Minhang Plans China's First Urban Environment Test Flight Zone

Test flight zone

Minhang District will launch the nation's first urban‑environment test flight zone for drones and eVTOL aircraft in Wujing Town this year, following the opening of the Low‑Altitude Equipment Airborne Selection Center of AVIC Civil Aircraft Onboard Systems Engineering Center Co Ltd last October in Wujing.

Xiong Xiaofang, head of Wujing Town Civil Aviation Task Force Work Office, noted that the new zone will help attract more low‑altitude aviation enterprises and foster a mature industrial ecosystem, driving industrial innovation, investment and job growth.

Tech murals

Credit: Qin Congcong / Ti Gong

Caption: A girl examines a mural robot at Grand neoBay's T-core area. These artworks, themed around technology and innovation, are attracting passersby, who stop to admire and appreciate them.

Campus renovation

The Phase II upgrade and renovation of the Meilong Base (Shuangbai Road Campus) of East China University of Science and Technology Science Park has recently started.

Located at 199 Shuangbai Road, Meilong Town – close to Longwu Road Station on Metro Line 23 – the project covers more than 10 mu (0.67 hectares), with a total floor area of 11,700 square meters.

Buildings constructed between 2005 and 2007 will be transformed into garden-style office space integrated with R&D facilities and supporting amenities.

Renovation is scheduled for completion in May, with official operation starting in July.

Elderly service center

Xinhong Subdistrict's Shamao Neighborhood Elderly Service Center has recently opened, expected to serve more than 1,250 elderly residents in the surrounding community.

Covering 650 square meters over two floors, the center integrates a wide range of services, including a catering station, assisted bathing area, day-care center, health station, reading lounge and fitness hub.

Short drama production

Minhang has rolled out eight key measures to promote micro-short drama production.

The measures seek to strengthen the district's micro-short drama sector, integrate AI and virtual production, and foster new "technology-meets-culture" business models. Special financial support will be provided to production companies that highlight key cultural and tourism sites, as well as those collaborating with universities and research institutions to establish important labs, innovation centers and R&D hubs for micro-short drama creation and related applications.

New collaboration

The Caohejing Base, home to HKU's interdisciplinary research institutes, has opened at Minhang's Caohejing Hi-Tech Oasis. It leverages the zone's sci-tech strengths to attract top teams, promote achievement transformation and build an innovation-industry ecosystem, marking new cooperation between HKU, Minhang and Caohejing to drive regional development.

Harry Potter studio

China's first Harry Potter Studio Tour, located at Jinjiang Amusement Park in Minhang, has started construction after piling permit approval. Covering 58,648 sqm (38,578.42 sqm above ground, 36,645 sqm underground) with a over-two-year construction period, its civil engineering is due in January 2027. It will offer behind-the-scenes film insights to deepen visitors' understanding of the magical world.

Bridge reconstruction

Construction has commenced on the reconstruction of Zhongchun Road Bridge, which spans the Dianpu River. Currently, landscape and utility relocation work is underway to lay the foundation for main bridge construction. As a public welfare project, it aims to support the development of Xinzhuang sub-city center and enhance north-south transport connectivity in Minhang.

With many businesses in Xinzhuang Business District (northern bank) and residential areas in Xinzhuang's central urban area (southern bank), the reconstruction is expected to improve the regional road network and strengthen transport links between the two banks of the Dianpu River.

Parks

Xinzhuang Park

The park's West Garden officially reopened to the public just in time for the Chinese New Year holiday in early February. Visitors flock to the site, radiating joy and enthusiasm as they embrace the renewed vitality and charm of this historic park. Spanning a total area of 18,449 square meters, the park was closed for upgrades and refurbishment from October 9 to December 29 of last year.

Opening hours: Daily, 5am-9pm

Address: 421 Xinbang Rd