Wu is looking to second-tier cities such as Yantai, Wuxi and Changzhou for growth as first-tier cities such as Beijing mature.

FORBES: Wu Yajun & family

Also arriving were tenants like the trade-development office of Changzhou, a Chinese city that uses Pudong "like a bridge" to engage foreign investors, says its director Thomas Zhang.

WSJ: Shanghai's Pudong District Goes From Soulless to Sizzling