Since being designated as a leading zone for socialist modernization in July 2021, Shanghai's Pudong New Area has achieved a foreign trade volume totaling 7.62 trillion yuan (about 1 trillion U.S. dollars) over the past three years, according to the Shanghai Customs.
More than 30 percent of imports and exports have been high-tech products, while exports of high-end manufacturing products like ships have maintained rapid growth.
Pudong has undergone a remarkable transformation since being established as a new area in 1990, emerging as a popular destination for investors, innovators and policy pilot projects.
Pudong's strong foreign trade performance, a key driver of Shanghai's economic development, reflects China's continued opening-up and the growing competitiveness of its high-tech and high-end manufacturing sectors on the global stage.
Shanghai Pudong New Area's foreign trade exceeds 7 trillion yuan
The opening ceremony of the upcoming 9th Asian Winter Games in China's renowned "ice city" will tell a story of pursuing dreams and demonstrate the spirit of China's vibrant ice and snow sports culture while deploying technologies on an "unprecedented" scale, according to the ceremony's director.
The Games, scheduled to open on Feb 7 in Harbin City of the northeastern Heilongjiang Province, marks China's first major international ice and snow event since the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. This edition is set to see record participation with over 1,500 athletes from 34 countries and regions.
As the countdown to the Games continues, Sha Xiaolan, chief director of the opening ceremony, said rehearsals for the grand showpiece are progressing well, and noted that young people are set to take center stage at the event.
"We began rehearsals in Nov 2024, utilizing the main venue and branch locations, including at gyms and basketball halls of five universities. Nearly 1,000 students and various art groups were rehearsing simultaneously. After more than a month of practice, we are now integrating everything. Students and other ordinary people will take the spotlight in the ceremony as we want to create more opportunities for young people," he said.
Sha also said the opening ceremony will feature various elements which are sure to stir a strong emotional response among audience members, with an array of colorful performances which will incorporate advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and augmented reality (AR), all culminating in the all-important torch lighting.
He stressed the key themes will be about embarking on a journey across the region and on fulfilling dreams and ambitions, capturing the sporting ethos of the Games. "The ceremony will last approximately 80 minutes, and the performance will be divided into three parts. It has two themes: one symbolizes a journey from Harbin, to [the rest of] China, and then to Asia, while the other tells an emotional story of a child's growth, their dreams, and how to pursue and realize their dreams. We will employ interactive imagery, including AR technology. The scale of the technologies used, their duration and the specific images created by technologies will be unprecedented," said Sha.
In addition, the ceremony will also utilize elements which showcase the vitality of winter sports in China and highlight the charm of the country's ice and snow culture, while reflecting the spirit and enthusiasm of the Chinese people, Sha said.
"We want to focus on the development of ice and snow culture, which has flourished across China in recent years. Our goal is to present the spiritual outlook of the Chinese people during the cold winter time," said the director.
Sporting events will get underway several days prior to the official opening ceremony on Feb. 7, with athletes from across Asia set to compete across a total of 64 different disciplines during the course of the 12 competition days.
Asian Winter Games opening ceremony set to deliver on "unprecedented" scale: director
