This base began to sprout in the 1980s. By 2002, Chifeng Road around Tongji University had initially formed a "modern design street" in a natural state. Later, it developed into "the architectural design industrial belt along Tongji University" and now "the design industrial circle around Tongji University". After years of cultivation and development, the design industry around Tongji University has advanced by leaps and bounds, and thousands of different design enterprises have settled here, becoming the most influential design industry base in China, with an annual output value of 10 billion yuan. The government's dedicated service, the university's superior disciplines and the entrepreneurial spirit of teachers and students have created the miracle of "surrounding Tongji" today. After evaluation by the Ministry of Science and Technology, the industrial circle was approved to be upgraded to "National Torch Plan-Tongji R&D and Design Service Characteristic Industrial Base", becoming the first characteristic industrial base with modern service industry as the main body in the National Torch Plan. The development here will create economic benefits based on human wisdom. This way of focusing on software development fully conforms to the strategic policy of independent innovation proposed by the central government and represents a brand-new development model.

In the future, the development of creative industrial clusters in Shanghai will pay more attention to the laws of commercial format, industrial characteristics, regional service functions, industrial scale and benefits. The unveiling of the design creative industry cluster and the signing of the letter of intent for cooperation will accelerate the cultivation and training of all kinds of design creative professionals, strengthen the construction of public service platform for creative industries, promote the construction of major projects in the cluster, and provide a demonstration for the construction and development of the creative industry cluster in our city. After the replacement, the bus FAW parking lot was placed under Tongji University and transformed into a landmark of "R&D, design and service industry base around Tongji". The base should also absorb other design industries, such as industrial design and art design, and introduce well-known design enterprises at home and abroad to form a complete design industry layout.

The medium and long-term development goals of Tongji knowledge economic circle around Yangpu are: from 2007 to 20 10, the core circle of the economic circle will strive to achieve an average annual growth of 17%, and the total output value will reach 128 billion yuan by 20 10; From 20 1 1 to 20 15, the total output value of core circle, expansion area and radiation point will increase by 20% annually, and the goal of 30 billion yuan in economic circle will be achieved by 20 15.