Weekend fair launches nightlife festival
Sanlin dragon and lion dances featured at the opening ceremony
A weekend fair opened the first lifestyle festival at the Pudong New Area’s new nightlife demonstration zone in the Qiantan area.
The fair, held at the Crystal Plaza, featured snacks, pet adoption, childhood games and local traditional folk arts such as heritage-listed Sanlin embroidery and Sanlin dragon and lion dances.
Qiantan, dubbed as the new Lujiazui along the Huangpu River, is an emerging international community in Pudong. Local intangible cultural heritage displays can help residents better understand local history and culture, while the western-style outdoor fair would make them feel at ease.
“It’s a good place for my kid to have fun,” said a local resident surnamed Sun, who came with his 5-year-old daughter.
He added: “Unlike some other fairs where people jostle with others, the fair here is more spacious. Both modern brands and traditional art are here. It makes me feel the cultural fusion.”
A volunteer surnamed Ding from Rescue Heal Rehome, a pet adoption organization, said the fair helped many cats find new owners, and several passersby became new volunteers.
“Such a fair is very good for pet adoption. Not just food, our fair has become more and more international and is showing more care to animals,” he said.
Sanlin embroidery is demonstrated at the weekend fair.
In the following months of this year, a variety of activities such as outdoor movie screenings, night running activities and photo competitions will be held in Qiantan to boost the night e-economy and make Qiantan a new popular hangout in Shanghai.
Qian Aimei, deputy director of Pudong’s urban planning and design research institute, said Qiantan is one of the three new subcenters of Shanghai, along with Zhangjiang and Jinqiao. It aims to become a new CBD featuring offices, commerce and residences.
Under Pudong’s “Golden Middle Ring Belt” plan, about 4.5 square kilometers of land along the Middle Ring Road have the potential to be developed, in which over 12 square kilometers of structures can be erected. Qiantan is included in the plan.
