Standing along the coastline of Singapore in 1965, it would be hard to imagine her transformation from a humble fishing village to the thriving metropolis it is today within just several decades. Standing at the new station of the South Extension of Chengdu Metro Line 1 in 2015, it would be equally difficult to imagine that the Singapore-Sichuan Hi-Tech Innovation Park (SSCIP), a "city" based on an intelligent blueprint ahead of time, would rise on the ground by distilling the experience from the economic miracle of Singapore in the past five decades. By taking advantages of the environment andconditions of Chengdu - the Center of West China, SSCIP not only presents a city where industry, ecology and culture are highly integrated, but also provides some insights to what an excellent model of urban life will be like in the future.
NEXT STOP, SSCIP
The World, In One City
The Singapore-Sichuan Hi-Tech Innovation Park (SSCIP) is the first-ever, iconic integrated urban development project jointly invested by Singapore and Sichuan (China) and is also a flagship project in the Tianfu New Area developed by a Sino-Singapore joint venture company. Located in the South Park of the Chengdu Hi-tech Industrial Development Zone (CDHT), SSCIP covers an area of 10.43 km2. In the future, 120,000 citizens will work and live in this city full of surprises and vitality, enjoying the convenience of an international modern city, as well as the embrace of nature and the heritage of traditions.
However, the question is probably how far is the future? Since its commencement in 2012, SSCIP is expected to be completed in 2020. At present, the Park is undergoing the construction of infrastructures in an orderly manner. 8 plots covering some 500 mu (about 0.33 km2) have been successfully transferred by means of open tender and some investee enterprises will break ground this year. Just this July, the South Extension of Chengdu Metro Line 1 was officially put into operation and passengers were able to access to the Park through Sihe and Guangdu Stations. If you are observant enough, you must have found that the metro line was "bended" in order to connect to SSCIP, a testament of the importance of the project.
High-end Companies
to Forge an Industrial Ecology System
Perhaps no other parks would set such high standards for industry positioning and investment promotion, but SSCIP is one of its kind. Targeting the following 5 pillar industries: biomedical sciences, interactive digital media, environmental technologies, high-end manufacturing & assembly, and producer services, SSCIP values not only the technological content and development prospects of these industries or the advantages of Chengdu and Singapore in related fields, but also the environmentally friendliness of the industries themselves. Adhering to the original intention, SSCIP is highly selective of potential investors who knock on the door. Can the company become a core industry catalytic platform? Can the company become a "queen bee" to attract related parties in the value chain? Can the company provide upstream and downstream or outsourcing services within the Park? No matter where the project lead is generated, the staff in the Industry Promotion Department of SSCIP will ask themselves these questions first. The end intent is to ensure that the 5 pillar industry clusters are independently self-sufficient whilst providing opportunities to harness cross-sector synergies to form a compatible and inclusive hi-tech industry ecosystem. This is why SSCIP is one of its kind.
Naturally, this commitment gains SSCIP the trust and confidence of investee enterprises in return.
Shenzhen Chipscreen Biosciences plans to build a medical R&D center and a regional headquarters in SSCIP, and Ms. Zhao Shumei, General Manager of Chengdu Chipscreen Pharmaceutical indicated: "I believe that the favorable administrative and business environment, abundant talent resources, reasonable operating costs, complete industry ecosystem and biomedicine industry chain cluster of SSCIP are of great significance for Chipscreen to set up its R&D center and to expand and deepen the connotation of novel pharmaceuticals R&D."
Mr. Wang Shifeng, General Manager of OneAsia, a company in negotiation with SSCIP, said: "Chengdu as one of the major city along the path of 'One Belt One Road', it fits right into our expansion path. In addition, the industries SSCIP focuses require tremendous amount of IT resource including Datacenter, Cloud computing services which are the core business of OneAsia’s main focus."
Many other companies are also aware of the advantages of SSCIP. Since 2014, SSCIP has conducted 5 investment promotion trips to the USA and engaged with more than 100 companies. The park launched multiple investment seminars and investment attraction activities across the world and connected with over 400 companies. Among them, there are a lot of world-class companies in pharmaceuticals and new-generation IT industries. Many companies and even their headquarters have been relocated to SSCIP in succession.
Introducing the
"Garden + Smart" System
to Create a City of the Future
A park will be admirable enough if its landscape greenery accounts for 16% of the total area. A central park with a total area of about 600,000 m2 in a modern metropolis can be rated as "luxurious".
As the largest comprehensive park in the zone, SSCIP Heartbeat Central Park is designed by Grant Associate, a British design team that gave birth to the masterpiece of Singapore's Gardens by the Bay. The features of "Garden City" and "Smart Nation" of Singapore are full reflected in the design: the largest lakeside plaza of Chengdu will be built in the large-scale park; the largest gingko plaza globally with gingko forests covering an area of 10,000 m2; the 1200 meters sky bridge which makes you feel as if you are wandering on clouds; the vast green land, plaza and water which are the essential elements of urban landscaping in SSCIP. Besides the remarkable "garden" elements, the "smart" elements (the respiratory inductive floor lamps; the benches in which color changes with touch; the touch screens providing all information about the park with network connection) also make SSCIP Heartbeat Central Park stand out from the ordinary. Don't be amazed when you see the "miraculous Rubik's cube". You can not only experience the prosperity and boisterousness of Singapore Orchard Road through it in real time, but also "take part in" various fashion festivals and outdoor parties, and have gapless interaction with your Singaporean friends. Other kinds of smart technologies just like the “miraculous Rubik's cube" inject street vibrancy from Singapore into SSCIP by creating a virtual community space with accessible lifestyle experiences for all to enjoy in real time.
There are as many as 7 community parks featured with each color of the rainbow, 6 street gardens with different views changing with seasons, several interesting pocket parks, 1 belt greenway in a length of over 10 km, 4 wetlands, 1 lake and 3 waterfront tourism lines with different themes in SSCIP. It sounds highly tempting for people who are passionate about nature and outdoor activities. In the park, you can find optimal locations for strolling, sightseeing, sports or family trip. Joggers enjoy more benefits with multiple choices available to them; they also have opportunities to take part in the annual "SSCIP Cup" marathon sponsored by the park. The marathon will be held in December this year. At that time, runners can enjoy the joy from sports and victories along with thousands of neighbors, colleagues and friends.
Although the satisfaction derived from a good environment cannot be underestimated, the conveniences and quality of life are also critical for an internationalized modern life. "To integrate the internationalized modern lifestyle into Sichuan" has always been the philosophy of SSCIP. How is the SSCIP lifestyle? It is imaginable:
Breathing in the fresh air in the morning, it takes only 10 minutes to walk to your office from your apartment. After brainstorming with colleagues, you can have a rest by the window and enjoy the sight of decorative lakes and exuberant greenery in the SSCIP Heartbeat Central Park. At dusk, you can knock off and be notified the arrival of community bus by mobile APP as soon as you step out of your office. You can have a good rest at home located in an international community area and the central heating/cooling system will make you feel as if it's springtime, regardless of the actual weather. After changing a sports outfit, you briskly run across the sky bridge, the boulevard, the ginkgo forest and the lake wetland. The outdoor water-screen film is on show and music from the outdoor theater is an audio delight.
7 Singapore-styled neighborhood centers are distributed around the park, providing one-stop services such as stores, vegetable market, F&B, bank, payment, training, medical care, cultural recreation, and Spa. Education for your children is also facilitated by 13 kindergartens, 7 primary schools, 2 middle schools and renowned international schools. The international schools not only provide education for children of all ages but also enroll them in internationally recognized programs such as the International Baccalaureate. Such programs enable the students in SSCIP to apply seamlessly world-class universities such as Oxford and Cambridge. EtonHouse International Education Group, a well-known enterprise with over 100 international schools all around the world, is in advanced stage of negotiation with SSCIP on a possible school. "We choose to set up a school here, in a bid to bring Eton's excellent educational ideas and methodologies from Singapore to more children of different nationalities in the park." said Liao Lili, General Manager of EtonHouse Education Services (Chengdu) Co., Ltd. An international hospital is also planned within the park to provide high-class in and outpatient services. With the integration of world-class medical technologies and Sichuan medical resources, patients will no longer need to queue up for registration at hospitals. Instead, they can directly make an appointment with doctors through APP and websites. Experts of international hospitals are also available for patients staying at home with remote telemedicine technology.
Can't wait to see that? Fortunately, everything that we have dreamed of is coming soon.
TIPS
START FROM SSCIP TO CONNECT WITH THE WORLD
Convenient Transportation to Downtown Chengdu
BY CAR:
The south extension of Hongxing Road has been open to traffic, it takes only 20 minutes to drive from downtown area to the Park. As the Park is closely adjacent to Tianfu Avenue, a traffic artery connecting south Chengdu to north Chengdu, it is also convenient to commute.
The New Chengren Road planned to be put into service at the end of this year will serve as the main passage connecting downtown area and Tianfu New Area. Chengdu-Zigong-Luzhou Highway also links the park to downtown area, Tianfu New Area and other key cities in Sichuan.
BY METRO :
"Sihe" and "Guangdu", two stations of the South Extension of Metro Line 1 link the Park directly. The planned Metro Line 6 will have 3 stations in the Park in the future.
Easy Access to the World
Huayang Avenue (airport expressway) is connected with Shuangliu International Airport and Tianfu International Airport (located in Jianyang, under construction).
