Shanghai is bringing metaverse activities to 20 urban areas to help citizens use digital tools in different ways in different areas. The effort is part of a pilot program by the Shanghai Municipal Committee for Economic Informatization to promote more metaverse applications to residents.
Shanghai to Bring Metaverse to 20 City Spots
Shanghai, China, is rapidly moving to integrate Metaverse as part of its citizens’ lives. The Shanghai Municipal Economic Informatization Commission recently announced a pilot program to turn 20 city spots into “major metaverse application scenarios” that will incorporate digital technology in several ways.
The implementation of this technology will cover a variety of social sectors, including business operations, education, branding, and entertainment. The city hopes that this will allow citizens to receive smarter services from city facilities in these areas. For example, in the medical field, Ruijin Hospital will set up a virtual reality (VR) facility that will inspect patient rooms in a metaverse representation.
In the same field, Shanghai Eye and Ear Hospital will launch a metaverse diagnostic system, allowing doctors to treat patients with 3D scanning equipment.
Other Highlights
The biggest attraction offering metaverse capabilities is the Eastern Pearl Tower, a landmark that stands about 0.5 kilometers high. This broadcasting tower, which is often visited by tourists, will be able to be flown over Shanghai’s commercial areas with a VR-enabled application.
Guo Yifeng, general manager of the Shanghai Tower, explained that he hopes this new focus may help the recently renovated tower attract more visitors. He said,:
We hope that these new metaverse projects will enrich people’s visiting experience and make our online marketing more accessible and interesting.
We also plan to launch an online market on Nanjing Road, another downtown area of the city, where people can shop using digital renminbi, China’s CBDC (Central Bank Digital Currency).
All of these initiatives are part of a plan that the city announced last July, in which it declared that Shanghai aims to become a $52 billion metaverse cluster by 2025 and outlined various goals to be reached. One of those goals is to add a digital component to various activities and sectors.
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