Pudong (officially known as Pudong New Area) is a district of the city of Shanghai. Although Pudong is a relatively new part of the coastal metropolis, it has quickly developed into the financial and high-tech hub of China.

Pudong was only developed in the 1990s, when stretches of thinly populated farmland east of Shanghai were used for the city’s expansion. Now Pudong features an impressive skyline with landmarks like the world-famous Oriental Pearl Tower. The Shanghai Stock Exchange is also located here.

The Pudong Area has a size of 522.8 km2 (roughly twice the size of Amsterdam) and a population of approximately 1,770,000 people. Its economic growth amounts to a dazzling average of 20 percent in the last twenty years. In 2008 the gross domestic product of Pudong reached RMB 270 billion (€ 30 billion).

Pudong is named after its location on the east side (“dong”) of the Huangpu river (“pu”). Pudong has sub-provincial administrative status within Shanghai, which has provincial status.

Pudong: a lucrative place to invest in

The concentration of high-tech research, financial institutions and industrial parks makes Shanghai Pudong a very lucrative place for foreign investment. These are some of the most important locations in the district:

• The Zhangjiang Hi-tech Park, with its emphasis on technology and research. Here the Co-Innovation Program bureau Shanghai is located. Among others, the park houses industry on integrated circuits, software and information security.
• The Sunqiao Modern Agriculture Development Zone, which is China’s first modern agriculture development zone.
• The Lujiazui Finance and Trade Zone with the Shanghai Stock Exchange.
• The Waigaoqiao Free Trade Zone which specializes in international trade and port logistics.
• The Jinqiao Export and Processing Zone, which among others has a Customs Supervision Zone, a Modern Industrial and Service Park and a Science and Technology Park.

Knowledge Institutes in Shanghai

Shanghai features numerous universities, schools and colleges covering almost every scientific discipline. Some of Asia’s top universities are located in Shanghai, such as Fudan University, Jiaotong University and Tongji University. Some universities in Zuid-Holland already cooperate with these universities, facilitated by the Co-Innovation program.

Besides universities, there are several other colleges and schools that are cooperating with educational institutes from Zuid-Holland. For example the Chinese Academy of Sciences and some vocational colleges from Shanghai.