On June 1, the Google Cross-border E-commerce Acceleration Center announced its upcoming settlement in Shangcheng District, Hangzhou City, east China's Zhejiang Province. This development marks a significant step for Shangcheng in building a world-class digital hub to support local enterprises in going global, according to the information office of Shangcheng District government. The center will serve as a powerful engine for Hangzhou-based businesses to expand into global markets.
Shangcheng District is a place where time-honored cultural heritage blends perfectly with the rhythms of the modern era. Home to the ruins of the Southern Song imperial city, Shangcheng has been the core of Hangzhou since the Sui and Tang dynasties, carrying forward elegant Song-style culture for over 800 years. In recent years, the local government has fully advanced the initiative to inherit and promote Song-style culture, building an open-air museum and launching cultural tourism routes themed on Song aesthetics. Qinghefang Historical and Cultural Characteristic Block still retains the architectural layout of the Ming and Qing dynasties, with timeless establishments like Hu Qing Yu Tang Chinese Pharmacy and Wang Xing Ji fan craftsmanship preserved through generations.
Scientific and technological innovation acts as the core driving force for Shangcheng's high-quality development. In 2025, the district launched the construction of a Central Innovation District (CID) to unleash new productive forces. Covering 122 square kilometers, the entire district has evolved from a traditional commercial center into an innovation ecosystem powered mainly by artificial intelligence. Shangcheng has set up a ten-billion-yuan industrial fund for AI and embodied intelligence, providing financial support for cutting-edge tech enterprises. The district is home to over 50,000 college graduates under 35, with a total talent pool of 420,000, and its index for the commercialization of scientific and technological achievements ranks among the top in Zhejiang Province.
Driven by this strategy, innovation platforms have flourished. Xizi Smart Industrial Park, renovated from old industrial workshops, now gathers over 30 humanoid robot enterprises. The Zhejiang Humanoid Robot Training Base was inaugurated here in early 2026, where humanoid robots have been put into use in factories and daily scenarios, with breakthroughs in motion control and environmental perception.
The integration of culture and technology has also boosted international consumption in Shangcheng. Adjacent to West Lake, Hubin Pedestrian Street attracts 40 million visits annually and houses over 1,200 renowned brands. Digital applications create distinctive experiences, bringing technological fun to ordinary consumption. Sijiqing Fashion Street, one of China's most influential garment distribution hubs, is undergoing a full transformation into an international tourist and consumption destination, with digital design and flexible manufacturing reshaping traditional supply chains.
"Rooted in history and culture, driven by scientific and technological innovation, and connected via international consumption, Shangcheng demonstrates to the world how an eastern urban district strikes a balance between preservation and innovation, enabling millennia-old heritage to write a new chapter in the contemporary era," said an official of the district government.
