Before the Huangpu River meanders into the sea, it makes a bend in the northeastern part of Shanghai, outlining the longest 15.5-kilometer riverside shoreline in the central urban area and shaping the land of Yangpu District. A century of industry has witnessed the district's former glory and has given birth to the hope for our future development and transformation.

During the 14th Five-Year Plan, Yangpu Riverside has been comprehensively transformed and developed. To enhance the long-term development orientation of the riverside and strengthen strategic planning and spatial planning, the draft of the Special Plan for the Middle and Northern Sections of the Huangpu River Waterfront in Shanghai has recently been open for public consultation, with the inclusion of and the much-awaited Fuxing Island.

The draft outlines an exciting vision for the future, where the middle and northern sections of Yangpu Riverside will become an important strategic space for the functional focus and high-quality development of Shanghai's main urban area in the next 20 years and even up to 2050. It will create a world-class tech innovation highland, an innovation and entrepreneurship agglomeration area, and a high-quality waterfront demonstration zone. Fuxing Island, with its unique geographical advantage, rich industrial heritage, and characteristic ecological resources, will be developed into an international innovation and entrepreneurship island.

A New Lease of Life for the "Small Island"

Fuxing Island, the only inland island on the Huangpu River, covering an area of about 1.3 square kilometers, was once an important industrial base and warehousing area in Shanghai. The island retains a large number of industrial relics, including old warehouses, factories, and dock facilities. It also boasts unique ecological resources, with a green coverage rate of over 60% across the island.

Fuxing Island, with its unique geographical advantage, rich industrial heritage, and characteristic ecological resources, will be developed into an international innovation and entrepreneurship island, according to the plan. A tech innovation source area will take shape with Fuxing Island as the core, and efforts will be focused on exploring the organic renewal of strategic space and the symbiosis of tech innovation source functions. By promoting rapid innovation, low-cost operations, and an open approach, the island will activate existing resources and build a future city experimental zone, an innovation and entrepreneurship and talent agglomeration area, and a pilot area for spatial intelligence innovation.

Quantum Technology Paves the Way for Island Transformation: The Future Island Takes Shape

Most notably, the concept of the "Quantum City" has been introduced. The innovative construction of spatiotemporal intelligence, led by quantum technology, will serve as the core driving force for the transformation of Fuxing Island. Yangpu will accelerate land development and intelligent infrastructure construction, aiming to establish a digital twin platform for the "Quantum Island" and build a laboratory for future cities.

Recently, Fuxing Island has quietly initiated this transformation. To continuously enhance the innovative cohesion and global influence of Fuxing Island, and to attract global research institutions and creative teams to join the spatiotemporal intelligent innovation of the Quantum City in Shanghai, the Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Planning and Natural Resources and the Yangpu District People's Government jointly hosted the 2025 Fuxing Island Global Design Competition. With the slogan "Bounded Fuxing Island, Unbounded Future Island", it has attracted attention from home and abroad, with more than 1,000 teams from around the world signing up and ultimately receiving over 600 innovation proposals.

On September 30, the Shanghai Urban Space Art Season, with the theme "Quantum City • Future Revival", is set to open at Fuxing Island Shipyard Park. The art season will showcase the achievements of the Shanghai Quantum City Spatiotemporal Innovation Base through the dual empowerment of technology and art, serving the cultivation and incubation of new industries and spaces for "AI +".

At the same time, Fuxing Island is also actively laying out new industrial tracks represented by the low-altitude economy. The island has officially launched low-altitude routes to places such as Kunshan in Suzhou and Shengsi in Zhejiang, becoming a key node in the Yangtze River Delta low-altitude transportation network. This layout not only strengthens the island's regional connectivity but also provides a real application scenario for the "Quantum City", and the "Future Island" has already taken shape.

Empowered by Art and Design: Building a Global Creative "Arena"

The transformation of Fuxing Island had already begun to take root before the plans were unveiled. This August, Xiaohongshu launched the world's first "REDLAND Open World Adventure Island" on Fuxing Island in Yangpu. The event linked real-life locations on the island such as Shipyard Park, Gongqing Road Warehouse, and Fuxing Island Park, instantly turning this originally low-profile island into an "ACGN island", attracting tens of thousands of young people for a massive frenzy.

From September 29 to October 7, the Yangpu Session of the 2nd Shanghai International Light Festival is scheduled to take place at Fuxing Island Shipyard Park! The event will focus on the combination of intangible cultural heritage and cyberpunk, presenting a fantastic light and shadow drama performance. Linked with the ACGNG IP "EVOL×LOVE", starting with the surging Huangpu River, it will deliver activities such as "Shipyard PARK Crane Light Show", "Wujiaochang Business District Light Show", "Jiangwan Stadium Projection Show", and "'EVOL×LOVE' Light Wall", creating a cyberpunk light show with a strong sense of future.

From "Strategic Reserve" to "Future Model": The Sleeping Treasure Land is About to Awaken

During the 14th Five-Year Plan, Yangpu Riverside has been comprehensively transformed and developed. Functional projects such as the CCCG Shanghai headquarters, Meituan, Bilibili, and the WorldSkills Museum have been completed successively. The public space has been extended from south to north, and the construction of the national cultural heritage protection and utilization demonstration zone has been continuously promoted. According to the requirements for rationally arranging spaces for "production, living, and ecology" and striving to create a favorable environment that is "suitable for employment, living, enjoyment, and tourism", the level of various supporting facilities has been improving, and the blueprint for planning has been gradually realized. The draft of the Special Plan for the Middle and Northern Sections of the Huangpu River Waterfront in Shanghai officially sketches a clear blueprint for this "strategically reserved" area.

Relying on the comprehensive development axis along the river and the Xiangyin Road Tech Innovation Axis, a major municipal public activity center will emerge at the intersection, with the distribution of sports and cultural landmarks. A tech innovation source area will take shape with Fuxing Island as the core. To the west of the canal, the tech innovation function will be enhanced, with the introduction of urban industry and intelligent manufacturing services, and the strengthening of integration between universities and the city.

From the former "reserved island" to the planned "international innovation and entrepreneurship island", the remarkable transformation of Fuxing Island is a comprehensive practice led by top-level design, spearheaded by artistic creativity, driven by technological innovation, and pooling global wisdom. With the advancement of infrastructure, the aggregation of innovative elements, and the continuous ignition of public activities, Fuxing Island is steadily evolving from a promising "strategic land" into an important fulcrum for the construction of Shanghai Tech Innovation Center and a new model for future urban practice.