Quality Life Week is more than consumption stimulus

Time-honored brands trending online, live-streamed store shopping, a dessert carnival on the Bund, an outdoor music festival at a botanical garden and new ways to explore Shanghai’s trendy sites are just a few of the Quality Life Week events that kick off today.

The Quality Life Week, part of the Double Five (May 5) Shopping Festival, will be launched at 11:30am at the Shanghai Grand Theater, followed by an eight-hour live-stream marathon spanning the city and several social media platforms.

The shopping festival saw city-wide consumer payments go over 15.68 billion yuan (US$2.2 billion) in the first 24 hours, and has helped online and offline retailers revive falling sales after the COVID-19 outbreak.

“I’ve been looking forward to every weekend since the festival started because there seems to be a different theme, filled with lots of bazaars, discounts and events,” said 25-year-old Shirley Ceng, who lives near People’s Square.

“At first, I thought the festival was a one-time discount, but then I saw bazaars popping up in my neighborhood, live-streaming in shopping malls near my office and coupons being pushed out by different kinds of brands and apps. I’m quite curious on what’s happening this weekend.”

Plenty is happening, that’s what! Not only has there been a stimulus to get crowds back into the shops, but the city’s culture and beauty will be showcased in more than 300 events through next Friday.

Lin Zhen, CEO and president of OCJ, a shopping TV network that has expanded into e-commerce and live-streaming, said crossing boundaries between culture and consumption is creating more business possibilities.

“We will take advantage of our rich experience in live-streaming, mature supply chain and comprehensive quality control and service system to help promote cultural products and help revive the culture and tourism industry,” Lin said.

“When shopping and watching live streams, customers can also feel the culture and beauty, and realize how they can get a better quality of life through these products.”

The company has been selecting products best-fit for the Quality Life Week, including new products from both international and domestic brands. They will bring bosses into the studio to launch the products from such brands.

The company will also take part in the Beauty in Fashion section of today’s live-stream marathon, featuring smart home solutions that include furniture and renovation plans.

Beauty in Fashion is one of the five themes of Quality Life Week, the others are Beauty in Youth, Beauty of Classics, Beauty at Home and Beauty Explored.

The eight-hour live-stream repertoire and other events on the first day give a glimpse of what’s coming next week.

The annual Concert on the Green is back and will be held at the city’s popular Chenshan Botanical Garden in Songjiang District today and tomorrow. The audience will be treated to a scenic feast of nature combined with classical music.

Famed conductor Xu Zhong will lead Shanghai Opera House Symphony Orchestra to present melodies from Beethoven, Verdi and the 50-year-old Chinese classic “Yellow River,” among others.

The live-stream marathon will warm up around 10am and reveal the high technology behind Chongming Island’s specialty pear. 

At the island’s modern digital farm, drones are fertilizing plants, robots are inspecting the vast land, and digital sensors and an integrated irrigation system are also being used, among dozens of new technologies for a more advanced farming.

Lifestyle-sharing and e-commerce app RED and the video-sharing site Bilibili are among the most downloaded and used applications in the country, both based in Shanghai. Influencers, who are often seen live-streaming and promoting products and events inside a studio, will be hitting the streets.

Today, Internet celebrities from RED will explore how China’s top eSports team, EDG, train at Zhujiang Creative Park, an eSports center in Shanghai. EDG was among the first to move in from Guangzhou in 2014.

Shanghai is now home to more than 80 percent of China’s eSports companies and clubs, and hosts more than 40 percent of the country’s competitions. The city is also hosting the 10th League of Legends World Championship finals later this year, making many increasingly more curious about the emerging industry.

RED said the platform will launch a myriad of interactive, live-stream events outside the studio in the week ahead, taking consumers into shops and sites to experience cultural products and untangle the potential of cultural consumption.

Internet celebrities will visit the trendy InterContinental Shanghai Wonderland — better known as the Pit Hotel built 88 meters below the ground of an abandoned quarry — select shops on Yuyuan Road and the city’s tallest bookstore Duoyun in Shanghai Tower, while exploring different ways to enjoy and shop.