Horse-themed Chinese New Year celebration brings cultural vitality to Wuyi Road

The 2026 Chinese New Year celebration in the Wuyi Road neighborhood of Huayang Road Subdistrict kicked off on February 3. The event skillfully integrated intangible cultural heritage, art exhibitions, and neighborhood exploration, infusing new cultural energy into this century-old street.

The festivities began with a harmonious joint performance by the BG Choir and international friends, filling Wuyi Road with an atmosphere of open and inclusive celebration where Chinese and foreign cultures blended. 

An awards ceremony was held for the 2026 Huayang Chinese New Year Creative Works Exhibition. The event had called for community submissions on the theme of Horse zodiac culture, receiving nearly 100 creative entries. The winning works are now showcased at the festively decorated Huayang Art Gallery, where talented community members used their ingenuity to depict the auspicious symbolism of the Year of the Horse.

What particularly captivated residents were the vibrant new year market, brimming with festive spirit, and the fun-filled intangible cultural heritage-themed orienteering activity. Six distinctive checkpoints were set up along the neighborhood, cleverly connecting cultural landmarks such as the former residence of Pao Yue-Kong and the Liu Haisu Art Museum.

Main structure topped out for renovated Shanghai International Gymnastics Center

The main structure of the Shanghai International Gymnastics Center renovation project was topped out on February 4, marking a key achievement. The integrated steel lattice shell curtain wall with skylight was lifted into place and reached its designed elevation.

This integrated structure, weighing 252 tons with a diameter of 45 meters and covering about 1,600 square meters, represented one of the core technical challenges of the project. The construction team innovatively adopted a ground-based integrated assembly method followed by a single systematic lift.

Progress on the renovation has advanced steadily. Earlier, on November 11, 2025, the super-large-span steel truss layer was lifted into position. The main steel structure work was completed in December 2025, and the project has now entered the curtain wall installation phase. 

The project team will continue to push forward with subsequent construction tasks, striving to deliver a modern sports venue that blends contemporary style with collective memory for the public as soon as possible.

Changning dresses up parks and roads for Chinese New Year festivities

To welcome the Chinese New Year, parks, main roads, and key areas across Changning District have been adorned with a series of festive and harmonious holiday landscapes.

Zhongshan Park features a special Spring Festival floral installation themed around a spirited horse, depicted as robust and surrounded by vibrant blooms. The park's existing peacock installation has also received a renewal, combining with newly sprouted buds to create a lively scene described as "brilliant peacock tails alongside budding blossoms."

The festive spirit extends beyond Zhongshan Park. At Hongqiao Park, Xinjing Park, Gubei Civic Park, and Tianshan Park, creative Year of the Horse-themed displays are everywhere. Hongqiao Park boasts a playful, macaron-colored "doughnut" floral piece, while Huashan Green Space showcases a traditional red bamboo-woven Chinese knot, radiating ancient auspicious symbolism.

Major roads in Changning have also donned their holiday best. Flower boxes along Changning Road, Huashan Road, Jiangsu Road, and Hongqiao Road follow an "ecological plants + festive decor" theme. They are filled with bright flowers paired with winterberry and pussy willow branches laden with red berries, creating a rich, layered visual effect. Mini lanterns, red drums, and woven vine balls hanging from the branches represent a clever fusion of traditional festive elements and modern horticultural design.

In green spaces near landmarks like the Wukang Building and in front of the Xijiao State Guesthouse, groups of cartoon horse sculptures draped with red silk and adorned with plum blossom patterns are particularly eye-catching. They create a charming contrast with the surrounding seasonal flowers in full bloom and the historic architecture.

During the Spring Festival period, the Changning Outer-Ring Greenway will also become a scenic highlight. Colorful lanterns and Chinese knot installations along the route and at rest stations will imbue the greenway with a joyous holiday atmosphere.

Changning aims to build ‘15-minute global expansion service circle’ 

Changning District has released its 2026 action plan to accelerate the creation of a world-class business environment, highlighting its role as a gateway for global expansion with the goal of building an efficient and convenient "15-minute global expansion service circle."

This means that in the future, companies in Changning may find "one-stop" answers within a 15-minute service radius—from initial ideas about going global to solving a series of complex issues such as legal, financial, data, and logistics challenges.

2025 was notably Changning’s "Year of Building a Global Expansion Service System." 

In March, the district signed agreements with Ingka Centres and Alibaba.com to jointly build an enterprise global expansion headquarters cluster.

In September, a pilot run of the Changning District Cross-Border Data Service Station was launched, aiming to lower the compliance barriers and operational risks for companies in cross-border data transfer.

In October, the Shanghai Hongqiao International Central Business District and Changning District established the Hongqiao Professional Service Alliance for Enterprise Global Expansion, forming a matrix of "government services + market-driven professional services."

In November, Changning issued eight measures to support enterprises in digital expansion and unveiled the Shanghai Digital Public Service Center (Hongqiao Digital Valley), which provides 30 services across 10 categories, including computing power, networks, and data, through an "online + offline" model.

Changning’s "gateway for global expansion" is fostering three distinct and dynamic new models:

"Brand Expansion" achieves value leap. In 2025, the new-style tea beverage brand Chagee entered the capital market starting from Changning. In the same year, Yang Guofu Group launched a series of themed marketing campaigns during the Paris Olympics, presenting Chinese specialty snacks on the international stage in a fashionable light.

"Neighborhood Expansion" exports lifestyles. At the 2025 Osaka "Shanghai Manufacturing Excellence Collection" overseas event, Yuyuan Road made a stunning appearance with a real-scale replica of its "Plane Tree Corner" art space, fully conveying the neighborhood philosophy of "integrating art into life and life into art."

"Industry Expansion" builds ecosystem clusters. In January 2026, the first CFA China Catering Global Summit, hailed by the industry as the "Davos Forum” for the global expansion of Chinese cuisine, was held in Changning. During the summit, Hongqiao Catering Innovation Valley, the country’s first vertical industry platform focused on smart catering and Chinese food expansion, was launched. It aims to provide catering enterprises with full lifecycle services, from product development and central kitchen solutions to digital operations for overseas stores.

Changning launches 3.7km riverside greenway along Xinjing River

Changning District recently introduced a 3.7‑kilometer riverside greenway along the Xinjing River as part of the East Hongqiao area’s integrated cultural, tourism, and commercial development initiative.

As a major tributary of Suzhou Creek, the Xinjing River flows through Chengjiaqiao Subdistrict, Beixinjing Subdistrict, and Xinjing Town, carrying rich historical and cultural significance. 

The newly opened route connects a series of featured points along its banks, including Hongqiao Sports Park, Linkong Music Park, Livat Shanghai, Changning Art Park, the Xinjing Historical Memory Space, Beixinjing Rucker Park, Brilliance West Shopping Mall, Xiyan Church, Fahua Temple, Zhongxinjing Park, Shanghai Zoo, and Cypress Hotel, blending natural ecology, historical heritage, and commercial offerings into one cohesive experience.

Officials announced that the 2026 East Hongqiao initiative will focus on four key themes: “Ecology+,” “Culture+,” “Sport+,” and “Consumption+.”

The “Ecology+” initiative will link 11 habitat gardens, connecting Fengling Green Space and Zhongxinjing Park with commercial complexes and sports venues to create a “15‑minute quality ecological circle.”

“Culture+” will highlight Jiangnan cultural elements, promoting intangible cultural heritage activities in neighborhoods and commercial districts.

“Sport+” aims to integrate community‑ and park‑based sports events to encourage public fitness and blend sports with education.

“Consumption+” is designed to stimulate market vitality, with commercial complexes such as Livat Shanghai creating all‑ages social and consumption spaces.