Shanghai Putuo district bolsters efforts to attracted talent

Shanghai's Putuo district, together with the publicity department of Shanghai municipal government, is on target to lure more cultural talents with affordable rental housing, favorable policies and available community services, according to the district on Monday.

West Joy Apartment, a brand under Shanghai-based State-owned enterprise West Group, is providing such government subsidized housing for cultural talents.

"We are providing 150 apartments for cultural talents as in the first batch, and over 80 of them have been signed for," said Zhou Hua, the group's deputy general manager.

Zhou noted that in addition to favorable subsidies, cultural talents are also able to enjoy well-developed facilities and diverse activities in the community, such as cultural lectures, bookstores, fitness rooms, study rooms, function rooms, cafe, restaurants and laundry areas.

"We will regularly organize various online and offline activities catering to young people's demands and interests, and provide a social networking platform among our residents. Also, our community is pet-friendly," she added.

A total of 80 cultural talents moved into the community on Monday as the keys of apartments were presented by Zhao Jiaming, member of the Standing Committee of the Shanghai Municipal Party Committee and head of the publicity department. Among them is Jiang Chenrui, a reporter with Shanghai-based media The Paper.

"The community boasts garden-style environments, personalized design, fashionable social space and convenient transportation. And the most attractive part is the favorable price of rent and services, which can help me save a lot on the cost of living and pursue a better life," said Jiang.

As Shanghai is striving to build an international cultural metropolis, Putuo district is ramping up efforts to foster its cultural industries and continuously attract talents.

"Seizing the opportunity of digital transformation, we have cultivated and formed a number of distinctive cultural and creative industry clusters, such as digital advertising, film and television performing arts, gaming and e-sports," said Jiang Dongdong, the Party secretary of Putuo district.

"We will continue to boost the development of cultural and creative industries and provide optimized services for cultural talents, to help them realize their dreams and make the district their home."