2018年CRI Shanghai FTZ helps boost cultural exports

 

The Streaming down the Yangtze team is in Shanghai, home to China's first Free Trade Zone.

As a major shipping¹ and trading city Shanghai grew in importance in the 19th century due to imports, exports, and recognition of its economic potential.

The municipality is located in the heart of the Yangtze River Delta², where the river flows into the East China Sea.

Our reporter Min Rui is in Shanghai with the "Streaming down the Yangtze" team. We earlier had a conversation with her on the "Beijing Hour".

So first of all, please tell us more about Shanghai, the Yangtze River Delta, and the outlook of that area.

The Yangtze River Delta is literally³ a triangle-shaped metropolitan⁴ region. Generally, it is comprised by Shanghai, southern Jiangsu province and northern Zhejiang province.

According to official data, the area is home to over 115 million people as of 2013.

One thing that you should be aware of is that the Yangtze River Delta Economic Zone is of great importance to the Chinese economy. It accounts for 20 percent of China's GDP and is responsible for one third of the country’s imports and exports.

Tell us more about the Free Trade Zone you visited and what is new there?

The Shanghai Free Trade Zone or FTZ for short was first launched 5 years ago. The area is designated to respond new challenges posed by the new situation. 

Here, everyone including the business man and government officials working together to explore new paths and accumulate good experience for all-round reform and opening-up.

Later on, a dozen of FTZs was introduced to more inland areas, like Henan, Hubei, Shaanxi and Chongqing.

In 2014, I visited the Shanghai FTZ when it had its one-year anniversary. Many firms were listed in the area but the trade volume was not very big compare to the overall volume.

But now, new business modes have taken shape, maturating and improving with the preferential policies, many foreign firms have also found its ground and started to benefit, especially in the culture and art sector⁵.

Earlier I talked to Shanghai FTZ International Culture Investment and Development General Manager Assistant Wang Jiaming.

He said the trade on culture products was only one-way in the past, with foreign paintings and items coming in. But now, it is a two-way trade and the company has upgraded all types of services to cope with rising demands.

The firm also plans to open a new in-bound service center with the high international security standards at the end of 2018. And it will become an important hub for cultural exchanges and artwork trade between east and west and a new landmark⁶ of the culture industry of the Free Trade Zone.

Apart from the city and its trade, a typhoon is hitting that area. What is the latest news on that?

Typhoon Yagi is this year's 14th typhoon, made landfall at around 11:35 Sunday evening in Wenling County in east China’s Zhejiang Province.

By Sunday afternoon, some 205,000 people in ten cities, including Taizhou, Zhoushan, and Wenzhou had been evacuated⁷.

Thousands of fishing boats and vessels⁸ had taken shelter.

China's national observatory⁹ on Sunday upgraded the alert for typhoon Yagi from blue to yellow, as it had a strong presence and might cost damage.

In Shanghai, the local authorities have ordered relevant offices to prepare for possible disasters, and local residents to stay indoors until the Typhoon passed.

When finishing the interview around midday, I was caught in a big downpour with thunders and lightings.

I also heard that Yagi will weaken today after making landfall and continue to move northwest inland.

1 shipping   

n.船运（发货，运输，乘船）

参考例句：

• We struck a bargain with an American shipping firm.我们和一家美国船运公司谈成了一笔生意。
• There's a shipping charge of ￡5 added to the price.价格之外另加五英镑运输费。

2 delta   

n.（流的）角洲

参考例句：

• He has been to the delta of the Nile.他曾去过尼罗河三角洲。
• The Nile divides at its mouth and forms a delta.尼罗河在河口分岔，形成了一个三角洲。

3 literally   

adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实

参考例句：

• He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
• Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候，她不走到真正要昏厥了，决不肯坐下来。

4 metropolitan   

adj.大城市的，大都会的

参考例句：

• Metropolitan buildings become taller than ever.大城市的建筑变得比以前更高。
• Metropolitan residents are used to fast rhythm.大都市的居民习惯于快节奏。

5 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

6 landmark   

n.陆标，划时代的事，地界标

参考例句：

• The Russian Revolution represents a landmark in world history.俄国革命是世界历史上的一个里程碑。
• The tower was once a landmark for ships.这座塔曾是船只的陆标。

7 evacuated   

撤退者的

参考例句：

• Police evacuated nearby buildings. 警方已将附近大楼的居民疏散。
• The fireman evacuated the guests from the burning hotel. 消防队员把客人们从燃烧着的旅馆中撤出来。

8 vessels   

n.血管( vessel的名词复数 )；船；容器；（具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的）人

参考例句：

• The river is navigable by vessels of up to 90 tons. 90 吨以下的船只可以从这条河通过。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• All modern vessels of any size are fitted with radar installations. 所有现代化船只都有雷达装置。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

9 observatory   

n.天文台，气象台，瞭望台，观测台

参考例句：

• Guy's house was close to the observatory.盖伊的房子离天文台很近。
• Officials from Greenwich Observatory have the clock checked twice a day.格林威治天文台的职员们每天对大钟检查两次。