In a continued push to refine the district's business climate, Kong Fu'an, Party Secretary of Changning District, recently led a delegation to tour LI NING (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. and Shanghai Hesai Technology Co., Ltd. The visit offered an in-depth look at the companies' growth histories, product evolution, operational footprints, innovation efforts, and talent development strategies, followed by a sit-down discussion with their management teams to hear their feedback and suggestions firsthand.
Since its founding in 1990, LI NING has built a reputation as a premier Chinese sportswear brand, concentrating on five key categories: basketball, running, fitness, badminton, and athletic lifestyle. The company is dedicated to championing healthy living and fostering community sports engagement. The Shanghai Li Ning Center, based at Changning's Haisu Cultural Plaza and operational since June 2023, serves as the group's Yangtze River Delta regional hub. Kong Fu'an toured the brand reception area, the flagship store, and the fitness center, reviewing the company's brand trajectory and examining its product lineups and fitness operations. He lauded the label's achievements in strengthening the "national trend" identity and expanding its reach across domestic and global markets.
The Party Secretary encouraged the company to ramp up investments in technological innovation and product R&D, leveraging the district's distinctive "AI plus platform economy" sector to enhance its e-commerce capabilities. He urged Li Ning to stay attuned to market demand and emerging trends, rolling out consumer experiences that are the latest, trendiest, and most value-driven. Additionally, he called on the brand to play a more active role in promoting nationwide fitness initiatives and organizing sporting events. Kong Fu'an directed relevant departments to be more proactive and precise in their support—addressing the company's practical needs around market operations, talent acquisition and development, and technology applications—while acting as dedicated "gold-medal butlers" and "best partners" who respond readily to requests but never interfere unnecessarily.
Hesai Technology stands as a world-leading physical AI infrastructure firm, offering a product suite that includes LiDAR sensors, the Kosmo spatial intelligence platform, and robot power modules. These offerings cover the full spectrum of robotics—from "perception and comprehension to execution"—and have achieved large-scale commercial implementation. In 2023, Hesai established a wholly-owned subsidiary, Shanghai Hesai Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd., based at Haisu Cultural Plaza, to systematically build out its global operations center. Kong Fu'an toured the company's showroom, observing the LiDAR product range and demonstrations of the Sharpa robot, powered by Hesai's modular systems. He expressed strong recognition of the firm's progress in tech R&D and AI application development.
Kong Fu'an noted that Changning's defining features—its "digital-intelligent" orientation and "international flair"—offer rich ground for corporate technological upgrades, application deployment, and global expansion. He expressed hope that Hesai will take a leading role in the district's artificial intelligence innovation push, establishing benchmark use cases and driving the widespread integration of embodied intelligence into production and daily life across various sectors. He instructed relevant departments to fine-tune their corporate services, thinking ahead on resource mobilization, scenario access, and talent support to address the company's concerns proactively. The goal, he added, is to foster deep connections along the industry chain and jointly cultivate a vibrant ecosystem for innovation and entrepreneurship.