Shanghai blazes sci-tech frontiers to boost innovation-driven modernization

Shanghai, a leading force for Chinese modernization, is accelerating the pace of building itself into a science and technology innovation center with global influence.

The tech-savvy metropolis is now speeding up the transition from structure building to function strengthening. Taking strengthening the capability of fostering original sci-tech innovations as the main task, it is pursuing both sci-tech innovation and institutional innovation to significantly improve its comprehensive strength in science and technology as well as the overall effects of innovations.

Over the past 10 years since Shanghai began building itself into an international science and technology innovation center, it has reaped fruitful results in sci-tech innovation, which has pushed the metropolis' GDP across the 4-trillion-yuan (about 570 billion U.S. dollars) mark.

In 2023, Shanghai's total research and development expenditure accounted for 4.4 percent of its GDP, and the city's fiscal expenditure on science and technology rose by 36.7 percent to 52.8 billion yuan (about 7.47 billion U.S. dollars).

Driven by science and technology advances, Shanghai's industrial transformation has sped up. The combined scale of the three leading industries of artificial intelligence, integrated circuits, and biomedicine in the city has reached 1.6 trillion yuan (about 226 billion U.S. dollars).

At the National Local Joint Humanoid Robot Innovation Center in Shanghai's Zhangjiang Science City, Qinglong, an open-source general-purpose humanoid robot with a height of 182 centimeters and up to 43 active degrees of freedom, is being trained to pick up oranges.

"After some training, the robot will be able to complete this move by itself when it encounters a similar scenario in the future," said Shi Zhihua, trainer of robot Qinglong.

Thanks to an advanced control software, Qinglong can skillfully perform fast walking, avoid obstacles, go uphill and downhill, and resist impact.

"We plan to build a venue that can simultaneously train 1,000 robots by 2027," Shi said.

The Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility (SSRF), a third-generation medium-energy synchrotron light source facility with 46 laboratories, has been operating around the clock to serve researchers from around the country, whose experiments cover a wide range of fields such as life sciences, materials science and chemical catalysis.

"We are using the SSRF's light to observe the phase change process of this material when it's heated to 1,100 degrees Celsius," said Song Shuang, a PhD candidate of Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

"Our team is developing materials for the energy sector," said Miao Zhikai, a researcher of Tianjin University.

"We are developing cathode materials for sodium-ion batteries," said Li Guodong, a researcher of Fudan University.

Though the laboratories at the SSRF have been running at full capacity, researchers still have to apply for them months in advance, reflecting the vibrancy of innovation in Shanghai.

Shanghai blazes sci-tech frontiers to boost innovation-driven modernization

Olga Sumarokova, a Moscow-based Russian artist, has been devoted to traditional Chinese painting for 15 years, serving as a cultural bridge between China and Russia.

Sumarokova has been deeply fascinated by Chinese painting, particularly the xieyi, or freehand style, which is marked by loose brushstrokes and light colors to convey poetry.

She said what she loves about Chinese painting is the philosophy it embodies, as well as the artistic conception that cannot be fully expressed in words.

Before studying traditional Chinese painting, Sumarokova worked as a designer. She began learning bird-and-flower painting and gongbi painting, a realistic and elaborate-style Chinese painting technique under Russian Chinese-painting artist Yulia Naumova. During her studies, Sumarokova traveled to China almost every year for further training.

At her studio in Moscow, Sumarokova also teaches freehand style Chinese painting. She said that the freehand style of Chinese painting requires long-term observation and moments of inspiration, but without an understanding of Chinese culture, the art would be groundless, like water without a source and a tree without roots.

Sumarokova said she will continue learning from Chinese masters and refining her skills. She said even when her hands tremble one day, she will not give up the art. She plans to keep running her studio, taking part in exhibitions and exchanging with artists from different parts of China.

"I truly admire China's development. China 14 years ago was totally different from it is today. And in terms of the people, the changes in the Chinese people are also remarkable. I'm sure that Chinese people are especially good at expressing their artistic charm," she said.

To celebrate the Chinese New Year, Sumarokova created an ink-wash painting of galloping horses in freehand style. Falling on Tuesday this year, the Spring Festival, or the Chinese New Year, is China's most important festival marked by family reunions, festive foods and New Year wishes. Chinese New Year's Day in 2026 marked the start of the Year of the Horse -- the seventh of the 12 zodiac animals in the Chinese zodiac.

Sumarokova said in Chinese culture, the horse symbolizes speed and achievement. She hopes this year will be filled with good ideas, achievements and exciting moments -- a blessing to her Chinese friends, and to herself.

Russian artist bridges cultures with Chinese ink painting