On June 1, the Google Cross-border E-commerce Acceleration Center announced its upcoming settlement in Shangcheng District, Hangzhou City, east China's Zhejiang Province, marking a significant step in building a world-class digital hub to support local enterprises in going global, according to the information office of Shangcheng District government. This development positions Shangcheng as a powerful engine for Hangzhou-based businesses to expand into global markets, leveraging Google's expertise in cross-border e-commerce.
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, it has been the core of Hangzhou since the Sui and Tang dynasties, carrying forward elegant Song-style culture for over 800 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, advancing the coordinated development of historic district preservation and urban renewal. Qinghefang Historical and Cultural Characteristic Block still retains the architectural layout of the Ming and Qing dynasties, with timeless herbal aromas of Hu Qing Yu Tang Chinese Pharmacy and exquisite fan craftsmanship of Wang Xing Ji passed down through generations.
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 an area of 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 artificial intelligence and embodied intelligence, providing financial support for cutting-edge tech enterprises from R&D to commercialization. The district is home to more than 50,000 college graduates under the age of 35, with a total talent pool of 420,000. Its index for the commercialization of scientific and technological achievements ranks among the top tier in Zhejiang Province.
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 officially inaugurated there in early 2026. At the base, humanoid robots have been put into use in factories and daily scenarios, with continuous breakthroughs in core technologies such as motion control and environmental perception. The integration of time-honored culture and advanced technology has also given rise to booming international consumption in Shangcheng. Adjacent to West Lake, Hubin Pedestrian Street attracts 40 million visits annually and houses over 1,200 renowned domestic and international brands, with digital and smart applications creating distinctive experiences. As one of China's most influential garment distribution hubs, Sijiqing Fashion Street is undergoing a full transformation into an international tourist and consumption destination, with digital design and flexible manufacturing reshaping supply chains.
"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 strikes a balance between preservation and innovation, enabling millennia-old heritage to write a new chapter in the contemporary era," said an official of the district government. The arrival of the Google Cross-border E-commerce Acceleration Center underscores Shangcheng's ambition to become a global digital hub, blending heritage with modernity to drive economic growth and international trade.
