政府新闻
外滩金融科技中心是全球内容创作者的新聚集地 2025-07-20
The Bund FTC in Huangpu District
Content creators, including Paul Mike Ashton (center) and Norah (4th left), pose with their district-provided "creator service packs".
American multimedia creator Paul Mike Ashton watched the light fade over Shanghai's Lujiazui skyline from the Bund FTC's window.
Known online as "Bao Bao Xiong," Ashton is famous in China for the creation of the viral phrase "City or not city" – a playful test of whether something feels stylish or not.
The FTC, a digital content creation hub in Huangpu District, opened with dozens of top content creators.
"This is the first time I've visited a space made just for creators," Ashton remarked. "Shanghai keeps inspiring me. There's always something new to explore – and this time, it's right here."
The building at 69 Jiujiang Road is conveniently located near the Bund and the Nanjing Road Pedestrian Mall. Its name stands for "Fun, Trend, and Creator."
It is the city's latest attempt to make storytelling a full-fledged industry. It was introduced alongside "Measures to Support the Creation of High-Quality Online Content," a policy package to support digital artists, incubators, and content firms.
The shared office and meeting space at the newly unveiled Bund FTC
FTC offers content makers a base in the historic seven-story building known as the Guxiang Building.
The facility includes livestream studios, shared workspaces, creative lounges, and rooftop event areas with views of the skyline.
Huangpu has allocated one of its most premium spaces near the Bund to develop the FTC in partnership with social media platform Xiaohongshu (RED), said Xu Huili , director of the district.
"The Bund FTC is a new base for the most creative people," Xu said. "We will provide space, flow, funds, and services to help ideas grow and thrive."
The FTC, according to Xu, aims to assist creators throughout their entire development cycle. It includes "one-stop" services, such as business registration, financing support, IP protection, and residency assistance.
Policies also offer financial subsidies for firms and talent grants for recognized creators. Select influencers at the event, including Ashton and Norah, received "creator service packs" from the district.
A livestream room for content creators
Norah, a bilingual comedian and the founder of Spicy Comedy, believes the city's new policies and visa support will attract more international talent.
"The place gives us creators room to work comfortably and tell better stories about Shanghai," she told Shanghai Daily. "I feel like it's the right time for us Chinese people to tell the stories abroad."
Norah's group has performed in Australia and Japan. "We currently have comedians from the United States, the United Kingdom, South Africa, and the Middle East. These new policies make it easier for them to stay and advance their careers here."
Visitors to the FTC can use livestream rooms on multiple floors, as well as shared offices and rooftop gardens, for video events.
One livestream studio on the third floor is furnished with plants, echoing the "green vitality" theme that the developers say inspires creativity.
The shared office and meeting space
Wu Lizhi, a senior executive at Shanghai-based Lingmao Media, said the FTC location gives her company a strategic hiring advantage.
"If we're incubating beauty bloggers or fashion influencers, this kind of location helps us attract the right talent," she said.
Wu said the newly released content creator incentives from both city and district governments provide clear benefits.
"One key point is access to historical buildings and cultural venues for filming – that's great for our creators," she said.
"The second is household registration. We have many post-2000 employees who wish to stay in Shanghai long-term. Residency support helps them and helps our business grow sustainably."
More than 100 bloggers participated in a livestream campaign called "Huangpu Night Market." Influencers posted from hot spots like the Bund and Xintiandi, attracting over 10 million online views.
Ashton recently featured his parents in a new vlog, guiding them through Shanghai as they ordered food in Chinese and dressed in traditional outfits like qipao. The video quickly gained attention for its mix of humor and cultural connection.
"Being able to promote a city or share a culture you truly love – that's a dream job for a lot of people," Ashton said.
He added that the FTC helps break the solitude many creators experience. "Shanghai is probably going to get more overseas content creators than you ever expected."
The shared office and meeting space
Source: City News Service
