Qingdao Special: Industrial area reborn as center for commerce, living

Leveraging the advantages brought by its new train station and the Jiaozhou Bay Bridge, Qingdao is planning to transform an old industrial area at its northwest end into a comprehensive high-end business area featuring modern services and headquarters facilities for enterprises.

The Qingdao Transport Business District spreads across 36 square kilometers around Qingdao North Railway Station, which began operating in Jan 10 in Licang district.

The new train station connects nine railways. By high-speed train, it only takes one to two hours' to ride to cities around the Shandong Peninsula, and the traffic time from the city to Shanghai is cut to 4 hours from the previous 7 hours.

With a total investment of 4.7 billion yuan ($780 million), it is the largest transport hub in Shandong province. The station's annual passenger flow volume will reach 18 million by 2020.

"Major cities in the province will be connected as an integrated urban agglomeration," said Liu Yungang, director at the development office of the business area.

"Qingdao, which is already a leading economy in Shandong, will generate great opportunities and value for businesses and industries."

Five world-class design companies from Germany, Singapore and the United States were invited to draw up the plan for the zone. They include names like SWA Group from Singapore and Rheinschiene Architects from Germany.

"With star architects joining the planning team, the area will be built into a modern international business center," Liu said.

"The concept and model of reinventing an old urban area will also set an example for other parts of the city."

Liu said the renovation project not only entails the development of business in the area but also tries to improve living standards in the residential and the natural environment.

The core part of the business area has been under construction. Covering some 1.9 square kilometers, it is divided into different functional zones - a transportation center, a shopping mall, business offices, a historical and cultural tourism center, as well as a hotel, convention and exhibition center.

Part of the reinvention project involves a massive campaign to relocate factories and residential buildings.

By June 2013, 19 companies had moved out, and more than 7,000 residential buildings were relocated, while some of the historical buildings have been or are in the process of being renovated.

The century-old No 6 Cotton Textile Factory has been built into the M6 Virtual Reality Industrial Park.

The park has 16 virtual reality programs, including car assembly and holographic imaging. It aims to attract companies engaged in R&D, digital technology, culture and entertainment as well as consultancy and other service sectors. So far, more than two dozen companies have settled in the park.

With a total investment amount of 2.5 billion yuan, Yuexiu Group, a Guangzhou-based real estate company, is constructing a high-end seaside residential complex on one of the original factory sites in the area.

Another modern residential project in the area is now underway, which will accommodate 6,000 relocated families who were living in the shanty towns. To make sure people living in their new houses can enjoy convenience and a chic life style, the project also includes a shopping complex, a culture and sports center, a middle school, an elementary school and two kindergartens as well as a farmers market.

"Many international transportation hubs flourish as commercial centers, such as Germany's Munich Main Station, Montreal Station in Canada as well as Hongqiao district in Shanghai," Liu said, "I belive the business area in Qingdao will follow these models and grow into a modern international urban center soon."

xiechuanjiao@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 01/21/2014 page12)