Established in 1984, the Shanghai Caohejing New Technology Development Zone is one of China’s first national-level economic and technological development zones, high-tech industrial development zones, comprehensive bonded zones, and national ecological industrial demonstration zones. In 2015, it was designated as a key hub for Shanghai’s Science and Technology Innovation Center. It has a planned area of 14.28 square kilometers.

Spanning the Xuhui and Minhang administrative districts, the development zone operates under a model of “legislation by the People’s Congress, government administration, corporate management, and inter-district cooperation.” It is one of the few development zones nationwide that does not have a management committee and operates on a corporate basis.The Shanghai Caohejing New Technology Development Zone Development Corporation is responsible for the park’s development, construction, operational management, and comprehensive services. It collaborates closely with the local administrative districts in areas such as investment promotion, fiscal and tax implementation, municipal infrastructure, environmental protection, and regional management, ensuring complementary functions and shared benefits. The corporation currently operates four major brands: Caohejing, Tech Oasis, New Industry Hub, and Yuanchuang Future.

The development zone is home to more than 15,000 domestic and foreign enterprises, including over 150 investment projects by Fortune Global 500 companies and more than 150 domestically listed enterprises. It has attracted a large number of multinational corporations, industry leaders, and high-level science and technology innovation projects in the city’s artificial intelligence, integrated circuit, life sciences and health, and green and low-carbon industries.In 2024, the Caohejing Development Zone achieved operating revenue of 660 billion yuan, with a workforce exceeding 310,000. It is home to over 1,000 high-tech enterprises and 35 national “Specialized, Refined, Unique, and Innovative” (SRUI) “Little Giants,” maintaining national leadership in multiple core indicators and output per unit area.

Guided by scientific and technological innovation, the Development Zone actively integrates into Shanghai’s strategic layout for innovation and technology, continuously strengthening the “four pillars and eight beams” of its innovation ecosystem. It has introduced national strategic scientific and technological forces such as the Shanghai Center for Disruptive Technology Innovation, the Shanghai Academy of Innovation and Intelligence, the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Shanghai Center, and the University of Hong Kong Institute of Intelligent Computing,as well as high-quality incubators such as the Shanghai Jiao Tong University 3A Global Alumni Center and the Humanoid Robot Innovation Incubator, striving to build itself into a world-class “Caoxi Science and Innovation Hub.”