The Google Cross-border E-commerce Acceleration Center announced on June 1 its upcoming settlement in Shangcheng District, Hangzhou City, east China's Zhejiang Province. This move marks Shangcheng's leadership in building a world-class digital hub to support local enterprises in going global and will serve as a powerful engine for Hangzhou-based businesses to expand into global markets, according to the information office of Shangcheng District government.
Shangcheng District is a place where time-honored cultural heritage blends perfectly with the rhythms of the modern era. Home to the ruins of the Southern Song imperial city, Shangcheng has been the core of Hangzhou since the Sui and Tang dynasties, carrying forward the elegant Song-style culture for over 800 years. In recent years, the local government has fully advanced the initiative to inherit and promote Song-style culture, building an open-air museum and launching cultural tourism routes themed on Song aesthetics.
Scientific and technological innovation acts as the core driving force for Shangcheng's high-quality development. In 2025, the district launched the construction of a Central Innovation District (CID) to unleash new productive forces. Covering 122 square kilometers, the entire district has evolved from a traditional commercial center into an innovation ecosystem powered mainly by artificial intelligence. Shangcheng has set up a ten-billion-yuan industrial fund for AI and embodied intelligence, providing financial support for cutting-edge tech enterprises from R&D to commercialization.
Driven by this strategy, innovation platforms have flourished. Renovated from old industrial workshops, Xizi Smart Industrial Park gathers over 30 humanoid robot enterprises, and the Zhejiang Humanoid Robot Training Base was inaugurated here in early 2026. The integration of time-honored culture and advanced technology has also given rise to booming international consumption. Adjacent to West Lake, Hubin Pedestrian Street attracts 40 million visits annually and houses over 1,200 renowned brands. Digital and smart applications create distinctive experiences, bringing technological fun to ordinary consumption.
As one of China's most influential garment distribution hubs, Sijiqing Fashion Street is undergoing transformation into an international tourist destination. Digital design and flexible manufacturing have reshaped traditional supply chains, while original designer brands and trendy cultural venues inject youthful vitality. "Rooted in history and culture, driven by scientific and technological innovation, and connected via international consumption, Shangcheng demonstrates to the world how an eastern urban district balances preservation and innovation," said an official of the district government.
