk arts such as Shenqu and shadow puppetry, as well as folk crafts such as paper-cutting and paper-tying, were widely spread.
In 1910, Hengcha was officially established as a township. After the reform and opening up, various departments built factories, shops and other institutions here, forming a new town, but it has never ushered in vigorous development.
Current situation of Hengcha Source: Yokogawa Urban Unit Regulatory Detailed Plan
Returned to Zhangjiang and also superimposed resorts
Looking at the present, Hengcha's status has really improved.
In 2021, Zhangjiang Science City will be expanded from 95 square kilometers to 220 square kilometers, which is beneficial to Zhoukang, Tangzhen, Hangtou, Xinchang, Caolu and even Heqing.
Zhangjiang continues to raise the skyline, and its strategic height has also reached a higher level. From smart terminal products to biomedical innovation, from artificial intelligence to chip manufacturing, as well as the newly popular metaverse industry, Zhangjiang can find almost all cutting-edge high-energy industries.
The distance between Hengcha and Zhangjiang sub-center is similar to that of Tangzhen and Zhangjiang, which is only a few kilometers.
Schematic diagram of Zhangjiang Science City
Friends who have been to Disney know that the sign on the highway that guides the park is not Disney, but "International Tourism Resort", which means that Shanghai's pursuit of this consumption engine is more than just a playground.
You must know that Shanghai International Tourism Resort is Pudong's third municipal-level commercial center in addition to Lujiazui and Qiantan.
After 17 years of project establishment and construction, the international tourist resort was finally officially opened to the public in 2016, and it took only one year to achieve profitability, and in 2023, the total revenue of the resort's tourism industry in the first quarter exceeded 4 billion yuan, creating a "miracle" of about 40 million yuan per day. Behind the time and numbers, there is a steady stream of investment.
Schematic diagram of Shanghai-level commercial center
The resort has evolved over time. Functional areas outside the core area are also being developed gradually.
Schematic diagram of the zoning of Shanghai International Tourism Resort
The future is a symbiosis between the old and the new
What will the urban interface look like in the future?
Let's take a look at the planning and layout of Hengcha Ancient Town, which is planned to form an overall spatial structure of "one heart, two corridors, and four districts", of which one heart is the focus of development, and the business format is similar to the Panlong Tiandi in Qingpu.
Panlong Tiandi is dominated by ancient town commercial + residential + green park, and the same is true for the core of Hengcha.
Schematic diagram of the layout of the Hengcha area
Originally based on residential functions, it was later integrated into mixed functions such as commerce and culture to create a vibrant and charming ancient water town in the south of the Yangtze River featuring oriental culture around Disneyland.
At present, a 200,000-square-meter waterfront commercial complex has been planned here, which will be combined with the cultural and historical district to integrate into multiple formats such as hotels, restaurants, arts, and entertainment.
Renderings of the Hengcha Historical District
In terms of road network, there are Outer Ring Elevated, Resort Elevated, Luoshan Road Elevated, Hulu Expressway and Shenjiang South Road Elevated around Hengcha, and the traffic is very convenient. In particular, along the elevated road of the resort to the north, you can directly reach the new landmark of Zhangjiang - Zhangjiang Science Gate.
Looking at the Zhangjiang Science Gate from the elevated road of the resort
In terms of rail transit, in addition to the opening of Line 11, it is also in full swing to renovate.
THE LINE IS EXPECTED TO OPEN TO TRAFFIC THIS YEAR, AND WILL QUICKLY CONNECT THE TWO HUBS OF PUDONG AND HONGQIAO AT A SPEED OF 160 KM/H IN THE FUTURE.
Schematic diagram of the airport contact line
Line 21, which is under construction, has Shenjiang South Road Station. The first phase of Line 21 is about 28 kilometers long, which connects important areas such as Pudong Jinqiao, Zhangjiang, resort and Pudong hub, and can also be transferred to 7 rail transit lines such as Line 13 and Line 2.
Schematic diagram of Line 21
In terms of residences, there is Zhangjiang Jinmao Mansion in the area, which is about to enter the market, and the products are mainly western-style houses and superimposed.
Renderings of Zhangjiang Jinmao Mansion
In many places in Pudong, you can find a unique place of your own, which used to be Jinqiao and Zhangjiang, and now it is Xinjinqiao and Dazhangjiang.