On December 15, Jiefang Daily's front-page article highlighted the recent inauguration of the "Shanghai Quantum City Space-Time Innovation Base" on Yangpu's Fuxing Island. The article discussed the specific content and significance of this move, narrating Fuxing Island's history as a "strategic reserve area", its current seizing of opportunities, and its prospective future as a "top-tier" hub.

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The establishment of the Shanghai Quantum City Space-Time Innovation Base aims to bring together universities, research institutes, top companies, and industry organizations.

Fuxing Island, no longer "reserved", is set to become a "top-tier" hub

On December 13, the "Shanghai Quantum City Space-Time Innovation Base" was officially established on Fuxing Island, with the inauguration of the Shanghai Quantum City Space-Time Innovation Key Laboratory.

Additionally, several municipal key projects, including the "Fuxing Zhita" incubation platform, Shanghai Digital Intelligence Incubation Base, and Shanghai Design Art Creation Base, have all been established on Fuxing Island. The city has explicitly expressed its intention to concentrate universities, research institutes, leading enterprises, and industry organizations on Fuxing Island with it as a base.

It may appear abrupt, but is Fuxing Island, long reserved, on the path to revival?

Exploring the Space-Time Digital Twin System

"What is 'quantum city space-time innovation'?" The explanation from the construction plan is that it involves the integration and application of various cutting-edge digital technologies to construct a space-time digital twin system that blends the virtual and the actual, connects online with offline activities, and enables the interconnectivity and sensing of all things.

Digital twins are nothing new; they are a widely used digital tool for exploring efficient governance in major cities around the globe. However, they have been hindered by challenges such as minimal empowerment in reality and a lack of cost-effectiveness, which have proven to be significant barriers to overcome.

Shanghai, on the other hand, has put forward a vision to integrate the rapidly advancing AI technology with digital twin technology, aiming to establish a three-dimensional space-time governance model. Leveraging AI, real-time data from various sensing terminals can be swiftly analyzed and extrapolated to provide a reliable basis for decision-making, and even to facilitate automatic responses. This is expected to exponentially increase governance efficiency, marking a true transition from digital to intelligent governance.

Actually, leading cities like Singapore, Tokyo, London, and Paris are also moving in this direction. It can be said that for megacities, this is an essential governance tool that supports a wide array of vertical applications, reflecting the future path of urban governance.

Grasp the significance of "quantum city space-time innovation", and it becomes clear that Shanghai's decision to place it on Fuxing Island represents the most significant development opportunity the island has seen in recent years.

"Strategic Reserve" for Right Timing

Fuxing Island is special. Situated in the lower reaches of the Huangpu River in Yangpu Riverside, approximately 6 kilometers from Wusongkou, the island resembles a crescent with an area of about 1.13 square kilometers, marking it as the only enclosed inland island within the Huangpu River.

As the only real "island" in downtown Shanghai, Fuxing Island is a rare gem among scarce resources.

Actually, early at the beginning of this century, Fuxing Island had already initiated several rounds of design p solicitations, with the participation of renowned design firms such as RTKL, Sasaki, and AS&P. Initially, the focus was on "ecological leisure", and later it shifted towards science and innovation in alignment with Yangpu's overall development plan. Some experts from the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences even proposed the construction of twin tower landmarks on Fuxing Island to potentially host the United Nations' "fifth headquarters", positioning it as the "heart of the world".

Yet, the rarity of Fuxing Island has prompted caution and foresight from successive municipal committees and governments in its planning and development. The Shanghai Urban Master Plan (2017—2035) designates Fuxing Island as a "strategic reserve area", where large-scale development is generally prohibited.

In July 2021, municipal leaders, during an inspection of Fuxing Island, emphasized the importance of ecological development, suggesting that the current "strategic reserve" serves as a foundation for potential "unlimited possibilities" in the future. This implies that previous plans will not be executed, and Fuxing Island is poised to wait for the opportune moment and the right blueprint to realize its "unlimited possibilities".

For an extended period, Fuxing Island, with its "strategic reserve", has been a hidden gem for a slow-paced lifestyle in downtown Shanghai. The island's most popular attraction is a peaceful park. Social media feedback describes the absence of urban sprawl and heavy traffic, giving the sense that time on the island has frozen.

Laying the Groundwork for "Unlimited Possibilities"

Actually, those who are in the know are aware that time on the island has not stood still. Behind the serene facade of Fuxing Island, significant work has been underway to prepare for a future brimming with "unlimited possibilities".

In 2022, in collaboration with the Shanghai Municipal Development & Reform Commission, the Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Planning and Resources, and other municipal departments, Yangpu delved into the immediate and long-term functional planning and development mechanism for Fuxing Island, establishing a solid foundation for the area's comprehensive transformation and strategic development.

The research concluded with a vision to establish a "one island, two wings" framework centered on Fuxing Island, with gradual progress from both the north and south wings towards the central island. This strategy aims to initiate momentum from the south wing, coordinate with the north wing, and culminate in a showcase on Fuxing Island, transforming it from a "reserved island" into a brilliant "top-tier island".

The phrase "top-tier island" significantly elevates Fuxing Island's strategic status. The "one island, two wings" framework clarifies the path to achieve this status: once the development of Yangpu Riverside reaches its final form, Fuxing Island will become the geographical and functional center.

The southern wing of Yangpu Riverside has seen formidable growth in recent years. Headquarters and R&D centers for major companies like Meituan, Douyin, and Bilibili are on the verge of completion, the CCCG Complex has been finished and inspected, and the "Hopson" has been revealed. It is anticipated that once the "Headquarters Park" is fully operational, and it will attract over 3,000 online new economy enterprises and more than 200,000 professionals.

Even before the completion of the southern wing of Riverside, its influence has begun to extend to Fuxing Island. Early this year, Yangpu secured a significant annual project, with Altstory's Metaverse Center for Virtual-Real Integration being sited on the island.

The crucial prerequisite for development —land acquisition is underway.

In 2020, the Shanghai Municipal People's Government convened a special meeting, emphasizing the need for a comprehensive land acquisition strategy on Fuxing Island, advocating for an expedited process. The following year, the Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Planning and Resources endorsed the reserve plan for the remaining plots on Fuxing Island, while the Shanghai Municipal Development & Reform Commission approved the investment estimation for these land reserve projects, with the remaining plots being cooperatively reserved by both municipal and district land reserve centers.

By the middle of this year, Fuxing Island had accomplished the land reservation of 935.93 mu. Despite the presence of numerous central enterprise and military-owned lands, which complicate the land acquisition process, these challenges are being systematically tackled. In 2023, Yangpu noted in its response to a deputy's proposal 0093 at the 1st Session of the 16th Shanghai Municipal People's Congress that it would target the difficulties associated with land acquisition in the Fuxing Island area. Yangpu is engaging proactively with the Shanghai Municipal Development & Reform Commission to gain support and direction, aiming to initiate the relocation and resettlement processes for certain plots on Fuxing Island promptly. There are plans to manage these resettlements with a coordinated approach across the entire city.

Whether this exceptional opportunity can be grasped is truly worth expectation

Against these backdrops, Shanghai's seemingly "unexpected" significant initiative on Fuxing Island is less surprising.

From an industrial clustering perspective, the business cluster along Yangpu Riverside, encompassing technology, market, and talent pools, aligns closely with the space-time digital twin track where the newly inaugurated "Shanghai Quantum City Space-Time Innovation Base" is situated.

Moreover, Tongji University, located in Yangpu and a partner with deep collaborative ties with Yangpu, recently established the "Urban Spiritual Scene Innovation Center" in conjunction with Huawei Cloud, focusing on a similar theme.

From the perspective of land, despite the remaining challenges in land acquisition on Fuxing Island, steady progress has been made, sufficient to facilitate the implementation of several benchmark projects.

With all conditions nearing ripeness and Shanghai's urgent need for more effective and reliable urban governance tools, it is only logical that the "reserved island" will no longer remain reserved.

However, ceasing to be a reserved island does not means effortlessly becoming a "top-tier island". Yangpu must persist in nurturing industrial clusters in and around Fuxing Island, expedite land acquisition, and further solidify the foundation for the emergence of an AI space-time industrial cluster in the area.

Whether this exceptional opportunity can be grasped is truly worth expectation.