Virtual Office

Shanghai Virtual Office & Office Space

Why would i need a virtual office in Shanghai?

The city of Shanghai which is located at the river banks of the Yangtze River Delta, is the largest city in China with a population of over 10 million people. Strategically located on the east coast of China, Shanghai has historically been a busy port for trading and commercial activities. Even till this day, the importance of Shanghai is instrumental for China as this city is a center for economic, financial, commercial and communications activity within this rapidly developing country. With a GDP of 625.1 billion (2003), Shanghai has links with the central government and is an ideal choice as a regional headquarters for many international firms within the financial sector.

Therefore, with China enjoying an annual growth rate of 12% (2004), Shanghai contributes to this growth through a mushrooming of skyscrapers throughout the business districts of the city. The major business district in Shanghai is the Pudong district where the majority of the skyscrapers in the cities are located. Currently, the tallest building standing at 1535 feet in Shanghai is the Oriental Pearl TV Tower, which primarily functions as a transmission tower. However, an observatory constructed at the top of the building serves as a tourist attraction for sightseeing purposes. Perhaps the most unique feature about this tower is the 20-room Space Hotel, located in the middle section between the two larges spheres at the top and bottom of the tower.

Also located in Pudong, the Jin Mao tower is the tallest commercial building in China, and has been built with the largest observation deck located on the 88th floor, the highest floor of this building. With multiple users designated for this skyscraper, the 3rd to 50th floors are office space, while the 53rd till the 87th floors are occupied by the Grand Hyatt of Shanghai. Amongst the renowned office tenants of the Jin Mao Tower include the Shanghai Diamond Exchange, Compaq, Manulife, the American Chamber of Commerce, ABN Amro, law offices such as Barlow Lyde & Gilbert and Manulife-Sinochem Life Insurance. This good mix of tenants therefore makes the Jin Mao Tower a truly suitable choice for a virtual office location. Other attractive attributes of this tower is the fact that it has been designed to withstand earthquakes of up to 7 on the Richter scale as well as typhoons of up to 200 km/h.

Other skyscrapers within the area of Pudong include the Bocom Financial Towers which are both standing at 869 feet. Furthermore, the Bank of Shanghai headquarters and the Bank of China Tower are also other high-rise buildings located within the Pudong district. The construction of these towers is in line with the reputation of the district as a financial center. This is why setting up a virtual office center at any of these towers would be suited for companies in the financial services sector.

The success of Pudong as a financial district is attributed to the designation of that area as a Special Economic Zone. This is particularly prominent on the western tip of the Pudong area known as the Lujiazui Finance and Trade Zone. In fact, the Jin Mao Tower and the Oriental Pearl TV tower had been built specifically to raise the reputation of this area.

Similarly, another area within Pudong that has been designated as a free-trade area is the Waigaoqiao area in north-east Pudong. This area with an area of 552 sq km on the eastern bank of the HuangPu River has been developed to attract foreign investments and is equipped with facilities and infrastructure such as bonded warehouse, deep water harbor, export processing, communications facilities and transportation access through an underground tunnel. Additionally, there are 6000 companies from 72 countries setting up facilities in this area, many of which are Fortune 500 companies such as Sony, Intel, JVC, Toshiba, Siemens, IBM, Swatch and Sharp.

Another commercial area in Shanghai where skyscrapers are also found in abundance is within the Puxi area in the Jing An District. Relatively older and more crowded as compared to the Pudong area, the Puxi area is where structures such as the Plaza 66 with a height of 945 feet, the Tomorrow Square standing at 934 ft and the Hong Kong New World Tower towering at 913 feet, are situated. Multinationals with offices in the Puxi area include BP, GE and Sony Music.

The Plaza 66 is the second tallest building in Shanghai and the tallest building in Puxi. With 66 stories on the first block and 44 stories on the second block, the Plaza 66 offers 55,000 sq. meters of office space. Apart from that, the communications infrastructure set up within this building is excellent, with unshielded twisted pair cables as well as fiber optic cables laid on each floor. This infrastructure has been set up as an effort to provide good facilities in order to attract companies to set up their corporate offices in the plaza. Thus, the Plaza 66 would be suitable as a location for a virtual office within Shanghai.

Apart from that, the Puxi area is also renowned as a cultural center, with The Shanghai Museum, The Shanghai Grand Theatre and the Bund all located within Puxi. Additionally, with the abundance of bars and pubs as well as two major shopping centers in Puxi, this location is also renowned for entertainment and shopping. Thus, it would be ideal to set up a virtual office for companies involved in the entertainment industry.

In conclusion, with Shanghai as an important commercial center for China and also as a booming city, it would truly be beneficial to set up a virtual office in this city. This is as with the recognition and association that this city has to offer, having a virtual office here would elevate the status of any corporation doing business in China.