Light festival to illuminate Changning’s streets and waterfronts

The second edition of the Shanghai International Light Festival is set to illuminate Changning District, offering residents a captivating luminous experience structured around “one core, two axes, and three circles.” 

This year’s festival will focus on district-level commercial complexes, using light and shadow as a medium to showcase the vitality and transformation of emerging urban spaces.

At the heart of the festivities is the main exhibition area at Livat Shanghai, where three distinctive buildings—Livat Shanghai, SkyBridge HQ, and Hongqiao Uptown—will be transformed into a coordinated canvas of light, together reflecting the vibrant spirit of Changning.

The event extends along two major axes: the buildings lining the Yan'an Elevated Road and the public spaces and structures along Suzhou Creek. The lighting along Yan'an Elevated Road is designed to achieve a harmonious balance between illumination and architecture, using light to convey the stories and history embedded in the buildings. Meanwhile, the Suzhou Creek segment in Changning aims to create an open and continuous “urban necklace.” 

The festival also brings light and creativity to three key circles: the Zhongshan Park business district, the Hongqiao Gubei business district, and the Hengfu Historical Preservation Zone around Xingguo Building. By integrating light art with multimedia trends, the event offers an imaginative and engaging nighttime experience tailored for creative and fashion-savvy audiences.

Nordic-style shared office space brings flexibility to Shanghai

Ingka Group’s new shared office space, Hej! Workshop, opened at Office by Livat on August 28. 

Located on the third floor of Building E of Livat Shanghai, the space offers a Nordic-inspired office experience that combines flexibility, design aesthetics, and a sense of community.

In today’s world, where offline collaboration and community belonging are increasingly valued, more people prefer to work with greater freedom and flexibility, leading to a growing demand for adaptable workspaces. In response to this trend, Office by Livat launched Hej! Workshop, which has already been operating in Stockholm, Sweden; Paris, France; and San Francisco, USA. It embraces a new concept of “a better place between home and office.”

In terms of design, Hej! Workshop features a fresh, bright, and minimalist Nordic style, furnished entirely with IKEA office furniture. The space offers a variety of options including private offices, flexible desks, meeting rooms, phone booths, and indoor and outdoor event areas. With both short- and long-term lease models, it caters to diverse needs—from small businesses and startups to freelancers and small studios.

Hej! Workshop is independently managed according to Class A office standards and has partnered with WeWork to introduce the “FLEXPRIME” smart office system, enabling companies and individuals to book and use the space flexibly. Thanks to Livat Shanghai’s network of over 300 brands, Hej! Workshop also offers seamless access to dining, shopping, and entertainment options.

Hej! Workshop will begin accepting reservations in September.

As Ingka Group’s first Class A office project in China, Office by Livat has been operational since September 2024 and has attracted numerous foreign companies’ China or regional headquarters, listed companies, and key enterprises from the Yangtze River Delta region, including five Fortune Global 500 companies.

Hej! Workshop Shared Office Space

Opening hours: Monday–Friday, 9:00–18:00

Address: 3F, Building E, 788 Jinzhong Road

Metro: Direct access from Songhong Road Station (Line 2)

Driving: Parking available on B3–B4 of Livat Shanghai, 7 yuan/hour, 56 yuan daily cap

Contact: 021-80566796

Asian Food Carnival offers culinary tour in Changning

The "WOW! Asian Food Carnival" was launched at The Place on August 28, offering visitors the chance to explore over 50 Asian-themed stalls.

The event integrates family-friendly themed exhibitions and leisure settings for white-collar workers, centered around a "panoramic Asian culinary experience." It brings together more than 50 specialty food and beverage brands and retail outlets representing different Asian cultures, with tailored dining options designed for diverse customer groups.

For families, child-friendly options such as crepes, oyster omelets, crispy chicken strips, Taiwanese skewers, and Xinjiang-style grilled meat are available, paired with parental favorites like teppanyaki and Thai snacks—enabling the whole family to embark on a "culinary tour of Asia."

For white-collar professionals, a dedicated "light meal zone" offers convenient dishes such as wagyu sushi rolls and Hong Kong-style dim sum, complemented by trendy ice cream and Thai milk tea, meeting the need for "quick dining + casual socializing" during afternoon tea breaks.

In the evening, the "white-collar drinks zone" serves low-alcohol beverages such as Chinese yellow wine, Japanese and Korean beers and soft drinks, and Southeast Asian fruit cocktails, accompanied by snacks like fried chicken and fish cakes—creating a relaxing after-work unwinding space.

Additionally, the event features an immersive cultural interaction area where visitors can experience diverse activities including Sichuan face-changing, traditional dance, folk music performances, Muay Thai, Thai dance, and K-pop.

The carnival is held in two phases: the first week from August 28 (Thursday) to August 31 (Sunday), and the second from September 5 (Friday) to September 7 (Sunday). Operating hours are from 3pm to 10:30pm.

The Place is a core commercial hub in the Hongqiao-Gubei area, with 110,000 square meters of retail space and over 200 international tenants.

If you go:

Address: The Place, 100 Zunyi Road

Time: Aug 28–31, Sept 5–7 | 3pm-10:30-pm

Transport: Line 2: Loushanguan Road (Exit 2), Line 10: Yili Road (Exit 1), Lines 3/4: Yan'an Road W. (Exit 1)

Startup camp offers access to corporate giants and global peers

The third season of the 2025 "Foresee Unicorn • Youth Startup Camp" was held in Changning from August 24 to 26. The program is one of Shanghai’s top ten youth innovation and entrepreneurship training camps of the year.

This season placed greater emphasis on overseas universities and returnees, aiming to connect resource platforms and provide a stage for potential unicorn enterprises. 

Through an open online recruitment process, 36 entrepreneurs from around the world were selected as participants in the third season. Their ventures span various fields such as internet technology, new consumer brands, and artificial intelligence.

The camp opened on August 24, with the announcement of a series of entrepreneurial initiatives. This marks another step by Changning to foster potential emerging enterprises and help high-quality projects, technological achievements, and emerging industries gain momentum.

The camp featured carefully designed acceleration courses, where experts, scholars, and industry representatives delivered engaging sessions, offering cutting-edge and professional theoretical perspectives and practical experience to the entrepreneurs.

Participants also visited globally renowned strategic brands such as Huawei Cloud, industry leaders like CHAGEE, SinoClick, and Johnson Controls. They gained insights into corporate culture and operational models, and engaged in in-depth discussions with executives on industry trends and management experience.

Tramy’s flagship supermarket redefines fresh groceries

The flagship store of Pinshang Life, Tramy Group’s self-operated supermarket brand, located in Bailian West Shopping Mall, has attracted a large number of customers since its opening in July.

Situated on the B2 level of the mall, the supermarket greets visitors with a vegetable section where fresh, locally sourced produce is restocked within as little as two hours, making it a must-visit area for every shopper.

Tramy currently operates 11,000 mu of digitalized high-standard green agricultural bases in Shanghai, along with 500,000 mu of dedicated planting bases, producing over 300 tons of green vegetables daily.

The aquatic section features a special "clear-water-fish" zone, where fish are raised in purified water for ten days after being caught. In addition, the section offers seasonal swimming crabs, larger crustaceans, and live king crabs and chilled Australian bluefin tuna shipped directly from their origins.

The meat section is known for its freshly slaughtered meat, delivered daily to the store. Tramy operates black and white pig farms in Shuyang, Jiangsu Province, with an annual output of 600,000 pigs. Slaughtered in cities near Shanghai, the fresh pork can be on shelves in as little as four hours.

On its opening day, the Pinshang Life Bailian West store achieved over 1 million yuan (US$140,056) in sales and processed more than 10,000 orders. During its first month, daily foot traffic averaged over 7,000 visitors, with monthly visits exceeding 200,000. In addition to in-store shopping, Pinshang Life has established a "5-kilometer delivery circle," allowing orders placed via its official WeChat mini-program to arrive in as little as 30 minutes.

Bailian West Shopping Mall

Address: 88 Xianxia Road W.

Hours: 10am–10pm