Minhang officials visit Yunnan city to further boost ties

Minhang Party Secretary Lu Fangzhou and some other district officials visited several counties and districts in Baoshan City in southwest China's Yunnan Province in early July.

The visit follows previous research and tours from Baoshan representatives to Minhang last month, when a number of deals for industrial collaboration, rural revitalization and talent exchange were inked.

Minhang established its pairing aid relationship with Baoshan, a prefecture-level city in Yunnan, in 2017, and has since been deepening ties in a wide range of areas.

Minhang's direct assistance has reached Baoshan's Longyang District, Shidian County, Longling County and Changning County.

Since 2022, Minhang has allocated 31 million yuan (US$4.32 million) for a dendrobium growing and sales center in Longling to help grow and sell the orchid while also working on new breeds.

Baoshan has decades of coffee planting history, and Xinzhai Village is one of the forerunners to leverage its rich coffee-related resources.

Since 2022 Minhang has injected 14.5 million yuan in aid to help upgrade the local coffee industry which has since become a tourist attraction for visitors.

In 2024, the coffee industry scale in the village reached 200 million yuan, with an average income of about 40,000 yuan.

Four rural revitalization demonstration projects are under way in Baoshan with the help of Minhang officials.

This year, Minhang sent a total of 42 officials and cadets to Baoshan, and both sides are aiming for deeper collaboration between the two areas.

Seventy-seven pairing aid projects are under way, with a total of 177 million yuan in funds from Minhang.

Cycling tour brings mainland, Taiwan youth together

Cyclists joined a tour in late June covering multiple destinations in Maqiao Town of Minhang District as part of an initiative to build closer ties between the Chinese mainland and Taiwan.

Students and residents joined the cycling team and visited not only urban areas but also joined a number of activities such as traditional handicrafts, interactive gaming and coffee tasting.

The route stretched for 6 kilometers and linked Wanda Plaza and the Yuzhou Fu community neighborhood.

A young student surnamed Zhang said it's her first visit to Shanghai and she was surprised to discover Maqiao after visiting the bustling urban landscape in downtown. "I want to take a tour here next time with my friends and learn more about Shanghai's natural landscape and rich culture," she said.

It's the third year Maqiao hosted the cycling event.

This year the Minhang-Taiwan Youth Research and Study base was unveiled to encourage more mutual learning opportunities and foster youth growth in the long run.

More series of events will be hosted in Minhang including cultural exchanges through Taichi practice, Pingpong sessions, city walk and a salon for Taiwan enterprises in Shanghai.

Elderly care tech industrial park opens

Shanghai has established a new industrial park in Minhang District dedicated to elderly care technology, aiming to accelerate innovation in response to the country's rapidly aging population.

Following nearly a year of preparation, the Shanghai Elderly Care Science and Technology Industrial Park was unveiled last month in Minhang's Grand neoBay area.

It aims to create a specialized, market-oriented and international elderly care technology industry cluster in areas such as assisted living, safety monitoring, health services, caregiving services, rehabilitation assistance and emotional support.

The 1.3-square-kilometer park will feature a core industrial zone alongside a dedicated R&D area, which will occupy more than one-fifth of the total space.

The Shanghai Science and Technology Commission, the Municipal Civil Affairs Bureau, the Minhang District Government and Tencent Group signed the "Cooperation Framework Agreement on Promoting the Development of Elderly Technology in Shanghai" in June.

All parties will give full play to the role of government guidance, departmental coordination and multi-party participation to jointly cultivate high-quality senior care technology enterprises, support the launch of high-quality senior care products and help promote the innovation park to play a leading role nationwide.

More than 40 tech companies have established a presence in the facility since its trial operation began a year ago. These include a public service platform, a research and development hub for testing elderly care products and a dedicated incubator to support early-stage ventures. They cover segments such as smart rehabilitation, elderly facility upgrading and remodeling, and remote health care service.

Companies based in the park can test prototypes at the center's dedicated facilities, evaluate market demand and cost viability, and take further steps toward business incubation, technology investment and financing, officials said.

Chen Jin, head of the park's R&D testing platform, emphasized the importance of translating research into market-ready products.