Zubair Qureshi
Shanghai
A city with around 30 million inhabitants, Shanghai attracts tourists worldwide and the number of overseas visitors to this financial hub of China is estimated to be around 9 million every year.
Director General Information Department, Shanghai City government Mr Xu Wei said this at a reception he hosted in honour of the Belt & Road mainstream media persons from 18 countries of the world currently on a visit to China for Global Training Program, here Monday.
The training program is jointly organized by China Daily, Shanghai International Studies University (SISU) and University of International Business & Economics (UIBE) and aims to familiarize the world media about the China’s unprecedented progress in various sectors during recent years.
While welcoming the media persons Mr Xu said in Shanghai, which is China’s biggest metropolitan some 220,000 foreigners lived and the number was equal to 25pc of the total expats living in the country. “This is largely due to Shanghai’s international atmosphere, its peaceful and serene environment and its multi-cultural and friendly character,” he said. Besides, around 20pc of all the multi-national companies doing business in China have their headquarters or main officers in Shanghai, said he adding that is why Shanghai is destination of every other major business or trading group or individual from each corner of the world.
About Shanghai’s tourist sites, he said the city has 29 cultural and historical sites and its temples, museums and towers are considered popular among all its inhabitants as well as visiting tourists.
The media persons earlier in the day visited famous Shanghai Tower, the world’s second and China’s highest building. Located at the core area of Lujiazui, the 632-metre skyscraper has 127 floors above ground while five underground floors with a total construction area of 576,000 sq metres.
Upon their arrival, General Manager of the Shanghai Tower, Gu Jianpin welcomed the journalists and took them to its highest floor, the “top of the world” as UAE’s Burj Khalifa the tallest building in the world (828-m high) doesn’t allow tourists/visitors to reach its top.
The fast-moving noise-free elevator took the visiting guests to the top floor at the speed of 18-metre second (60km per hour), again the fastest elevator in the world to the top floor of the spiraling world and thus they had the opportunity to witness China’s most beautiful city from a height of over 630-metre.
The country’s tallest building boasts of many unique functions like rainwater consumption, earthquake-resistance and various state-of-the art features. A “super 5-star hotel” is also under construction in the Shanghai Tower,” said the guide while taking the media persons to various sections of the tower.
Since their arrival in the city, the BRI media persons have been visiting various places of attraction in Shanghai and Wai Tan or The Bund tops all these sites.
In her presentation “A reflection on Shanghai City Image & Promotion” Ms Fay Qian said annually 110 million passengers arrive at Shanghai airport. The city has unique urban character and its Wai Tan or The Bund has now become the ‘name card of Shanghai.”
The 4-km long thoroughfare is listed as one the top 10 new attractions and tourist sites in the city. Along the Bund, there are buildings featuring a variety of Chinese and western architecture styles, earning the Bund the fame as the contemporary world expo of architectures, said Ms Fay Qian who is associated with publicity department of Shanghai city.
Shanghai plays an important role in the nation’s social and economic development as the international metropolitan it is striving to lead the growth of the Yangtze River Delta region. With only 0.06pc of the country’s land area, Shanghai is contributing 3.6pc of China’s annual GDP, she further said.
