Jiangwan Science and Innovation Source rendering. By 2026, the landscape of Yangpu's digital economy will see significant changes. On the Yangpu waterfront, three core projects—the Meituan Shanghai Technology Center, the Bilibili New Generation Industrial Park, and the ByteDance Group Shanghai Waterfront Center—are accelerating construction and are scheduled for completion and operational use in the second half of this year. In the Jiangwan-Wujiaochang area, Paper Games, due to rapid business growth, is preparing to relocate to a new site one kilometer away, the Jiangwan "Science and Innovation Source." The shifting of physical spaces reflects the busy scene of Yangpu's online new economic industrial cluster upgrading and expanding.
Shanghai's "16th Five-Year Plan" explicitly supports "building the Yangpu waterfront into an innovative platform economy hub." Yangpu has proposed to deepen and refine an innovation-oriented modern industrial system with the digital and intelligent economy at its core, accelerating the construction of the Yang "Digital" Pu New Quality Innovation Belt. Xue Kan, Secretary of the Yangpu District Committee, stated that the district must seize the major opportunity of the concentrated operational launch of the digital economy headquarters base in the southern section of the Yangpu waterfront. He emphasized leveraging the leading role of major enterprises to "pull along smaller ones," further connecting industrial chains, optimizing the industrial ecosystem, and integrating more small and medium-sized enterprises into Yangpu's district-wide innovation pattern.
Office Space Shortage Prompts Major Expansions The relocation needs of several major companies in Yangpu currently stem from rapid growth in their business and personnel scales. Taking Paper Games as an example: in January 2021, the company leased the Paper Games Tower in Building B of Chuangzhi International on Zhenggao Road. This headquarters building, with a floor area of approximately 30,000 square meters and capacity for about 2,000 employees, witnessed the company's entry onto a fast track of rapid development. By 2025, the company's revenue reached 8.4 billion yuan. With rapid business growth and continuous expansion of project talent, the office space in the Paper Games Tower became strained. "Within just a few years, the company's original workstations were no longer sufficient," said Zhu Ping, General Manager of the Chuangzhi Business Unit at Yangpu Science and Innovation Group. Recently, Zhu Ping finally "breathed a sigh of relief": Paper Games' new round of expansion needs perfectly matched a new project under construction by the Group. Early next year, the company will relocate entirely to its new headquarters park.
This new headquarters park is the Jiangwan "Science and Innovation Source" project. Located within the Jiangwan Historical and Cultural Preservation Area, the project features a harmonious blend of unique historical architecture and modern headquarters office buildings. The park integrates office, commercial, cultural, and exhibition spaces organically, creating a cultural and technological park with a distinct Paper Games theme IP. Paper Games has already confirmed the lease of one historically protected building, five office buildings, and one exhibition space within the Science and Innovation Source project, totaling approximately 72,000 square meters of floor area, capable of accommodating over 5,000 employees.
Firmly optimistic about Shanghai and Yangpu, internet giants are choosing to deepen their roots and actively expand. On the Yangpu waterfront, construction of the three core projects—Meituan, Bilibili, and ByteDance—has entered the "countdown" phase. Some companies will relocate entirely, establishing larger new headquarters on the waterfront. For instance, the Meituan Shanghai Technology Center spans approximately 450,000 square meters, comprising four large-scale towers, aerial corridors, and underground spaces. The Bilibili New Generation Industrial Park covers about 785,000 square meters, including one office tower, over ten standalone office buildings, and supporting cultural and commercial spaces, envisioned as Bilibili's global headquarters—a "Waterfront Dream Island." Other companies are retaining their original offices while moving部分 functions to their new waterfront "homes." In the ByteDance XINJIANGWAN Plaza office park, the office buildings remain bustling during peak hours, with lights often on late into the night in the cubicles behind the glass curtain walls. Meanwhile, the ByteDance Group Shanghai Waterfront Center, a new 115,000-square-meter workspace, is also under accelerated construction, set for completion this year with personnel beginning to move in.
City-Wide Mobilization to Serve the "Innovation Hub" The decision of leading companies to heavily invest in Yangpu stems from the district's distinct innovation DNA and clear scientific innovation layout. A relevant official from the District Development and Reform Commission stated that Yangpu's rich educational resources, concentrated talent pool, and agglomeration of tech companies make it fertile ground for developing the digital and platform economies. With the new wave of technological revolution and industrial transformation, supporting these sectors is a key focus for Yangpu's shift towards new growth drivers.
Looking at Yangpu's spatial layout, various "innovation hubs" are radiating energy. The district is accelerating the construction of the Eastern Greater Waterfront Functional Expansion Zone and the Western University-Circuit Functional Enhancement Zone, continuously upgrading the capacity of the Jiangwan-Wujiaochang sub-city center, speeding up the Fuxing Island Future City Innovation Experiment, and promoting the district-wide integration and mutual empowerment of innovation elements. Fuxing Island, long held as "strategic reserved space," is finally revealing its potential. Focusing on future city innovation experiments, Fuxing Island will deepen the construction of the Quantum City Spacetime Innovation Base and explore new paradigms for smart governance in mega-cities. Leveraging its unique geographical advantages, rich industrial heritage, and distinctive ecological resources, it aims to attract top-tier international industry incubators and fully develop into a Global Maker Island.
With internet giants expanding, scientist communities under construction, and high-level talent gathering, Yangpu District is providing comprehensive support with precise policies and convenient services. Recently, the Yangpu District Waterfront Office has been extremely busy with overall transportation improvements for the waterfront area. "After the full operational launch of projects like Meituan, Bilibili, and ByteDance, an estimated 30,000 to 40,000 new commuters are expected, posing a significant challenge to regional traffic," a staff member from the District Waterfront Office mentioned. The office is working with the District Construction and Management Commission, relevant sub-districts, and the Yangpu Waterfront Group to analyze the road network, study shuttle routes, and coordinate temporary parking for ride-hailing services. Various challenges are being addressed and resolved. The district has launched the customized bus route "Yang Digital Pu Innovation Belt Line 1" (DZ118), starting from the Yangpu waterfront and connecting several enterprise parks—including those of CCCC, CECEP, Meituan, Bilibili, and ByteDance—with subway stations, ferry terminals, and other transport hubs. These overall waterfront transportation improvements are alleviating corporate concerns.
Supporting the development of the digital and platform economies involves a "city-wide mobilization" in Yangpu. The district's "16th Five-Year Plan" proposes accelerating the construction of the Yang "Digital" Pu New Quality Innovation Belt, which involves participation from all entities, coordinated allocation of all factors, and acceleration across the entire chain, thereby further enhancing the overall efficiency of the regional innovation system.
Fostering an Innovation Ecosystem: Nurturing Small Firms into Giants In Yangpu's regional development, leading enterprises are not just participants but also guides of the industrial ecosystem and drivers of the industrial chain. Zhang Jinpu, Vice President of Sunmi Technology, has deep feelings about Yangpu's innovation ecosystem. Twelve years ago, an unknown startup has now grown into a commercial IoT solutions giant serving over 200 countries and regions worldwide. "The innovative ecosystem of industrial clustering makes cooperation easier; you can find upstream and downstream partners without even leaving the district," Zhang noted.
Among the companies preparing to relocate to the Yangpu waterfront is Agora Labs, a "unicorn" enterprise born and bred in Yangpu. Twelve years ago, six entrepreneurs rented a few workstations on Daxue Road and founded Agora Labs; today, the company has become a global leader in conversational AI and real-time audio-video cloud services. Several years ago, Agora Labs invested in the Yangpu waterfront, participating in the construction of the landmark Yangpu Waterfront Chuangzhi Center project. The project is set for completion this year, and Agora Labs will relocate from its startup birthplace on Daxue Road to the Yangpu waterfront, embarking on a new stage of corporate development.
Yangpu is home not only to large firms but also nurtures a batch of medium and small-sized companies. Through careful cultivation of high-quality enterprises, small firms can gradually grow into medium and large ones. Relying on leading enterprises, Yangpu District is building an industrial ecosystem to promote the incubation and agglomeration of more companies and the introduction and cultivation of talent.
Recently, ByteDance Group and Yangpu District reached three significant cooperation agreements focusing on the e-commerce ecosystem, the OPC community, and an AI+ industrial park. In January of this year, Yangpu District and Douyin E-commerce jointly launched the "Golden Wutong" plan to co-build an e-commerce ecosystem park, attracting nearly 30 brand enterprises to settle in. In March, the "Douyin Comes to Maker Island - Fuxing Island OPC Super Individual Community" was officially launched. In the same month, the Volcano Workshop AI Agent Industrial Park, co-built by Yangpu District and Volcano Engine, officially opened. Furthermore, Bilibili's new headquarters will become a vital part of Yangpu's internet high-quality content creation cluster, attracting numerous top UP owners and MCN agencies.
The district's "16th Five-Year Plan" proposes supporting leading enterprises in incubating new business models, establishing new business segments, and expanding new business boundaries, thereby leading the coordinated development of upstream and downstream enterprises in the industrial chain. From "a few workstations" to "a headquarters building," the successive relocations of digital economy enterprises mark their spatial evolution. The next five years for Yang "Digital" Pu are set to shine even brighter.
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