Guest: Yu Yong, Secretary of the CPC Jing’an District Committee
Interview Background
How to build a model in Jing’an District which has various highlights as a central urban area and where property prices are high? How to further exploit the accumulated advantages to the full and play a leading role? How to improve the quality of people’s livelihood in the gathering area of grey-haired people and white-collar workers? How can Jing’an District seize the development opportunities in the new journey? … Let’s look at the answers from Yu Yong, Secretary of the CPC Jing’an District Committee.
Host:
Hello, everyone. Today, we have invited Mr. Yu Yong, Secretary of the CPC Jing’an District Committee, for an exclusive interview to discuss the blueprint for making efforts to turn the advantages of economic density into achievements with a focus on value.
Yu Yong:
Hello, everyone.
Host:
How to build a model in Jing’an District which has various highlights as a central urban area and where property prices are high?
Yu Yong:
By adhering to the principle of “protecting first with culture as the spirit and the people as the core”, Jing’an has carried out the protective development of the century-old Zhang Garden in an orderly manner. At the end of September this year, the West Zone made its debut, endowing the Historical Landscape Preservation Area of Zhang Garden with brand-new commercial functions and business formats through experience- and leading-style fashion consumption. Plaza 66, the first 10-billion-yuan building in the central urban area of Shanghai, has reflected the resilience and development potential of the regional economy through “headquarters radiation”, “service empowerment” and “consumption guidance”. It is also in this building that Jing’an explored the practice of “setting up the Party branches and Party committees in business buildings”. Henceforth Party building work in buildings has become a strong revolutionary productivity for high-quality development. Pengpu Xincun is the epitome of Shanghai’s renovation projects under continuous promotion. Here, a large number of residents have lived in high-quality new houses with a full sense of gain through “demolition and reconstruction”. As the central urban area of Shanghai, Jing’an District covering an area of 37 square kilometers knows full well that only when its external service function is promoted can the power, capability, and level of self-development be strengthened. Therefore, under the tough constraints of resources and space, Jing’an District has sought benefits from storing resources and fully tapped the value of prime locations to promote high-quality development, high-end life and high-efficiency governance. Without a doubt, such a “value” has profound connotations. In addition to real money, it also refers to the citizens’ sense of identity and belonging and an ability to save energy for the future. Since the 18th CPC National Congress, Jing’an District has taken the guiding principles of the remarks made by General Secretary Xi Jinping during his visit to Shanghai as a distinctive theme and a prominent task that runs through its work. In particular, Jing’an has insisted on improving economic density in recent years and considered it the fundamental solution. By increasing the investment promotion, the economic empowerment of the headquarters, the efficiency of key industries, the growth rate of land yield per mu, the growth speed of major projects, and the service efficiency, namely, the “six increases plan”, the stable and healthy development of the regional economy has been promoted. Since the “13th Five-Year Plan”, the general public budget revenue at the district level of Jing’an has remained the first among the central urban areas of Shanghai for years, reaching RMB 27.848 billion last year and ranking top in terms of total tax revenue. Meanwhile, it consistently gives prominence to the upgrading of industrial levels and urban functions. By implementing the Global Service Provider Program in an innovative way, Jing’an District has gathered more high-level service organizations and headquarters enterprises and accelerated the development of six key industries, including business and trade services, financial services, professional services, data intelligence, cultural creativity, and life and health. Now, these key industries contribute more than 80% to the regional economy.
Host:
How to further exploit the accumulated advantages to the full and play a leading role?
Yu Yong:
Since the “Merger of Two Districts” (the original Jing’an District and Zhabei District), Jing’an has implemented the development strategy of “One Axis, Three Belts” based on its own reality, focusing on the development of the four core functional areas, to further exploit its advantages to the full and promote the overall improvement of the district. Last year, the district had 80 buildings with annual tax revenue over RMB 100 million, of which there were more than 10 buildings with monthly tax revenue over RMB 100 million, and Plaza 66 became the city’s first “10-billion-yuan building” in the central urban area. Jing’an District has made new breakthroughs in the development of the building economy. Few people know that in the early 1990s, Jing’an District launched the comprehensive development of West Nanjing Road. At that time, it was clear that instead of building commercial residential buildings with obvious short-term effects, Jing’an would take the lead in exploring the building economy and focus on developing high-end business and commerce. Based on this blueprint, previous district committees and governments have pushed forward the high-grade development of West Nanjing Road. Plaza 66, the “10-billion-yuan building”, is a representative. There are not only international top enterprises, such as LVMH, the world’s top luxury group, KPMG, one of the world’s four major accounting firms, and Cushman & Wakefield, one of the world’s top five real estate consulting companies but also more than 100 internationally renowned brands, including LV, Hermès and Dior. This business building is like a super global headquarters base, an international consumption highland and a cluster of the open economy, continuing to exert widespread influence with the most valuable confidence. Practice has proved that Jing’an District has infinite possibilities to create new miracles in the new era as long as it can further exploit the accumulated advantages and play a leading role.
Host:
Jing’an District has taken the lead in completing the renovation of old lanes and alleys below Grade II among the central urban areas of Shanghai, and also created many new records in the city in terms of adding elevators to old buildings. How to improve the quality of people’s livelihood in the gathering area of grey-haired people and white-collar workers?
Yu Yong:
Jing’an District used to be one of the urban areas with the most concentrated shanty houses and old residential buildings in Shanghai. After the “Merger of Two Districts”, Jing’an continued to overcome difficulties and advance the renovation with greater efforts and wisdom of the whole district. As a result, it completed the renovation of old lanes and alleys below Grade II eight months ahead of schedule in 2020. During the reconstruction of “one-square-meter toilets”, “a targeted plan” was formulated for each residence, thanks to which few residents use “carrying toilets” at present. For scattered old lanes, efforts are made to improve the living quality of residents by means of “expropriation” and “keeping houses and residents”. In addition, Jing’an District has focused on optimizing the approval process, innovating the masses’ affairs, and improving the operation and maintenance mechanism in recent years as a way to speed up the overall implementation of adding elevators to old residential communities. To improve the living quality of 500,000 “white-collar workers” and 350,000 “grey-haired people”, especially to solve their inconvenience of dining, Jing’an has developed dining services for white-collar workers and elderly people by setting up lunch outlets for white-collar workers in major business buildings and parks in the district and providing meals for the elderly. More importantly, the elderly meal services have been extended from providing “lunch only” to “three meals a day”, from “working days only” to “seven days a week” and from “dine-in service” to “door-to-door delivery”. With patience and care, Jing’an District has not only taken the lead in launching digital governance but also striven to improve citizens’ satisfaction and sense of gain. As early as a few years ago, the digital management of manhole covers on the roads of Jing’an District was in place. Now, this first-class central urban area is showing a strong governance capacity with the deepening of the construction of “two networks”. For example, it was the first to carry out the construction of “Beautiful Home” and “Beautiful Blocks”. Based on the actual situation of 246 roads and 785 residential communities in the district, Jing’an has formulated specific indicators and operation specifications, forming “one road, one policy” and “one community, one scheme” to create an environment suitable for living, working and traveling. Taking West Nanjing Road as an example, the “indoor standards” for airports, hotels, and business buildings have been applied to the “outdoor environment” of West Nanjing Road on the basis of meeting the standards for sitting on the ground, and deep road cleaning has been implemented. Furthermore, Jing’an District, as “Shanghai’s Pilot Zone of Big Data Urban Management and Social Governance”, has been exploring and using digital means to promote and innovate the “151 Project” of intelligent perception, thus realizing the “full-coverage, whole-process, round-the-clock and full-element” urban management.
Host:
From “setting up the Party branches in business buildings” to “building Party committees in business buildings”, the business district of West Nanjing Road has also become a highland of Party building.
Yu Yong:
Yes. Since Jing’an District is taking the lead in economic development, it is the first to encounter a lot of problems and is forced to change in the face of various situations and create a new way of Party building. With the booming of the building economy, the new economic form is beyond the scope of the original Party building work. As the first Party member service point of commercial buildings in Shanghai was established in China Enterprise Tower, Jing’an District has been bearing President Xi’s instructions in mind, keeping pace with the times, and promoting continuous innovation. In 2018, the Joint Party Committee of Plaza 66 was established, while a number of non-public key enterprises, such as Mary Kay and Digiwin Software, set up the Headquarters-based Party Committee, to promote the construction of “Party committees in business buildings” and drive the Party building work by improving the organizational level. Thus, “Version 3.0” of Party building in business buildings was realized. At present, Jing’an is actively exploring the multi-dimensional system of good governance, aiming to promote the mutual promotion of Party building, governance and business, realize the organic integration of Party building in buildings and modernization of urban governance, and create a “Version 4.0” of Party building in buildings. In practice, we found that Party building and development as a whole promote and integrate with each other, and Party building would be “a strong revolutionary productivity” if it is carried out earnestly. We believe that the high-level Party building will further empower high-quality development, high-end life and high-efficiency governance.
Host:
How can Jing’an District seize the development opportunities in the new journey?
Yu Yong:
First of all, Jing’an should be a good model for practicing new thoughts. It should strive to become a landmark urban area in Shanghai’s construction of “a modern socialist cosmopolis with global influence”, endow Chinese modernization with vivid connotations through creative practice, and make new and greater contributions to Shanghai in further enhancing its “world influence”, highlighting the characteristics of “socialist modernization” and showing the charm of Shanghai as “an international metropolis”. Secondly, it should be a model for high-quality development. Specifically, Jing’an will further implement the Global Service Provider Program to accelerate the gathering of high-end international and domestic resources and expand the effect of “gathering in Jing’an, extending business around China through Shanghai and serving as a bridge connecting the world”. It is also important to pursue breakthroughs in industrial leadership. We should not only increase the volume of output value and tax contribution but also grasp the core links of the industrial chain and occupy the high-end position of the value chain. Thirdly, Jing’an should be the leader in manifesting soft power. Driven by building Jing’an District into a national model urban area of civilization, we can stimulate the spiritual strength of the people to be good and beautiful with kindness. Also, it is necessary to adhere to the construction of a culturally powerful district and build a core area of an international cultural metropolis that is more open, inclusive, innovative, charming and influential. Finally, Jing’an should create more demonstration examples in the construction of “a people’s city”. We will study and implement a number of public support projects every year to make solid and accurate moves to solve the urgent, difficult and long-existed problems of the people; and continue to expand the supply of multi-field, personalized and high-quality public services by driving the improvement of “software” by high-standard “hardware” and making up for the shortage of “hardware” with high-level “software”.
Host:
That’s all for today. Thank you!