Blossom by blossom the spring begins. —Algernon Charles Swinburne

Linkong park in full blossom

In April, the city is full of blooming flowers, and the Linkong economic park is no exception. Of particular note, as a business garden without walls, the Lingkong park completed its landscape restoration and improvement project in 2023, adding four pocket gardens and making the greenery on the streets more abundant. 

Beside the Suzhou Creek in Linkong is also a great place to admire flowers in spring. Crossing the Tongxie River Bridge, one can see cherry blossoms blooming by the riverside every year in late March and early April.

Enjoy a cup of coffee by the creek which flows quietly forward. At this moment, a gust of wind blows petals from trees. Isn’t it a joy in life?

Come and enjoy the “spring debut!”

District home to fashion events

The 2024 Autumn/Winter Shanghai Fashion Week successfully concluded on April 1. During this eight-day fashion event, IM Shanghai, along with the ShanghaiMart and Haisu Cultural Plaza, served as commercial landmarks full of fashionable and creative charm, depicting a beautiful picture of fashion industry innovation with “new quality productivity.”

2024 Autumn/Winter MODE Shanghai Clothing and Apparel Exhibition

Address: IM Shanghai, 1398 Kaixuan Road

From March 25 - 29, the 2024 Autumn/Winter MODE Shanghai Fashion and Apparel Exhibition was held at IM Shanghai, attracting 11 SHOWROOM companies, nearly 300 brands, and enterprises to participate. 

Among them, overseas brands account for nearly 50 percent, an increase of 10 percent compared to the same period in 2023. The data shows that the attendance rate of exhibition reservations reached 93 percent, an obvious increase compared to the previous quarters.

Unlike traditional trade shows, MODE Exhibition has been characterized by artistic exhibition design since its establishment in 2015. It not only provides professional services for brands to showcase new products, but also assist brands in achieving content innovation through exhibitions by creating diverse open spaces. 

DADASHOW AW24 Autumn/Winter procurement conference

Address: ShanghaiMart, 2299 Yan’an West Road

From March 25 - 29, the DADASHOW AW24 ordering fair was successfully held at ShanghaiMart. The event gathered more than 40 domestic and foreign designer brands, and nearly 3,000 professional visitors made reservations for the exhibition, including more than 500 high-quality buyer stores.

DADASHOW was launched by Duna Shanghai in 2017 and is a forerunner in the Chinese fashion showroom industry. It helps hundreds of domestic and foreign brands connect with China’s rapidly growing personalized fashion market. 

It has become one of the heavyweight fairs in the official events of Shanghai Fashion Week.

TUBE SHOWROOM Autumn/Winter procurement conference

Haisu Culture Plaza, 638 Zhaohua Road

From March 25 - 31, the TUBE SHOWROOM Autumn and Winter Ordering Fair, one of the official cooperative exhibitions of Shanghai Fashion Week in 2024, was held at Haisu Cultural Plaza. 

Taking inspiration from the film and television series “THE NEW LOOK,” the TUBE SHOWROOM provided a stylish and vibrant space for designers, brands, and buyers from all over the world.

Agreement boosts East Hongqiao development

Changning Market Regulatory Administration and East Hongqiao Office signed a cooperation agreement on April 2 to jointly promote high-quality development in the East Hongqiao area in the Linkong economic park.

Both sides will explore specific measures that can effectively promote the optimization and upgrading of industrial structure in the East Hongqiao area, accelerate the formation of new quality productivity, and help the East Hongqiao area become a leading area for the Hongqiao International Open Hub, a leading area for industrial upgrading, a demonstration area for functional quality, and a benchmark area for scientific and technological innovation.

According to the agreement, the district market regulatory administration mainly combines the needs of the East Hongqiao Office in optimizing the business environment and enhancing the functional level of industries, with a focus on providing support in business guidance and policy experimentation.

The East Hongqiao Office will increase the promotion of reform measures and build a government enterprise service platform, with a focus on overall coordination and special fund support.

Forever 1940, Forever CityRide

Not only CityWalk, but now CityRide is becoming a new way for young people, travel enthusiasts, and other groups to explore urban life. The first store of “Forever 1940” that integrates bicycle retail, modification and maintenance, catering, and social activities was launched at the Columbia Circle for the unique cycling culture.

“Forever 1940” is named after the establishment of Shanghai Forever Bicycle Factory in 1940. The brand’s first store throughout the country is located in Building 19 of the Columbia Circle, very close to the entrance at Panyu Road. 

As an innovative bicycle brand, “Forever 1940” was founded in 2023, carrying the profound accumulation of “national bicycle” for over 80 years. 

With bicycle products and cycling culture as the link, it has created products, spaces, and culture with Shanghai style characteristics through a more youthful approach.

The dining area of the store continues the relaxed outdoor style, offering coffee, desserts, and light meals. Combining with seasonal and thematic changes, the store will promptly launch new products. 

Dining at an industrial style bicycle store has become popular among customers, and the store has gradually become a popular check-in spot within the Columbia Circle.

As the spring cycling craze continues to heat up, the “Forever 1940” will continue to update and adjust the professional bicycle products and catering services in the store based on the visits and the overall customer feedback. 

In the next stage, the brand will continue to introduce more bicycle accessories and peripherals, enhance the professionalism of its stores and the comprehensiveness of product content, and provide consumers with more choices.

Forever 1940 National First Store

Address: Room 103, Building 19, Columbia Circle, 1262 Yan’an Road W.

Business hours: 10:00-21:00

Music lights the way accordion festival finale

The closing ceremony and finale concert of the 6th International Accordion Culture and Arts Festival & 2024 Shanghai International Accordion Arts Week was held at the Changning Cultural and Art Center on the afternoon of April 5. 

The high-level performances of international accordion masters and accordion bands from the Yangtze River Delta region, Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei and other regions have brought a music feast to the audience.

Since March 23, this year’s accordion art festival has held 17 events in Changning, Fengxian, Ningbo and other places. Whether at the Yuyuan Road, the Golden Street, the campus of Yan’an Junior High School, the campus of Ningbo University, the “520 Theater” of Changning Cultural and Art Center, the small theater of Nine Trees Future Art Center, or the broadcasting hall of the Radio Shanghai Arts Center, the wonderful performances and guidance of Chinese and foreign performers have attracted countless accordion fans, making the charm of music dress up this spring. 

The opening ceremony on March 30th not only had a lively atmosphere on site, allowing the audience to immerse themselves in the beauty of the accordion sound, but also attracted more than 600,000 viewers online.

Edited by Shanghai Daily