Moments in April丨Shanghai Daily & JING'AN News

program puts Jing’an

at the forefront of new launches

Visit Jing’an to experience Shanghai’s spring buzz. Jing’an, known for shopping streets, heritage landmarks and heavyweight flagship stores, is now embracing firsts as part of Shanghai’s “FIRST in Shanghai” program, which highlights new launches, premieres and flagship openings.

At the beautifully restored Zhangyuan complex, Celine has unveiled “Été Celine,” a summer pop-up bringing a slice of the Riviera to central Shanghai. Visitors can shop for ready-to-wear, accessories, jewelry and fragrances inside the historic shikumen (stone gate) site, which now has dunes, wooden beach-style pavilions, surfboards, bicycles and an ice cream stand. The biggest draw is a personalized service — launched globally here and exclusive to Zhangyuan — where shoppers can customize bags, small leather goods and denim with motifs ranging from the Chinese zodiac to archival designs and alphabet lettering.

WEVE2050, a London sustainable fashion label, debuted its SS26 collection in Zhangyuan.

Passersby on Maoming Road N. have been filming Unitree’s humanoid robots performing in public. The brand’s first Asian immersive experience store will open at Jiuguang Department Store near Jing’an Temple in May. It will showcase Unitree’s latest robotics and hands-on consumer experiences in over 100 square meters.

Apple’s largest Chinese mainland flagship store, opposite Jiuguang Department Store, hosted Feng Chen Wang’s AW26 show on its outdoor plaza. It marked the London-based Chinese designer’s first standalone catwalk presentation in China.

Jing’an is using a packed spring lineup of coffee culture, theater premieres and grand flower displays to draw crowds back to shopping streets and public spaces. The campaign, titled "2026 Shanghai Jing'an Culture, Tourism and Lifestyle Hub," brings together two of the district's best-known draws – coffee culture and theater – through a slate of events spread across plazas, malls and cultural venues.

The spring push opened with the Jing’an Coffee Culture Market, held from April 8 to 12 at Fengshengli Jing’an Temple Plaza and Jiuguang Department Store’s Lane 1618 pedestrian street. More than 60 vendors took part, with many offering limited-edition drinks, snacks and interactive pop-ups that attracted residents and visitors.

The 2026 Jing’an Modern Drama Valley festival, which opened on April 23 and runs through May 31, will feature eight themed series and 21 productions. More than 85 percent of the productions will be making their China debut, with artists and companies from more than 10 countries taking part. Among the headline productions are “Blossoms Trilogy III,” FC Bergman’s Chinese mainland premiere of “The Sheep Song,” Festival d’Avignon director Tiago Rodrigues’ “Dans la mesure de l’impossible,” and the locally produced “Mortal World With Warmth.”

Yongyuan Road also hosted its first Theater Market from April 23 to 26, bringing live performances and arts programming into an open-street setting and extending the festival atmosphere beyond traditional venues. Local authorities have introduced three themed walking routes that link theaters, coffee shops, retail centers and restaurants. Ticket holders can access limited-time offers from participating businesses, part of a broader effort to connect performances with dining, shopping and leisure spending.

According to the district government, the wider campaign spans 10 major commercial areas, 19 performance venues, 10 boutique hotels, more than 200 restaurants, over 500 coffee merchants and roughly 300 performances. Consumer platforms are also joining the effort with transit discounts, vouchers and visitor services, including offers aimed at international travelers.

At the same time, Jing’an is hosting the first Jing’an International Flower Show as part of the wider Shanghai International Flower Festival. Running through May 10, the event is centered in Suhewan, the waterfront area along Suzhou Creek, where six themed gardens and nine landscape installations have been created as an open-air spring display space. One of the biggest attractions is a 5.2‑meter‑high dog sculpture made from tens of thousands of plants. The West Highland Terrier‑inspired topiary, displayed at Suhewan MixC World, has drawn heavy attention on Chinese social media and become a popular photo stop.

Another standout installation features the frame of a traditional Shanghai shikumen (stone gate) building suspended above a pedestrian bridge and wrapped in flowers and vines, set against the backdrop of Shanghai’s skyline. Displays also extend to Nanjing Road W., Daning and community gardening centers across the district, broadening the event beyond a single venue. Along Nanjing Road W., eight floral installations have been placed westward from the Qinghai Road intersection. At Tongfu Garden, opposite “The Louis,” visitors can see a nighttime light‑and‑flower installation. At Zhangyuan Garden, floral displays have been added to the facades, balconies, and public courtyards. Additional flower show events include design exhibitions, floral contests and shuttle bus routes connecting major sites.

Jing'an is expanding its role in Shanghai's push to build an international consumption hub, anchored by a "first-launch economy" that connects global brand debuts, domestic design platforms and retail spaces.

It is driving fashion-led consumption through bespoke services that bring together global luxury houses, heritage local brands and independent designers, contributing strongly to Shanghai’s fashion economy. The district has also introduced the “Jing’an GO Consumer Wristband” to connect shoppers with digital spending experiences.

International brands entering China and Chinese labels expanding abroad work from this district. Brand launches, dedicated venues, and customs and trade facilitation increasingly link store openings, shortening the time from debut to market rollout.

Between 2019 and 2024, Jing’an introduced 1,186 first stores, including 21 global first stores, 17 Asian first stores and 184 national first stores. In 2025, it added 238 new stores, averaging about five per week, ranking first in Shanghai in new retail openings.

This activity centers on Nanjing Road W. Over 70 commercial projects and 2,100 brands are in its 1.8‑square‑kilometer core area. Major luxury groups like LVMH, Richemont and Kering are among the over 70 percent international tenants. One of Shanghai’s most concentrated high‑end retail zones, this area has 10 percent luxury brands. The latest expansion follows the 2025 launch of “The Louis,” which attracted 500,000 visitors a day and boosted sales across surrounding properties by double‑digits.

The cluster is also supported by 115 global service providers, bringing together global luxury groups, emerging Chinese designers and retail operators. Brands such as Birkenstock have expanded from initial store openings into broader operations in the district. Local label LABELHOOD has grown from a boutique on Fumin Road into a platform for designer launches and has also expanded overseas, including at Harrods in London.

Jing’an has expanded the physical network supporting these launches. It has transformed venues including Zhangyuan Garden and the Shanghai Exhibition Center into dedicated launch spaces. Heritage streets, such as Julu Road and Fumin Road, are also being used as flexible retail corridors, where stores often combine retail, exhibition and cultural functions.

Changes in trade infrastructure reinforce these developments. The bonded warehouse at Zhangyuan has been expanded, and an integrated “bonded warehouse + exhibition and trading” model has been introduced. A “front store, back warehouse” system is also being tested, linking displays, storage, retail and consumers in a single chain designed to speed up product availability after global launches.

Jing’an is also adding tech‑driven formats. Unitree Robotics will open its first store in Asia, featuring an embodied intelligence experience center on Nanjing Road W., while JD.com is constructing a large, immersive home retail space nearby. These additions suggest the district’s retail mix is shifting toward tech‑enabled consumption.

Policy support continues to underpin the model. The Zhangyuan bonded warehouse facilitates electronic customs supervision, expediting the conversion of exhibits into retail goods. Nanjing Road W. has also been designated as Shanghai’s only street for tax refunds, with a streamlined refund process for overseas visitors.