The China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone (SHFTZ) launched a "model company" selection campaign in March 2017, aiming to highlight its innovation and reform achievements over the past years. The six-month long event invited more than 80,000 SHFTZ-registered companies to sign up via self-recommendation or via recommendation from others.

After publication, application, on-site inspection, experts' voting and online voting, the campaign selected the top 10 model companies and six sample enterprises, covering foreign-funded, State-owned and private companies, which served as examples of successfully utilizing SHFTZ's innovative measures to enhance growth and development.

In addition, the SHFTZ has compiled a case book of first model companies for its policy innovation, with the hope of encouraging more companies to turn the Zone's innovative measures and preferential policies into their own advantages and growth points.

About SHFTZ International Culture Investment and Development Co Ltd

Founded in July, 2014, Shanghai Pilot Free Trade Zone (SHFTZ) International Culture Investment and Development Co Ltd is a public service platform for SHFTZ-based art and culture industries. It takes charge of the overall management of the development of culture-related businesses at the zone and is in charge of the SHFTZ International Trade Center of Artworks. 

Based on the features of art and culture products and to meet the specific actual import and export demands, a series of reform measures have been carried out by SHFTZ International Culture Investment and Development Co Ltd, in an effort to facilitate artworks trade.

According to the "bonded exhibition and trade" policy, the imported artworks are allowed to exhibit outside bounded area for more than half a year without the need to pay custom duty and added-value tax, so that enterprises can have more time to arrange exhibition tours of artworks.  

Simplified approval and supervision process for importing artworks have been carried out at SHFTZ, reducing the time for entry procedures to less than a week from the original more than 20 workdays. This can save the SHFTZ International Trade Center of Artworks and other culture and art organizations a lot of time and thus attract more organizations to conduct business at SHFTZ, enriching culture and art activities in SHFTZ and promoting cultural exchanges between China and foreign countries.

Shanghai Customs District and Shanghai Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau authorized SHFTZ to quarantine the artworks containing animal and plant specimen that imported from low-risk countries. Based on risk assessment system, SHFTZ employs classification management method to simplify the quarantine procedure and reduce time for customs clearance.

The facilitation measures will further promote the development of international cultural industry at SHFTZ and bring more conveniences for art and culture enterprises.