Page 2 - 20171128銆愪笂娴锋棩鎶ャ€?1鏈堝垔

C2-3鈥?Jing鈥檃n
When Jing鈥檃n merged with the
former district Zhabei two
years ago, many wondered if
the marriage creating the new Exchange, set up last year in the Shibei High
Jing鈥檃n district would be successful. The
鈥減artners鈥?certainly appeared disparate.
Jing鈥檃n was essentially a buzzing com-
mercial hub, dotted with historic villas,
modern apartments and classy shop-
ping malls. It was the face of Shanghai鈥檚
future.
Zhabei, by contrast, sat on the other
side of the Suzhou Creek 鈥?a district of
old factories and blue-collar residences.
It suffered from an urban stereotype as a
backward, underclass area of Shanghai.
Together, Jing鈥檃n and Zhabei have
proven remarkably compatible and
complementary.
Here are some of the examples.
Big data, better retail
Two years ago, Shanghai ranked among
the leading cities of the world in pioneer-
ing the concept of 鈥渟mart commercial
zones.鈥?The concept was initiated in seven
popular shopping areas, including Nan-
jing Road W.
鈥淲e built WiFi and calculated the volume
of foot traffic to inform shopping malls on
how to avoid the kinds of excess crowds
that can lead to safety issues,鈥?said Lu Jun, of the kind of consumer who likes a par-
(From left to right) Sculptures in Daning Park. Residents in the Daning area cluster at a popular outdoor market famous for quality merchandise. The commercial hub of Nanjing R
The historic Yugucun residential complex has been restored to its by-gone glory, with interior apartments brought up to modern standards. 鈥?Photos by Jiang Xiaowei, Free Jiang
Merger combines the best
Jing鈥檃n, Zhabei have proven remark
a commerce authority official in Jing鈥檃n.
The game changer was the Shanghai Data
Technology Park based in old Zhabei.
Smart commercial zones need smart
brains, and China鈥檚 leading big data center
provided that.
Tang Qifeng, the man behind the center,
drafted a clear blueprint.
鈥淲e have to understand the forces that
impact retailers,鈥?Tang said.
Now there is an upgraded version of
the project.
鈥淭he previous version was designed
for the government to help manage re-
tailers,鈥?said Zhao Jian, vice chairman
of the Jing鈥檃n Commerce Commission.
鈥淭he new version can serve retailers by
efficiently. By analyzing big data, we can
identify what class of consumers is most
drawn to a particular kind of shopping
mall. That gives retailers the opportunity
of adjusting merchandise to attract the
most customers.鈥?
Tang said the data are collected from
various channels, including WiFi access
and UnionPay transfers.
鈥淲ithin an hour, we can draw a profile
ticular mall 鈥?for example, a man in his
30s, who lives in a high-end community
in Changning and earns a hefty salary
working for a financial company in Pu-
dong,鈥?he said.
Zhao said the artificial intelligence that
lies behind big data is very reliable and
easier than direct survey modes.
鈥淔or example, we could distribute thou-
sands of questionnaires on the street to
study whether people like a given shop-
ping mall or not,鈥?he said. 鈥淣ow we can
see something like a man leaving a store
with a happy face, which directly implies
that he likes the store.鈥?
In the future, the system will be further
upgraded to include other services, such
as restaurants.
Better workplaces
It鈥檚 not an easy job to satisfy every ten- are dealing with 10 buildings in the mar-
ant in an office building housing dozens
of firms and thousands of employees. But
At her suggestion, the Kaidike Building
near Nanjing Road W. created a rooftop
amenities area, providing a canteen for
workers, a barber shop and other services
that make the lives of employees more
convenient and pleasurable.
鈥淒esk jockeys like to take a walk or play
badminton in the rooftop recreation area
during their noon break,鈥?said Xiao, who
heads up the building鈥檚 labor union fed-
eration. 鈥淭hey like a canteen that serves
up delicious but affordable meals. We do h
everything to cater to their needs.鈥? w
w
The service also hosts social events
where employees from different company f
offices can get to know one another. w
c
The concept is now being replicated in b
old Zhabei. The Qipu Road clothing mar-
ket, which includes wholesale and retail H
companies, is one example.
n
Shao Zhan, a social worker from the
Beizhan Community, visited Xiao last year m
and was taken with the idea of creating f
amenities for workers. b
a
鈥淲hat I learned from her was persis- f
tence,鈥?said Shao. 鈥淭he idea is a bit more
complicated to adopt here because Xiao p
was dealing with a single building and we b
s
ket. We have to be very patient and listen
to what people working there need.鈥? 鈥? helping them operate businesses more Xiao Suhua has made that happen. t
He added, 鈥淢ost of those people are mi-
grant workers who don鈥檛 have much time c
to care for their children. So we provide a
free childcare service during the sum-
mer school break and other holidays in C
the year.鈥? j
h
Wang Tingfen, who has been working in
the clothing market for 17 years, said she
is appreciative of the new service.
鈥淧reviously, I was constantly wor-
ried about what to do with my children
when school was out,鈥?she said. 鈥淚 had
to send them to my parents in our rural