Jing'an Moments (July 2018)
Let there be light!
New lighting designs will brighten the night scene in Jing’an.
A 6,000-meter-long stretch below the South-North elevated Road, between Zhongxing and Lingshi roads, will be outfitted with lights that showcase seasonal changes and holiday ambience.
Advanced lighting systems will also be installed at 14 buildings along Nanjing Road w., including the iconic Shanghai exhibition Center.
Construction of the new lighting is scheduled to be completed by the end of this year.
Nod to American football
At the Jing’an workers Stadium recently, American football star Russell Wilson showcased the rough and tumble of a sport not well known in Shanghai.
Wilson, quarterback for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League, led his team to their first Super Bowl victory in 2014.
He visited Jing’an on June 30, where he played with local children, explained the rules of the sport to them and demonstrated how to throw the ball.
“I’m happy to see children enjoy it, and their parents showed great support,” Wilson said.
The same day, Shanghai Football Association was set up to pave the way to introduce the sport more widely to the city.
American football is starting to catch on, thanks to overseas students and foreign workers who are fans of the sport back home, said Dai Fuqi, secretary-general of the association.
So far, more than 8,000 primary school students in Shanghai received training in American football at least once a week, he said.
Orienteering links sites
About 800 people in 160 teams took part in an orienteering competition in Jing’an on June 30, following navigation points that led past 20 landmarks, such as the revolutionary site of the Sihang warehouse Battle Memorial, the Life Hub @ Daning retail mall, and the Shibei High technology Park.
“Many of the sites are not new to me, but it seemed new to visit these places today,” said participant Jia Yong, a 31year-old white collar worker in Jing’an. “It impressed me to see the bullet holes in the facade of the Sihang warehouse, where Chinese and Japanese soldiers engaged in a fierce battle. we have to love peace.”
Veggie patches proliferate
The Caojiadu Subdistrict has expanded its mini vegetable garden project to five more neighborhoods. Last year, the project was run on a trial basis in four neighborhoods, allocating rooftops and empty spaces for residents to plant vegetables.
The trial run was hailed as a success in creating an eco-friendly environment, supplying households with organic vegetables and providing a place where neighbors could meet socially.
This year, the project was expanded to the neighborhoods of Kangding, Sanhe Garden, Yulin Village, Changchun and Juntai.
New elderly center
The Elderly Care Institute Center in the Beizhan subdistrict opened on July 4 on Xinjiang Road. the center has two buildings and 27 ward beds. It offers a variety of services, including free medical checkups, day care and short-term respite care.
Cows on parade
Tens colorful artworks of cows are on exhibit at 1788 Plaza on Nanjing Road w. through August 8.
The life-sized bovine statues were created by a variety of artists. one of them, Chu Cha Ray, is an actress and university professor in Taiwan. She created a cow at wheel of a car, explaining that she wanted to deliver the message that today’s young people in a fast-paced society still long for true love.
Aliens land in the city
A group of adorable aliens called Sticky Monsters has taken up resident in mini-city erected at Joy City in Jing’an. they are cartoon characters created by South Korea’s Sticky Monster Lab in 2007.
The creatures are friendly and like to impersonate human beings, such as musicians, models, white-collar workers and convenience store cashiers.
An exhibition of their “living conditions” will be held through August 19 on the third of Joy City. Admission is 60 yuan (uS$8.90).
