Shanghai roads, markets decked up to revive nighttime economy
Yang Jian and Li Qian
A ROAD in Xintiandi launched a new round of test operations from Saturday, closing to traffic at certain times to allow entertainment, markets and food stalls.
A section of Hubin Road near Taiping Lake will become pedestrian-only from 8pm on Fridays to 5am on Mondays through January 1.
The road received some 190,000 visitors during initial operations, featuring street artists, business stalls and outdoor movies.
There are many multinational enterprises near Xintiandi where employees are more likely to work at night and have demands for businesses and services around the clock.
Hubin Road Dynamic Street will have four sections to cater for tourists and citizens. They include a stage for street artists, a bazaar, an entertainment park and an art space.
Street artists and food carts are allowed on the street with most shows between 10am and 10pm.
“I like the idea because it offers more activities for my kids,” said Erika Mijangos from Spain, who lives beside Hubin Road. “I just hope there won’t be too much noise at night.”
Massimo Bressan, a tourist from Italy, said the street was attractive to foreign tourists.
“My wife and I were attracted to the street from other part of Xintiandi by the street dances,” he said.
Chen Jun, co-founder of local jewelry brand Rancy, said the street offered a great chance to communicate with customers directly. Previously, the startup, based in Baoshan District, mainly talked with customers through the Internet.
He has opened another stall on Daxue Road in Yangpu District, which is also operating late at night.
Shanghai is reviving its nightlife after shutting down noisy late-night bars and eateries over the past few years in response to residents’ complaints. The revival is part of efforts to become an international shopping destination.
Huangpu has a number of popular nightlife destinations such as Xintiandi and Found158, featuring bars and eateries. These sites are especially popular with foreign residents and tourists.
A lantern festival featuring “Honor of Kings,” one of the world’s most profitable mobile games, opened at Yuyuan Garden Malls yesterday.
Attracting young to malls
Over 1,000 traditional lanterns made by heritage lantern-making masters are illuminating the dining and shopping facilities near the historic garden every night through Wednesday.
The lantern show, incorporating traditional art and skills with the game, aims to attract more younger people to the malls, while promoting the city’s nightlife.
Another nightlife fair opened over the weekend in Jing’an District.
Anyi Road, between Changde Road and Tongren Road, is a small quiet lane tucked away near the Jing’an Kerry Center, but on Saturday night and last night, it turned into a stylish night market.
The pop-up fair will open from 4:30pm to 12am on Saturday and 2:30pm to 10pm on Sunday, through January 19.
On Saturday, the neon-lit street was jammed. Visitors strolled around with beer and snacks in hand, and stopped by performers, games and shopping stalls.
The street was covered with artificial grass and decorated with seasonal decorations such as orange blossoms and pumpkins.
Both sides of the street were dotted with food stalls offering pumpkin pie, grilled sausage and fried dough sticks.
Not far away, yard games, such as ring toss, were popular. There were also street artists and live performances.