Jinshan City Planning Exhibition Hall has now welcomed more than 12,000 visitors, both from China and around the world, since its open last month.
The hall is home to several models of the city, along with bird's eye view photographs detailing the planned development of Jinshan District from 2005 to 2020.
The final touches were added to the exhibition hall on October 12, and it is now fully open and operational. The hall is located at 2258 Tingwei Road, Jinshan District, and covers an area of 6,666.7 square meters. More than 15 million yuan (US$1,851,852) was invested in the project.
Designed by the American company JWDA (Joseph Wong Design Associates), the space is filled with bright colors and transparent glass, lending it a very modern atmosphere.
It is divided into five parts according to the different areas of Jinshan, with some models showing plans for downtown, some showing plans for the coastal area along the Southern part of the district and some detailing the planned development of industry and agriculture.
On entering the hall, eye catching colors including bright reds, greens, blues and yellows attract visitors' attention, and make the place feel more like an amazing garden filled with colorful flowers than an exhibition hall.
Scale models for the planned development of Jinshan can also be found. Exactly the same as the real objects but 750 times smaller, these models show what Jinshan New Town will look like in 15 years' time.
Jinshan New Town is the only area that faces the coast with an interlaced river system in the district. The town enjoys many benefits because of its naturally beautiful environment, and has convenient transport also.
Approved by the government, Jinshan New Town is regarded as a modern seaside city. The population of Jinshan District is expected to reach 1 million by 2020, of which some 85 percent will reside in the downtown area. The population has already grown by 400,000 since 2004, and is expected to maintain a growth rate of 40 percent.
The government will also pay more attention to the protecting of Jinshan District's two water towns, Fengjin Town and Zhujin Town. As well as this, ancient temples such as Donglin Temple and Yanhua Tower, which are more than 750 years old, will be refurbished.
A prominent feature of the exhibition is a blue model, which stands tall near the Southern coast. This is a railway station which will connect Jinshan directly to South Shanghai Railway Station.
The government is planning to build a railway line, with some 200 million yuan expected to be invested. When complete, it will take just 30 minutes to get from Jinshan to the Shanghai city center, and trains should run every 10 minutes.
A large-scale yacht dock will be set up along the 23.3 kilometer stretch of coastline. The dock will help develop the seafood transport and tourism industries, because of its location. The government will focus on maintaining these sightseeing spots to a high standard, to increase tourists' enjoyment of this area.
A large milk-processing factory invested by Shanghai Bright Dairy & Food Group will be built in Langxia Town, the South part of the district and a scale model can be found for this in the hall.
The Jinshan Industry Zone is divided into five parts around and one center part with a total area of 85 square meters. This industrial zone is divided into chemical, electronic machinery, textile and automotive areas.
Anyone who wants more information while visiting can make use of one of the three guides who are always on hand to explain the exhibits.
And at the end of it all, take advantage of the coffee shop, where you can stop and relax before heading home.

(Source: www.shanghai.gov.cn )