A young city is becoming a city for a group of young people.

Since its establishment, the Lingang New Area has taken multiple measures to attract talents and intelligence, creating a favorable policy environment for the gathering and development of outstanding talents, polishing the Lingang city card, and making the new area the first choice for talents to seek employment and entrepreneurship. Over the past five years, the new area has introduced and settled more than 97,000 talents.

The spirit of doing things and entrepreneurship is very important. The reporter interviewed five people who live and work on this hot land. Some of them have personally experienced every step of the frontier industry development of the new area; some have come from overseas for thousands of miles, looking forward to participating in "the next five years"; some have reaped their careers here, and also reaped love... When talking about the five-year-old Lingang, everyone's eyes are shining. They use their own stories to tell how to meet Lingang, choose Lingang, and take root in Lingang. In the past five years, they have transformed from "workers" to "partners" of the new area's business, and have jointly witnessed the magnificent development process of this hot land of innovation and entrepreneurship.

Yang Xiaobao: "Fell in love with Lingang at first sight"

In a five-story independent office building in the Lingang Marine Innovation Park, the employees of Bioinnovative Pharmaceutical Technology (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. are busy with the research and development experiments of new drugs. When it comes to moving the company to Lingang, the corners of the mouth of Yang Xiaobao, Chairman and CEO of Bioinnovative, can't help but rise, thinking that this is the place that understands the entrepreneurs of biopharmaceuticals the most.

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According to Yang Xiaobao, Bioinnovative, which focuses on the research and development of protein degradation small molecule drugs, was established in 2020. Initially, it developed in the Shanghai University of Science and Technology incubator in Zhangjiang. However, as the company grew, it urgently needed a better R&D environment. So, Yang Xiaobao took the team to inspect everywhere, looking for a new location. "When we ran to the Lingang New Area, we fell in love with it at first sight." He told the reporter that on the one hand, it is because the new area is vigorously promoting the layout of key industries such as integrated circuits, biopharmaceuticals, and artificial intelligence in various parks, providing various policy support for enterprises and talents to settle; on the other hand, it is due to the excellent natural environment, "Many people on our team have studied abroad, and everyone unanimously thinks that it has a scenery and scenery that is not inferior to overseas."

After moving to the new area, the company's development has also entered the "fast lane". At present, the Bioinnovative Lingang R&D Center has independently established an artificial intelligence virtual screening platform, an in vitro efficacy screening platform, a pharmacokinetics platform, a proteomics platform, and a tumor animal efficacy model platform, achieving a complete full-process drug R&D system construction, and successfully promoting two candidate drugs into clinical trials.

"Behind this, we cannot do without the help and support of the Lingang New Area." Yang Xiaobao told the reporter that the new area is currently accelerating the construction of the biopharmaceutical industry cluster, and has successively introduced a number of support policies such as the "14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) for the Development of the Biopharmaceutical Industry in the China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone Lingang New Area" to help biopharmaceutical innovation companies with "real money and silver" for research and development. At the same time, the Marine Innovation Park where the company is located also provides services such as technology achievement transformation, talent training, and industry-education integration for biopharmaceutical companies. "In the past few years, we have received full support from the park in terms of applying for innovation fund matching, green development policies for enterprises, and innovation competition awards. All kinds of policy resources and activity information needed are also delivered to us in the first place."

In addition to the passion at work, Yang Xiaobao and his colleagues' leisure life in Lingang is also colorful and full of activities. For Yang Xiaobao, who has settled here since 2008, Lingang has made leapfrog development in terms of housing, ecology, and other aspects. "Every week, our company will organize team-building activities, or night running, or cycling, and some other activities." He told the reporter that in the past few years, not only he, but other members of the team have also settled in Lingang, bought houses, and settled down.

"This young city has a real attraction to young people." Yang Xiaobao said that this is the case whether it is from the atmosphere of encouraging innovation, the intensity of talent introduction, or the comfort of life.Li Xiangcong: "Attracting Major and Strong Enterprises", Daring to Fight, Strive, and Take the Lead

The term "busy" is vividly reflected in Li Xiangcong, the deputy director of the High-tech Department of the Lin-Gang Special Area Management Committee: from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays, an average of 8 meetings a day; business trips are a common occurrence, with more than 40 flights in the first half of the year, and the number of high-speed train rides is countless; the mobile phone memo is full of project progress, what enterprises have demands, which policies match, and which application scenarios can break through, every Sunday night, the summary and task assignment are carried out without fail...

Li Xiangcong is the person in charge of the Frontier Industry Investment Promotion Center of the High-tech Department. Behind the settlement of leading enterprises such as Tesla and Cummins in the new area, there is the figure of this team that dares to fight, strive, and take the lead. Over the past five years, the average annual growth rate of the total industrial output value of the new area has reached 34.6%, and more than 570 key projects of frontier technology industries have been signed, involving an investment of more than 620 billion yuan.

What is the secret to attracting investment and industry cultivation? Li Xiangcong said that it includes Lin-Gang's deep understanding and research of the industry, including building an industrial ecosystem, sensitivity to emerging industries and market changes, creating a livable and business-friendly environment, and also having a unique soil for institutional innovation and carrying out stress tests. "In general, it is that we think more than enterprises, integrate resources, and provide good services."

Li Xiangcong was previously engaged in industrial research work and joined the Lin-Gang Management Committee four years ago, rushing to the forefront of investment attraction. "The investment attraction work is not to 'draw a pie' for enterprises, but to find targets by analyzing the industrial chain and achieve precise investment attraction." This 13-person investment attraction team has drawn an industrial map for the eight frontier industries of Lin-Gang, marking representative enterprises on every link of the industrial chain, making it clear what is available and what is missing. Through the battle map, they have been tracking and researching the top 50 companies in the industry for a long time.

The Changdian Technology Automotive Chip Finished Product Manufacturing and Packaging Project under construction is an important link in the packaging of the new area's integrated circuit industry chain. In order to introduce this enterprise, Li Xiangcong and his colleagues have made a lot of efforts, introducing national financial support to help enterprises grow and develop, jointly providing full-process services for enterprises to start construction with multiple departments and development entities, and solving the worries for many international talents. This pragmatic style has deeply moved the enterprise, and the enterprise has also acted as a "matchmaker" to introduce its upstream suppliers.

From negotiation to signing, the Tesla Shanghai Energy Storage Super Factory took only a month, and the "Lin-Gang speed" behind it is more about the deep meaning of "two-way rush." Li Xiangcong said that the output value of Lin-Gang's automotive industry has reached nearly 300 billion yuan, forming a complete industrial chain. "The overlap between the energy storage industry and the automotive industry chain supply chain is very high, and this industrial circle of friends helps to reduce costs." The huge advantage of the industrial cluster also brings more orders and market opportunities. The first order of Megapack in China comes from the user-side energy storage project of the Xin Pian Youfu Zhisuan Center, and the investment attraction team also "matched" potential customers for it, such as semiconductor wafer factories. The artificial intelligence and integrated circuits they represent are precisely the advantageous industries of Lin-Gang. In order to help Megapack quickly sell to the world, the investment attraction team planned in advance, relying on the institutional innovation advantage of the Yangshan Special Comprehensive Free Trade Zone "zone-port linkage", while Tesla started construction, the adjacent Nan Port wharf was also undergoing storage transformation for its product export.

"Attracting large industrial projects is the core of Lin-Gang as the growth pole and new engine of the city's economic development, and it is also the key to building an industrial ecosystem and a world-class industrial cluster." While "attracting major and strong enterprises," Li Xiangcong also hopes to cultivate more "Huawei" for Lin-Gang. "This year, we held the X·TIME International Entrepreneurship Competition for the first time, hoping to accelerate the landing of scientific and technological innovation resources and talent resources in Lin-Gang," he said.

"The new business models of frontier industries and the market are emerging endlessly, and the biggest anxiety is that there is not enough time." Li Xiangcong frankly stated that the investment attraction team is also continuously self-pressurizing, and will adopt corporate reform to motivate the team, and organize small teams to go out for international investment attraction. They are also planning to build an investment attraction think tank, deeply connect with enterprises, promote the supply and demand docking of the industry chain upstream and downstream, and also help the investment attraction team better sort out the future of the industry.

At the end of the interview, before saying goodbye, Li Xiangcong hurriedly walked into the next meeting room, "seamlessly connecting" to the new round of investment attraction talks.Zhong Ruyu: "Foreign Consultant" WeChat Name "Lion City Lin-gang Person"

Openness, inclusiveness, and innovation are the most intuitive feelings and experiences of Zhong Ruyu, the chief strategist for the development of financial trade and modern service industry in the Lin-gang Special Area Management Committee, for this "young city."

These keywords have accompanied the process of this Singaporean's connection with Lin-gang. At the beginning of this year, the new area introduced the "International Talent Special Recruitment" mechanism for the first time. After the Spring Festival, Zhong Ruyu, who was working in Japan, received a headhunting call. At that time, he never expected that this call would bring him to a new city he had never set foot in - the Lin-gang Special Area of Shanghai - a few months later. Zhong Ruyu stood out among many competitors, and after careful consideration, he made a decision: to go to Shanghai and participate in the construction of the Lin-gang Special Area.

On July 12, Zhong Ruyu arrived at Pudong Airport by plane, holding the first electronic port visa pilot issued by the new area, becoming the first foreigner to enter the country with China's electronic port visa. On August 8, he obtained the Foreigner's Work Permit, personally experiencing the efficient and convenient "Lin-gang speed." Zhong Ruyu changed his WeChat name to "Lion City Lin-gang Person," saying, "I am very honored to have one of the glorious marks of many 'firsts' of this new city."

Zhong Ruyu has worked in banking, venture capital, and equity investment in many places such as Switzerland, London, Silicon Valley, and Tokyo, and has also worked in Beijing and Hong Kong. He deeply feels the earth-shaking changes brought to China by reform and opening up, so he is full of longing for the modern city of Lin-gang that has risen on the beach. He said, "In just five years, it has grown from a blank sheet of paper to a highland of opening up to the outside world, with vitality in scientific and technological innovation, emerging industries, and financial services, and the city's infrastructure has been improved and upgraded, all of which make people feel the strong resilience of China's economy."

In his view, "It is very beneficial to develop and build new cities during the adjustment and transformation of the economic structure. The construction of the Lin-gang Special Area, as a national strategy, not only has a manufacturing foundation but is also a sustainable modern new city. More importantly, Lin-gang bears the important mission of opening up and innovation."

Looking forward to the future, Zhong Ruyu hopes to make a "good contribution" to Lin-gang in the next five years. He compares Lin-gang to a 5-year-old child, and he is similar to the role of a consultant, helping to clarify the priorities that need to be addressed in the future growth process of the new area. "I am particularly concerned about the construction of the Dishui Lake Financial Bay, which is an important functional support for coordinating onshore and offshore businesses and innovating financial development. Here, the layout of emerging modern service industries such as cross-border finance, in conjunction with the Bund and Lujiazui, will better try systems and explore new paths for Shanghai to build an international financial center," said Zhong Ruyu.

"Here, dreams are big, and realizing dreams is fast." Although different from his previous work experience, Zhong Ruyu quickly adapted to the work rhythm of Lin-gang. He noticed that the staff of the government departments here have open and active thinking, and he looks forward to working with everyone at the forefront of China's reform and opening up to jointly strive and explore more "firsts."

Talking about life in Lin-gang, Zhong Ruyu said with a smile that his favorite thing to do is to take the bus. By observing the routes of the vehicles, one can quickly understand the characteristics of each place. "I have been to many landmarks and I also like these smart transportation methods," he said.

Zhang Hui'an: Continuously breaking through in the "Super Large Entrepreneurial Team"In the eyes of Zhang Huiqian, a post-2000s generation, Lingang has a unique atmosphere that can be described as "both E and I"—work-wise, you feel as if you are always part of a "super large startup team," open, unrestricted, encouraging progress and innovation; life-wise, it switches to a relaxed and peaceful state in an instant, alleviating tension and stress. In the balance of motion and stillness, work and life have achieved a clever equilibrium in Lingang.

This feeling stems from her personal experience—over the past five years in Lingang, Zhang Huiqian has completed the transformation from a student to a professional, and last month, she gained a new identity as a student in the first class of the "Reinsurance Global Leadership Elite Program" at the Shuimi Lake Advanced Finance Institute of Shanghai University of Finance and Economics.

"In 2019, the same year that the Lingang New Area was inaugurated, I came to study at the Lingang campus of Shanghai Ocean University, and since then, I have been connected to the new area," Zhang Huiqian narrates her story: After graduating last year, she stayed here to work in industrial investment promotion and became a Lingang resident. At work, Zhang Huiqian often has to deal with enterprises in the new area, which made her realize that industrial development requires not only a spirit of innovation and pioneering but also a global perspective and cross-industry sensitivity. "Therefore, when I saw the 'Reinsurance Global Leadership Elite Program' launched by the Shuimi Lake Advanced Finance Institute of Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, I signed up immediately."

Last month, Zhang Huiqian and her classmates in the first class underwent a 28-day full-time study. "The continuous '007' pace for 28 days made everyone call it a 'devil training camp,' with professional courses in the morning and afternoon, and irregular seminars and sharing sessions in the evening," Zhang Huiqian said that it was the compact and fulfilling learning pace that allowed her to gain a very enlightening financial course, accumulating a large amount of professional knowledge in the field of international reinsurance in a short period of time.

In the process, Zhang Huiqian also hesitated, worried that she lacked relevant work experience and couldn't keep up with the course. But she quickly convinced herself, "The current new area is accelerating the construction of the international reinsurance functional area, which is a good opportunity for me to seize the opportunity to enter this field and stand at the forefront." She told herself that there are many industry elites in the first class, and with her current strong learning ability, she will definitely gain unexpected results by being with them.

"We all have our own inner silver mines, unique missions, passions, and talents, but we need to integrate into the surging waves of the times to give full play," Zhang Huiqian said that Lingang is her lucky place, on this open and inclusive stage full of infinite innovation potential, she can continuously break through herself and pursue her ideals.

In addition to the passionate work atmosphere, over the past five years, Zhang Huiqian has also witnessed the changes in Lingang's life. Living by the Shuimi Lake, she found that the living support and entertainment facilities here have been visibly improved, and the ecology is getting better and better, "Now you can always see a large number of citizens and tourists who come from the urban area to punch in, and on social platforms, Lingang also has titles such as 'Shanghai Little Australia' and 'Little Maldives'." She told the reporter that here, you can take a book and a blanket on weekends and sit by the lake to relax alone; you can also rush to the east coast at any time to watch the beautiful sunrise and sunset. In the past few years, she and her friends have experienced a variety of sports activities such as surfing, tennis, and sailing, and now she is planning to build a community with her friends to share the delicious and fun things by the Shuimi Lake, allowing more young people to participate and feel the beauty of life in Lingang.

"In this young city, young people can always play new tricks," Zhang Huiqian said.

Guo Xingwang: Here, love and bread can be both obtained.

This is a city full of vitality and potential—when asked about his impression of Lingang, Guo Xingwang, who has worked and lived here for more than two years, said, "It is full of vitality because Lingang has a large number of universities, all kinds of emerging industries are developing vigorously, and it gathers a large number of young talents and enterprises; it is full of potential because Lingang has attracted many high-end talents to settle down, and at the same time, it has introduced a large number of high-tech projects and large industries, and some industrial clusters are accelerating the formation, with a leading company driving the growth and development of many surrounding supporting enterprises."Guo Xingwang works at Star Robotics Artificial Intelligence Technology (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. as an algorithm engineer and the head of the wind turbine R&D team. Under his leadership, the team has developed and launched a wind turbine inspection software called "Star Luo Yu Feng". This software, without affecting the power generation of the wind turbine, uses drones to reveal any defects and hidden dangers on the wind turbine blades, solving several problems with traditional wind turbine inspections.

"I majored in automation in the field of electronic information in university, hoping to do more interesting and challenging things in the fields of drones and robots." After graduation, Guo Xingwang co-founded a drone company with a friend. There were many difficulties on the road to entrepreneurship. Two years ago, by chance, Guo Xingwang received a job opportunity from Star Luo.

Star Luo is a company specializing in the field of drone artificial intelligence, whose business scope and development direction are very consistent with Guo Xingwang's career plan. In addition, he was attracted by the talent policy and ecological environment of Lin Gang, and he almost did not hesitate to choose to work in Lin Gang. "As a part of the wind turbine inspection team, many nights with bright lights, our team has been tackling the difficulty of 'making drones flexibly avoid the high-speed rotating wind turbine blades'. Now we have combined high-speed cameras, onboard modules with drones, and with the help of artificial intelligence recognition algorithms, radar ranging and intelligent flight route planning technology, we have formed a mature solution."

"Lin Gang is a place suitable for young people to pursue dreams and create." Guo Xingwang said that there is no noise in the city, the pace of life is slower, the environment is more comfortable, and it is more conducive to focusing on the work at hand. In these two years, he has personally felt the changes in Lin Gang - the population is growing rapidly, various high-rise buildings are rising, and the urban construction is changing day by day. He firmly believes that the "Lin Gang speed" will drive the young people and enterprises on this land to progress and grow rapidly.

For Guo Xingwang, Lin Gang is not only a hot land for him to pursue career ideals, but also a paradise that carries many beautiful memories between him and his girlfriend. From the tranquility of Dishui Lake to the elegance of Duoyun Academy; from the popular science of the Astronomical Museum to the joy of Haichang Park; from the magnificent Nanhui Mouth Seaview Park to the freshness of Binhai Forest Park - these scenic spots and places have witnessed the trajectory of their growth and love.

In May of this year, he and his girlfriend participated in the Lin Gang Youth Collective Wedding - 100 couples made a white-headed promise together by the side of Dishui Lake. Recalling the solemn oath and the exchange of rings on that day, Guo Xingwang said that it was their deepest memory in Lin Gang.

At present, Guo Xingwang has applied for public rental housing in Lin Gang, which can rent a two-bedroom apartment at a more affordable price than in the city, greatly reducing his living costs and making him full of confidence in a stable life. Talking about the expectations for Lin Gang, he hopes that in the future, the city's supporting facilities such as commercial, medical, sports fitness, and entertainment can be further enriched, making the lives of young people more convenient and comfortable.