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Vibrant community blossoming in Green City

By Michael Lambert | August 28, 2013, Wednesday | Print Edition

Jinqiao — known as Golden Bridge in English — captures the spirit of Shanghai. This quaint, international village, now known as Green City, carefully blends the cosmopolitan progress of Puxi and Pudong while maintaining a sense of history and tradition in cooperation with the small villages around Green City.

Today Green City is a vibrant community with international schools, fitness centers, restaurants with cuisines from around the world, and various apartments, condominiums and homes.

The Jinqiao macroenvironment contains new-type industries, led by hundreds of multinational companies in the areas of advanced technologies and research centers. These high-tech manufacturing companies gave birth to Green City. Over the past 20 years, Green City — sometimes referred to as “Little United Nations” — has become a multi-cultural and international community tailored to expatriates as well as for Fortune 500 companies.

Whether one is a passerby or a resident, the local and expatriate communities blend together giving the name “Golden Bridge” meaning — a place where East and West meet one another coupled with a smile and a warm “Ni Hao,” “Bonjour” or “Hello.” Today, the Green City tapestry continues to change and becomes more vibrant in color.

Need a mall? Check out Life Hub @ Jinqiao. Opened in 2010, this one-block square area transformed the residential and industrial areas into a vibrant commercial hub, offering art and culture to the menu of “things to do” in Jinqiao. The “mall within a park” concept, with its open-space design, stands as a relaxing alternative of traditional shopping malls. Younger members of the family can enjoy bowling or pool while the older adults can sit outside and sip a cup of coffee.

Subway stops are found in many locations on the perimeter of Green City. The Jinqiao Road Station (Metro Line 6) is 15 minutes away from Lujiazui, the financial center of Shanghai, and the Shanghai Rugby Football Club (SRFC), which offers tennis, rugby, American football and lots of space for families to play.

Plenty of outdoors activities

The Jinqiao government emphasizes the balance between development and open space as planning for the future. With the expansion of the surrounding areas, such as the bustling Kerry Parkside Center and Himalayas Center, these new major developments will bring more events to Jinqiao — Pudong’s central residential community.

The people in Green City love the outdoors, and it’s easy and safe to explore. The leafy trees that line Mingyue and Biyun roads, bike paths, river areas, parks and community sports areas highlight the landscape design. As the residential areas and serviced apartments expand, more families can now join the Jinqiao community. Families and couples explore the walking and jogging areas and enjoy the play spaces with picnic tables or deck areas for an outdoor lunch.

Kimberly Wang, mother of two, says, “We love the lush, green environment in Jinqiao, particularly the parks and trails. We bike nearly every weekend.”

The Green City community is creative, wired, rockin’, educated and fit.

Medical care is readily available in Green City. There are several facilities for the expatriate community ranging from medical clinics and pharmacies to the Huashan Hospital International Division, the Women and Children Health Care Hospital, Parkway Health for overseas, Ruijin Hospital and Tokushinkai Dental Clinic, among others.

For residents who need a place of worship, Green City offers Abundant Grace International Fellowship and the Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church. English services are held on Saturdays and Sundays.

Year-round festivals and celebrations for people of all ages are found in the local magazines and the bulletin boards at many of the small grocery stores, which sell a variety of export goods. There are Oktoberfest activities in the fall, school fairs in the fall and spring, and an 8-kilometer Jinqiao Fun Run in April. With all the schools and restaurants in the area, there is always some type of entertainment.

School choice is also plentiful in Green City. If one is looking for a British curriculum, Dulwich College Shanghai is located on Biyun Road. For an English and Chinese language program, children can attend Yew Chung International School of Shanghai located near Century Park — a land area of 140 hectares. Concordia International School Shanghai offers an American-style education located on Mingyue Road near the local private school, Pinghe International School.

Jane Klammer, an art teacher at Concordia International School Shanghai, moved to Jinqiao in 2003 with her husband and two children. According to Jane, “watching the school and our local community in Jinqiao develop and grow simultaneously has been incredibly rewarding. Knowing that my community will continue to improve and expand makes it an exciting place to live — even after 10 years.”

Come take a stroll through the village of Jinqiao and experience the cultural vitality and lifestyle. You can always find your place in Green City, making friends and building community — no wonder so many people come to Green City “temporarily” … and end up staying.

 

Michael Lambert is Concordia International School Shanghai’s Middle School teacher. He has lived in Jinqiao since 2006.

 

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