Now there is more of Nanjing mall to love
Alocal amateur photographer who goes by the name Uncle Chen can’t count the times he’s taken pictures of Nanjing Road Pedestrian Mall, Shanghai’s iconic shopping street, in the past several decades.
Chen, 68, stepped on the newly paved gray tiles of the mall last Saturday, the first day of this year’s Shanghai Tourism Festival. He recorded the street’s recent makeover with his camera. And there was certainly plenty new to add to his portfolio.
If the curve of the Huangpu River at the Bund is the “bow” of Shanghai, Nanjing Road is like the “arrow” on an east-west axis. Two of the most popular attractions in Shanghai are now linked by an extension of the mall on the eastern side, creating a 1.5kilometer stretch of culture, tourism and shopping.
“Prior to the extension, there were too many people and vehicles in the narrow roads of the area, and that made it very crowded,” Chen told Shanghai Daily. “Now that it has been broadened, we have a clear view of the Oriental Pearl TV Tower from the mall.”
Dubbed China’s “Fifth Avenue,” Nanjing Road was called Park Lane in the mid-19th century, back when it was the nation’s first asphalt roadway.
It carried Shanghai’s first car in 1901 and its first tram in 1908. The western end of the road was turned into a pedestrian mall in 1999.
The street long enjoyed distinction as Shanghai’s prime retail area, where people could find imported foreign goods alongside some of the city’s most venerated old-brand merchandise.
Some of the brands died out when overseas retailers were allowed into the city. Those that have survived are finding a new lease on life along the new eastern extension.
The century-old Ci’anli Building is a five-story, L-shaped structure in the Queen Anne style. The window pockets of the building were decorated with red brick frames or white arcades, while dormer windows jutted out from below a pitched roof.
A branch of time-honored Shanghai brand Taikang Foods has become a new tenant there.
At 3pm last Saturday, long lines formed outside the store to buy its specialty — meat-stuffed mooncakes. To cater to younger tastes, the shop has added a few modern popular food items and drink brands.
“We sell traditional brands like White Rabbit candies as well,” said Xu Mingxi, chief of the new branch. “The ground floor is a mixture of traditional and modern food, and the second floor has a Japanese gastropub and an Italian-style pizzeria. The third floor sells coffee and gelato.”
The fourth floor houses a teahouse featuring the old Shanghai tea brand Wangyiji. Xu said the site was once a place frequented by famed Chinese writer Lu Xun. The old wooden stairs to the fourth floor were retained during interior decoration.
“As we all know, Taikang is a local brand with a long history,” Xu said. “But with customers becoming younger, we have to cater to their needs. That’s why we opened this branch on the extension of the mall.”
Next to the Taikang store, domestic sportswear maker Anta, a supplier to the 2022 Winter Olympic Games and Paralympic Games in Beijing, has established an Olympicthemed flagship store, with mannequins “skiing” in the show window.
According to Lu Yali, manager of the store, merchandise included standard sportswear and some products especially designed for the Olympics.
On the other side of the building four old Shanghai brands have opened a bar, cafe and eatery. Shao Wan Sheng is famous for pickled food, San Yang Sheng for dried foods, Lao Da Tong for edible farm products like fungi, and Huang Long Tai for tea.
“We started trial operation on September 8, and most of our old customers were surprised by this change,” said Yan Sizhong, who works at Shao Wan Sheng. “We’ve sold pickled food for more than a century, but the young generation may not like that so much. So we are creating new foods to attract young diners.”
The store has been refitted to include a bar, where patrons can enjoy a glass of bear and Iberian ham.
Lao Da Tong called its new store Shandao Rice Shop. The store is working with Harbinbased agricultural brand Shandao to promote rice and its long history as part of Chinese cuisine.
On the ground floor, people can buy rice drinks and rice ice cream, and some rice snacks and rice skin care products. For those who want to have a meal, there are set menus with six varieties of Shanghai cuisine. The food is served on small glass plates set on a wooden tray, resembling the appetizers of the traditional Japanese meal kaiseki ryori.
The dishes will change with the seasons, said Zhang Yuhe, who works at rice store.
“We developed new varieties of cakes for young people, such as a cat-shaped cake,” said a shop assistant at San Yang