Fengxian New City embracing beauty and health industries

Fengxian New City is striding toward its ambition as a beauty and health hub.

In light of the newly unveiled 2025 Shanghai New City Development Action Plan, each of the five "new cities" – Jiading, Qingpu, Songjiang, Fengxian and Nanhui – will focus on beauty and health industries, covering cosmetics, medicine and food.

In 2024, the beauty and health industries in Fengxian District achieved an output value of 50.85 billion yuan (US$7 billion), a 3.8 percent increase year on year. Among them, the biomedicine sector contributed 23.08 billion yuan.

One example is Shanghai Titan Scientific Co Ltd located in the core of the "new city" in close vicinity to a cluster of biopharmaceutical and testing entities.

Its location and access to logistics make it a center for imports and exports, said Ma Linjie, deputy president of the company.

"A lot of high-end biological reagents are highly demanding in terms of customs clearance, for storage for some length of time might adversely impact the use of them by downstream entities," said Ma.

To better meet demand, Titan is building a high purity plant, R&D lab, warehouse for hazardous chemicals, and a number of related facilities.

The development strategy in health care does not only focus on industries, it also aims to benefit local residents.

Xinhua Hospital, a major hospital in Shanghai, will open a branch in the district on a trial basis on June 28. It is expected to significantly ease local access to quality medical services with no need for residents in the suburbs to head to the downtown hospital.

Construction of the branch, which kicked off in October 2021, is already in its final stages.

During the trial operation, senior medical experts at Xinhua Hospital in Yangpu District will also be available in Fengxian, likely on a rotational basis, while the other medical professionals would be based solely in Fengxian, according to Xiao Bin, a director of the Xinhua Hospital branch in Fengxian.

Xiao said the building's design was informed by a cutting-edge philosophy of centrality.

"For instance, in this branch, the departments of neurology and neurosurgery are located in vicinity to each other, so as to make it convenient for patients," said Xiao. This is a significant improvement compared with the hospital in Yangpu.

Dingfeng Sauce Garden, a 160-year-old maker of stinky tofu and a wide array of pickles and sauces, moved to a new location in 2020 to make way for product upgrade and mass production. Its old plant and facilities have become an excellent testing ground for designers to experiment with urban regeneration, by making ingenuous use of the existing production facilities and property, for leisure or entertainment.

To preserve some of the pristine structure and elements, some of the original production facilities and equipment are redesigned or repurposed, creating a fun, inclusive culture scene while passing down the legacy of the making of sauce and pickles as a traditional cultural heritage.

In its metamorphosis from time-honored industrial legacy to a state-of-the-art cultural landmark, the former sauce plant, the water tower, chimney and fermentation shop would all be preserved as part of the comprehensive cultural park that integrates production, teaching and business.

In addition to cultural creation, themed restaurants and creative office space, there would also be infrastructure for residents to take exercise along the river.

"Urban regeneration is an ever-going process, for it must cater to different needs in distinct period," said Zhou Weizhong, deputy manager of Fengxian Development (Group) Company, which is in charge of the renovations.