On October 14th, the Shanghai Nanjing Plus 2025 delegation of early to mid career experts began the Nanjing portion of their research trip.
That morning, the delegation visited the Yihe Road Digital Exhibition Hall in Gulou District, where they engaged in exchanges focused on comprehensive social governance. The Yihe Road Digital Exhibition Hall was originally the Jiangsu Road Domestic Water Treatment Center, which was the first domestically designed and constructed residential wastewater treatment plant in China. In 2023, following the restoration of the former domestic water treatment center site, relevant authorities established the Yihe Road Digital Exhibition Hall at the original location, integrating immersive digital experiences with functions for artistic and cultural exchange.
[A group photo inside the Yihe Road Digital Exhibition Hall]
Through the staff’s explanations and various physical and digital exhibits, the group learned about the history of the exhibition hall, the urban planning of Nanjing, and the everyday lives of the city’s residents during the Republican era.
[Visiting the site of the former domestic water treatment center]
[Experiencing a Republican era telephone switchboard]
Next, the group held a discussion in the exhibition hall’s conference room with officials from Nanjing’s Gulou District and Hunan Road Subdistrict. The discussion was chaired by Chen Guanyuan, Director of the Hunan Road Subdistrict Office, who extended a warm welcome to the delegation. Li Xiaorong, the Chinese Co-Director of the Johns Hopkins University-Nanjing University Center for Chinese and American Studies (Hopkins Nanjing Center), and Adam Webb, the American Co-Director, expressed their gratitude for the Gulou District and the Hunan Road Subdistrict’s strong support of the visit.
[Scene from the discussion session]
[Li Xiaorong, Chinese Co-Director of the Hopkins Nanjing Center]
[Adam Webb, American Co-Director of the Hopkins Nanjing Center]
[The discussion was chaired by Chen Guanyuan, Director of the Hunan Road Subdistrict Office]
During the discussion, Li Qian, Deputy Director of the Gulou District Bureau of Commerce, provided a detailed overview of the district’s development, covering its historical and cultural heritage, economic strength, scientific and educational resources, and industrial layout.
[Li Qian, Deputy Director of the Gulou District Bureau of Commerce]
Later, the delegation members engaged in active and pragmatic discussions with officials from Gulou District and the Hunan Road Subdistrict, focusing on topics such as establishing economic development areas, policies for serving foreign talent, the artificial intelligence industry, China’s “dual-carbon” targets, and the balance between the preservation and utilization of historic buildings.
[Remarks from delegation members]
In the afternoon, the delegation visited the North Campus of Nanjing Business School to conduct an in-depth study of the school’s vocational talent training pathways. Nanjing Business School is nationally designated as a key vocational school and serves as a national model for educational reform and innovation. It is also a National “science and sports” traditional education school, as well as a national-level teacher training base. The school also enjoys the distinction of being the largest vocational school in Nanjing in terms of student enrollment.
[Group photo at Nanjing Business School]
Dragon boat racing is one of the school’s specialty sports programs. At the Nanjing Business School Dragon Boat Team’s training facilities, the delegation members joined teachers and students in vigorous paddling, immersing themselves in the cooperative spirit and athletic challenge of dragon boat training.
[teachers and students experience dragon boat training together]
Afterward, the delegation visited the Accounting Culture Exhibition Hall, the Digital Media Art Program’s Autumn Art Exhibition, and the Logistics Culture Experience Center, where they learned about the school’s professional development and cultural education initiatives. They also watched student demonstrations in drone operation, Baidu AI training, and Neusoft HarmonyOS application development, gaining deeper insight into the school’s practices and achievements in cultivating technologically skilled talent.
[Visiting the Accounting Culture Exhibition Hall, the Digital Media Art Program’s Autumn Art Exhibition, and the Logistics Culture Experience Center]
[Observing drone-operation demonstrations, Baidu artificial intelligence training, and Neusoft HarmonyOS application development]
After their visit, the delegation participated in a discussion themed “Scientific and Technological Innovation and the Training of Skilled Vocational Talent.” The meeting was chaired by Zhou Huaguang, Vice Principal of Nanjing Business School. Zhang Lihai, the school’s Party Secretary, and Adam Webb, the American Co-Director of the Hopkins Nanjing Center, each delivered remarks.
[Scene from the discussion session]
[Remarks by Zhang Lihai, Party Secretary of Nanjing Business School]
[Remarks by Adam Webb, American Co-Director of the Hopkins Nanjing Center]
[The discussion was chaired by Zhou Huaguang, Vice Principal of Nanjing Business School]
The discussion’s participants included Zhou Bing, First-Class Researcher of the Nanjing Gulou High-Tech Industrial Development Zone; Wang Keding, Principal of Nanjing Business School; Sun Wen, Associate Director of Academic Affairs at the Hopkins Nanjing Center; and Huang Kai, Senior Product Operations Manager for Baidu’s AI Technology Ecosystem, among others.
[Some of the guests participating in the discussion]
[A delegation member participating in the discussion]
