BEIJING, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) -- Apart from the spacious interior, one could hardly find any other clue that this high-tech park in northwest Beijing was transformed from a furniture factory compound.
"Our park is home to more than 260 high-tech enterprises, including six unicorn companies and 16 gazelle companies," said Zhang Lin, assistant general manager of Beijing Jinyu Culture and Technology Development Co., Ltd.
"We have already forged an industrial cluster for artificial intelligence, big data and healthcare. It is indeed a place where the old meets the new," said Zhang, referring to the Jinnovation Park, a high-tech hub located at an old factory site in Haidian District, Beijing.
ADVANTAGES REDISOVERED
"The park is quite different from similar industrial hubs since we retain the tall and spacious buildings of the previous Temple of Heaven Furniture Factory," Zhang said.
The renovation project was initiated in 2016 when the furniture factory, founded in 1956, was relocated to Hebei Province.
The designers had always wanted to retain as many of the original, decades-old structures and resources as possible. By renovation and upgrading, the park has reduced wastewater discharge by 26,000 tons annually since it was opened in 2019.
Yet, the park compound lacks underground space, which is a common feature of old structures built in the 20th century but seems to be an obvious drawback today.
"It can be an edge otherwise," Zhang said. "Those buildings are particularly favored by companies and institutes that have heavy and large devices and equipment. Most of our buildings can withstand 5 tons per square meter on the ground floor, which meets the research and test needs of some institutes and tech enterprises."
That's why the State Key Lab of Additive Manufacturing Tech, or 3D Tech, led by top Chinese engineering expert Wang Huaming, chose to settle in the park. A titanium-alloy 3D printer operates smoothly in the lab despite weighing far more than the two-ton load limit of a typical factory floor.
The park's distance from the subway is another distinct advantage for the lab. With the rapid development and significant expansion of Beijing's urban rail transit network, it's much more convenient for many people to commute, Zhang noted, "But it's another story for research since the ground can vibrate for quite a while when a train passes by. Located at least 2 km from the nearest subway station, our park is an ideal place for precision instruments and machinery, free from the constant vibrations of passing trains."
FUTURE MEETS HERITAGE
As one roams in the 200,000-square meter park, it's easy to feel the pulse of cutting-edge technology. Most of the companies here are start-ups specializing in industries ranging from AI, new energy, to healthcare and space technology.
Among them is high-end medical device developer X-MAGTECH, developing equipment for cardiac and cerebral functional magnetic imaging. With atomic magnetometers as its core technology platform, the company has successfully developed high-end medical imaging devices such as magnetocardiography and magnetoencephalography with complete independent intellectual property rights, breaking the United States' monopoly in the field of quantum biological magnetic field imaging.
Many flagship companies have also found a home here, including Beijing Megvii -- China's top AI company and the world's largest third-party authentication provider -- and Percent Technology -- China's leading data intelligence solutions provider.
To attract more talent and teams, the park has committed itself to building an integrated service system to help establish incubators and share resources, streamline application processes, and offer comfortable amenities like canteens, gyms, convenience stores, free shuttle bus services, as well as public rental housing with the support of the local government.
A young employee of Long Shun Cheng Production Base said he is pride of his job at the base, a national Intangible Cultural Heritage museum and workshop, which lies in the southernmost part of the park.
As a time-honored hardwood furniture brand, Long Shun Cheng has organized activities to "showcase exquisite furniture and its production process, helping the young people experience the charm of traditional craftsmanship up close, and, in so doing, carrying forward traditional Chinese culture in an innovative manner," said Zhang. ■
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