Overview

Jiading district, located in the northwestern part of Shanghai, covers an area of 463.16 square kilometers and has a permanent resident population of 1.89 million as of 2024. The district administers three sub-districts and seven towns, serving as a crucial node on the Shanghai-Nanjing (Jiangsu province) development axis within the Yangtze River Delta region.

With a history dating back to the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279), Jiading is renowned for its simple and honest folkways, diverse literary traditions, picturesque landscapes, and talented scholars.

Strategically positioned at the heart of the YRD, Jiading adjoins Baoshan and Putuo districts to the east, Kunshan city in Jiangsu province to the west, Minhang, Changning and Qingpu districts to the south, and Taicang city in Jiangsu province to the north. The Liuhe River borders it to the north and the Wusong River to the south, with flat terrain that rises slightly in the northeast.

Economic Development

During the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-25), the average annual growth rate of the total output of three industries, each worth 100 billion yuan, was 10.2 percent. The district's industrial investment grew by an average of 18.9 percent annually, while the share of strategic emerging industries among industrial enterprises above the designated size increased by 15.8 percentage points compared with the end of 2020.

In addition, Jiading is now home to 231 intelligent factories, 2,465 high-tech enterprises, and 36 A-share listed companies, highlighting its strong innovation capacity and industrial vitality.

15th Five-Year Plan (2026–30) Vision

Jiading aims to strengthen its position as an international sci-tech innovation center, a pilot zone for high-end industrial clusters, a demonstration zone for coordinated and integrated development, and a key hub for openness and innovation in the YRD region.

"3+3+1" Modern Industrial System

Jiading is advancing a "3+3+1" modern industrial system:

3 Leading Industries

• Intelligent Connected New Energy Vehicles  — As the core area for Shanghai's goal of building a world-class automotive industry center, Jiading is home to over 600 automotive enterprises related to "new four modernizations" (electrification, intelligence, connectivity, and sharing)  and 220 intelligent connected vehicle enterprises, as well as more than 200 public and enterprise R&D platforms.
• Integrated Circuits — Jiading is building the "north wing" of Shanghai's "one body, two wings" IC industry layout, forming five key production lines covering pilot testing, R&D, and mass production.
• Biopharmaceuticals — Focusing on high-performance medical devices and precision medicine, Jiading has formed a cluster of listed enterprises led by United Imaging, Sanyou, and Kindly Group. The district continues to enhance the capacity of industrial parks such as United Imaging Town, Shanghai Medvalley, and Biohub.

The total output of these three leading industries exceeded 300 billion yuan in 2024.

3 Future Industries

• Future Energy — Hydrogen energy, solid-state batteries, and new energy storage technologies
• Future Intelligence — Artificial intelligence, intelligent sensors, and the Internet of Things
• Future Space — Low-altitude economy, satellite applications, and spatial information industries

1 Producer Service Industry

• Jiading is vigorously developing producer services, including R&D design, testing and certification, industrial finance, and supply chain management, to support the upgrading of advanced manufacturing.

Key Investment Area

To support industrial upgrading, the district is developing several major investment hubs, including the Ecological Green Development Demonstration Zone and Shanghai Intelligent Sensor Industrial Park in the north; Shanghai MedValley Innovative Medical Equipment Industrial Park and Jiading New Town in the central area; and the Shanghai New Energy Vehicle & Key Parts Industrial Base, Shanghai International Automobile City, Jiading Hydrogen Park and North Hongqiao Open Innovation Pilot Zone in the south.

Innovation Ecosystem

As early as 1958, Jiading was designated as a satellite town for emerging science and technology.

The district now hosts a cluster of national-level research institutions including Shanghai Institute of Ceramics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, CAS' Shanghai Institute of Microsystem and Information Technology, and Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics.

Jiading is also home to prestigious universities and colleges including Tongji University and Shanghai University, as well as major sci-tech infrastructure such as the Shanghai Automotive Wind Tunnel Center.

Sources: Shanghai municipal government, Jiading district government, Xinhua News Agency, Shanghai Municipal Administration of Culture and Tourism