Jing'an Moments (January 2019)
Go from strength to strength
Retailers on Nanjing Road W. staged the biggest sale in the city’s commercial zones during the three-day New Year holiday.
The popular commercial area is home to more than 1,800 brands -- 60 percent of which are renowned international names. It has become the most luxurious shopping area in the city.
Under the district government’s plan, the district hopes to increase the share of international brands to 90 percent in 2020.
Exhibition of nostalgia
Old doorplates, enamel cups and empty candy tins -- items rooted in our childhood memories – are on exhibit in the cultural activities center of the Jiangning Road subdistrict.
The free exhibition of old items and photos will run through February 18.
“Most these items come from residents,” said organizer. Wang Yunqi. “They represent grassroots culture and help people remember our history.”
Derelict housing to be removed
People living in old, decrepit living housing in the Baoshan Road subdistrict will be relocated to new homes.
More than 99 percent of 5,700 residents living in an old community between Baoxing E and Baotong, Zhongxing and Zhijiang roads, have agreed to move. Relocation will start in February.
In the community are old shikumen-style homes with shared toilets and kitchens, unlicensed, jerry-built structures and old government houses erected about 50 years ago. Every flood season, some residents had to be evacuated to ensure safety.
The redevelopment of the area will include up to 50 companies, including the renovated Shanghai Film Technology Factory, once the country’s most important film processing base.
The factory became obsolete over the years as production lines were closed and workshops were rented out. Under the plan, the location will be renovated and upgraded to a modern facility or a film-related museum.
Museum moves to new site
The Shanghai Minsheng Art Museum moved to a new site in the Innovation Galaxy of Jing’an this month.
Over the past 10 years, the museum has moved from the creative industrial park Red Town to the former French pavilion of the 2010 World Expo. To make room for urban renewal, it is now moving to Innovation Galaxy, former site of the Shanghai Metallurgical Mining Machine Factory.
The new site is expected to open for trial operation in April. Japanese contemporary artist Tatsuo Miyajima will be invited to open the first exhibition in May.
The museum’s archive of fine arts at the site will be four times larger than at the original site and will become an art branch of the Jing’an Library.
It is all part of the district concept of meshing art with local neighborhoods, according to museum Director Gan Zhiyi.
‘Neon-lit men’
Seven “neon-lit” art installations in the shape of walking men have made Tongren Road a popular attraction among local people.
The seven installations, about 2.2 meters high, emit pink lights at night. They were erected in front of shops or beside flowerbeds, creating a scene of people passing by.
The art project hopes to add some artistic bounce to the commercial zone and create a more people-friendly area.
Charity store with a twist
Coffee from Yunnan and red dates from Xinjiang are some of the products on sale at a community charity store that opened this month in the Caojiadu subdistrict.
The store, at 488 Yanping Road, sells everything from clothes and toys to home appliances, all donated by local companies and residents. They are priced at between 30 percent and 70 percent below market prices.
Unlike other charity stores, it has set aside an area specializing in agricultural products from the subdistrict’s “sister counties” in remote regions of Yunnan Province and the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.
The shop is open from 8:30am to 5pm every day.
Jing’an talent honored
Jing’an has honored 99 talented people in recognition of their contributions to the district in economic, cultural, educational and medical endeavors.
The district has issued a set of policies to attract more professional talent, including providing low-cost housing and allowing children to attend local schools.
