Shen City

Biodata

Background / History

Cityscape and Districts

The Bund

The Bund is a prominent riverside area used by Fang Bai's group as a route toward Nanpu Bridge and as the setting for his dinner with Qin Shuyu during the industrial exhibition. 127 184

Pudong New Area

Pudong is initially portrayed as sparse and underdeveloped, with few high-rises, worn residential buildings, weak infrastructure, and inconvenient transport and power access. Fang Bai nevertheless recognizes its future land value and industrial potential. 127

• Formerly administered as Sha County before its incorporation into Shen City and renaming as Pudong New Area. 127 197
• Xinghai Group acquires 2,000 mu of industrial land there, eventually developing part of it into factories and laboratories. 129 201 235
• The group later builds its headquarters, employee dormitories, and advanced-technology facilities in the area. 228 235

Lujiazui

Lujiazui becomes the center of Fang Bai's largest Shen City real-estate plans.

• Fang Bai acquires a 100-mu plot for Xinghai Plaza for 1.3 billion yuan and a 90-mu plot for Xinghai Tower for 800 million yuan. 224
• Xinghai Tower is planned to exceed 500 meters in height and is expected to become a future city landmark. 224 231
• Fang Bai regards the area as strategically urgent, fearing that delayed purchases will make future acquisition impossible. 186 223

Jiaotong University Area

Shen City Jiaotong University is Fang Bai's university and an important source of Xinghai Group's talent, student business ventures, and recruitment.

• Mechanical Class 3 opens Hualian Supermarket on campus on New Year's Day 1992. 171
• Xinghai Group later recruits more than 300 Jiaotong University graduates through competitive campus hiring. 238
• Fang Bai purchases several properties near the university, including a temporary residence close to Yu Garden and an apartment for Qin Shuyu. 124 232

Economy and Development

Xinghai Group Facilities

• Headquarters site — A 2,000-mu Pudong site, with Phase One occupying 1,000 mu and later phases including laboratory buildings for advanced technology projects. 235
• Comprehensive office building — Ten floors with 20,000 square meters of floor area and capacity for roughly 3,000–4,000 workstations. 228
• Employee dormitories — Phase One consists of six buildings totaling about 50,000 square meters for up to 3,000 employees; a planned second phase would add 150,000 square meters for 10,000 more employees. 228
• Xinghai Plaza developments — Projects include shopping centers, pedestrian streets, five-star hotels, Grade 5A office buildings, and SOHO units. 232

Relationships

• Fang Bai — Shen City becomes his principal base outside Wen City: he studies at Jiaotong University, establishes Xinghai Machinery Company, acquires land, and relocates Xinghai Group's headquarters there. 160 167 228
• Qin Shuyu — Studies in Shen City and receives a 67-square-meter apartment purchased in her name by Fang Bai; she later interns at Xinghai Group. 124 256
• Xinghai Group — A major private enterprise headquartered in the city, operating manufacturing, technology, commercial, and real-estate projects. 228 231 232
• Lü Chaomin — City leader who inspects Xinghai Machinery Company, supports Fang Bai's investment and registration needs, and follows Xinghai Group's development closely. 197 200 231
• Hua Bo — Deputy Mayor of Shen City who visits Xinghai Group's exhibition booth and praises Fang Bai's rapid entrepreneurial success. 186
• Shen City government — Supports Fang Bai's company registration, industrial development, recruitment efforts, and large-scale Lujiazui investment proposals. 200 224 237