Ellium, a famous women and children hospital, will open a branch in August 2016 at Liangjiang New Area, liangjiang.gov.cn reported.

Ellium is affiliated to JC Health Co, Korea’s largest hospital management company. The hospital will occupy an area of 6,000 square meters, with a total investment of 100 million yuan ($15.39 million).

The new hospital will be a joint venture of Dongyuan New Park Shopping Mall and Ellium in Korea. Ellium’s experience of hospital management and medical service expertise will help the hospital offer tailored service to Chongqing residents.

The hospital will offer comprehensive medical services such as dental care, gynecology, obstetrics and complete checkups.

The opening hours of the hospital will be the same as those of the shopping mall, meaning patients can wander around the mall while waiting for their turn at the hospital.

Traditional shopping malls are suffering from competition from e-commerce. Many Chongqing shopping malls are turning to so-called “Experience shopping” to address the problem. However, bringing in a medical service agency is a first in Chongqing.

Since the China-Korea FTA went into effect in 2015, communications between the two countries have been accelerating. An increasing number of Korean companies are settling down in Liangjiang New Area.

The establishment of this China-Korea hospital has showcased Liangjiang’s openness and ability to serve international markets.

Apart from industry, high-end service investment is heating up. The Chongqing University of Science and Technology has cooperated with KAIST (the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology) in a dual degree program in that area.