Cultural venues in Xuhui come back to life
Over 80 percent of the stores and restaurants at the Xujiahui commercial hub have reopened.
Xuhui District has allocated 10 million yuan (US$1.4 million) to help downtown bookstores, art galleries and others resume business.
Cinemas, book shops, theaters, art venues and tourist spots have seen sharp decreases in visitor numbers.
Stores, museums and historic villas at the Xujiahui commercial hub, West Bund waterfront and Hengfu (Hengshan-Fuxing Road) Historical Conservation Zone have been badly hit.
To help restore both business and confidence, the district has released measures, including subsidies, to help restore the popularity of its cultural sites.
With the suspension of public cultural venues, and closure of cinemas, entertainment sites and tourism attractions, the market has encountered a sharp reverse, Jin Jianhong, deputy director of Xuhui culture and tourism bureau, said over the weekend. One downtown hotel with 700 rooms received only 10 customers during the Spring Festival holiday. The number of staff was reduced to the minimum of 80.
The Zhongshuge bookstore at the Greenland Being Funny Mall has seen sales reduced to 10 percent of the period before the pandemic, said Zhu Bing, general manager with the bookstore. The business has been around a third of normal since March.
Each bookstore with over 40,000 yuan in revenue in April and May will receive a subsidy of at most 100,000 yuan from the government.
Each theater will receive 20,000 yuan for every 1,000 people who go to see a show in April and May.
Art galleries, museums, historical sites and tourism attractions will be given 10,000 yuan for every 1,000 visitors.
A cafe reopened for customers in downtown Xuhui.
A reopened bookstore in Xuhui District.
To restore the popularity of the West Bund waterfront, 10,000 tickets will give a 100 yuan discount to visit all the art galleries and museums in the area.
The epidemic has greatly affected the plans of art galleries and museums, said Chen Anda, assist general manager of the West Bund Development Group.
Some of the venues reopened on March 20 with reservations and a limits on visitor numbers, Chen said. Most of the exhibition planned for May and June have been cancelled.
"However, it may have created an opportunity for domestic artists to host their own exhibitions," Chen said.
The group has also provided 10,000 free admissions to medical workers, who can apply online by showing their work ID.
The Hengfu Historical Conservation Zone has three new walking routes with guides. All the museums and former residences of important figures reopened on March 17.
A music route takes visitors to the British-style Blackstone Apartments on Fuxing Road M., built in 1926, which have become home to the headquarters of music institutes and workshops, as well as a concert by the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, said Yao Jiayin, deputy general manager with the Hengfu Investment and Development Co.
The Xujiahui shopping hub will host flower exhibitions and light shows in May to bring back visitors, said Yin Jie, an official with the Xujiahui Commercial Co.
Visitors relax at a bookstore in downtown Xuhui District over the weekend.
