The Place debuts national exhibition with South Korean healing IP

The Place has teamed up with the popular South Korean healing IP “BRUNCH BROTHER” to launch the national debut exhibition “Toast & Friends.” The shopping mall has been transformed into a soft, fluffy “toast paradise,” blending emotional healing, immersive interactions and merchandise sales.

“BRUNCH BROTHER,” featuring a slice of toasted bread and a little yellow duck as its main characters, along with adorable companions such as a penguin and a little black cat named Mogry, is a beloved “brunch healing squad.” The exhibition creates four immersive themed zones, kneading the warmth of fermentation into everyday life.

The “BRUNCH Lie‑Flat Zone” attracts office workers and children alike with its giant toast‑shaped bed. Nearby, the “Bread Delivery Adventure” is a playful hub featuring a slide, a ball pit, and a ball‑blowing machine. At the “Mogry Slow Living Lab,” parents and children can try their hand at popular bead‑art DIY.

A pop‑up store on site offers a warm, South Korean‑style healing atmosphere, selling over 100 kinds of merchandise.

During the event, The Place is partnering with more than ten in‑mall coffee, bakery and light meal merchants to offer “two‑way treats.”

The Hey Blue Water Park, equipped with multiple fun water attractions and rest areas, will also open in mid‑June.

“Toast & Friends” National Debut Exhibition

Date: May 29 – June 28, 2026

Location: The Place, 100 Zunyi Road

Hongqiao international volunteer alliance celebrates first year with new members

The “Shine IN Hongqiao” International Volunteer Service Alliance has added three new members on its first anniversary, bringing together Chinese and foreign volunteers and allowing kindness without borders to spread across the international community, officials said at a commemorative meeting.

As an important public welfare platform for the international community building of Hongqiao Subdistrict, the alliance has expanded from 13 to 16 member units over the past year. Together, they have carried out more than 100 volunteer activities covering environmental protection, health, culture and other fields, serving residents of all ages and groups in the community.

Unlike traditional volunteer services, the alliance’s highlight is its ability to break down language and cultural barriers, creating a new international public welfare model featuring “shared resources, joint project building, and coordinated services.” From the “Four-Grid Friendly” initiative precisely linking community grids, to “Volunteer Shops” spreading goodwill on Golden City Road; from the youth cross-generational companionship of the Bloodline.Y team, to the heartwarming efforts of the Leo Club in helping children with congenital heart disease – each of these well-established public welfare projects has transformed the alliance’s original aspiration of “uniting Chinese and foreign forces to build a better community” into a visible, tangible warmth on the streets of Hongqiao.

Ashish Maskay, a national “Most Beautiful Volunteer,” founder of Bloodline charity organization, and recipient of Shanghai’s “Magnolia Gold Award,” said that the alliance has made public welfare no longer a solitary fight. More and more expat residents are actively engaging in community welfare, and the alliance has become a reliable platform for caring people from China and abroad to spread warmth, pooling cross-border compassion.

At the event, three new organizations joined the alliance. They are Shanghai Chinese Painting Academy, Shanghai Jianqing Experimental School, and Shanghai Mengyue Kunqu Peng-Style Art Research Center.

Shanghai A.F.A shopping center to open in late 2026 with art focus

Shanghai A.F.A shopping center, located at 570 Huaihai Road W., is set to open in the second half of this year. 

With a gross floor area of approximately 50,000 square meters, the mall follows the core concept of “art life,” introducing hobby-oriented retail and lifestyle services to create a distinctive commercial destination.

Several Shanghai-first stores have already confirmed their entry, covering dining, retail, sports and other diverse sectors. The dining scene features quick-service coffee and fast-food brands such as Starbucks, McDonald’s, BAKER&SPICE, Lavazza and Robot Coffee, alongside specialty offerings like ice cream, freshly made yogurt and wellness products. 

On the retail and experience front, in addition to daily necessities from MINISO and M&G SHOP, cultural first stores such as Wenxu Bookstore and Horizon set a unique cultural tone, while the Gain5lbs Fitness flagship adds a sports and health dimension.Since opening in July 2024, the A.F.A ROJO art space has hosted over 100 cultural and branding events – from Apple’s first product experience in China and the exclusive Asia run of “Blue Man Group” to the first China exhibition of the Museum of Graffiti, as well as the Bulgari jewelry exhibition and Prada VIP previews. Transformed from a former steel plant, ROJO has become a premier destination for avant-garde culture in Shanghai.

Designed by internationally renowned architect Ryue Nishizawa, the overall Shanghai A.F.A project covers about 230,000 square meters, preserving industrial remnants such as red-brick walls and steel structures while injecting contemporary functions and aesthetics. It includes ROJO, the A.F.A shopping center, Grade A office buildings, and THE PARK, an art and lifestyle park. The project is located at the junction of Changning and Xuhui districts, directly accessible from Hongqiao Road Station on Metro Lines 3, 4 and 10.

Shanghai A.F.A

Address: 570 Huaihai Road W., 

Inquiry hotline: 021-6118 7777

Changning Flower Show ends with strong economic and ecological gains

The month-long Changning sub-branch of the 2026 Shanghai International Flower Show has come to an end. The event featured 239,900 blooming flowers across five core zones, attracting over 13 million visits. 

It integrated garden tours, leisure consumption, cultural and sports performances, and other activities, achieving a two-way boost between ecology and economy.

Data show offline consumption in the Zhongshan Park business district during the show reached 1.108 billion yuan (US$163.42 million), a year-on-year increase of 30.59 percent. Markets and themed events drove an additional 11.16 million yuan in consumption.

At the main venue of Zhongshan Park, the sprawling lawn and vibrant floral displays, along with artistic installations, added a gentle charm to daily life.

Along the century-old Wanhangdu Road, retro floral decorations lined the streets, and century-old plane trees were wrapped in delicate, knitted woolworks, bringing new life to the old street through a tender transformation. 

The East China University of Political Science and Law section of Suzhou Creek became an urban waterfront retreat.

In collaboration with Pokémon, Zhongshan Park created an exclusive “Pathway Stroll” scene, blending the beloved IP with the century-old park. The topic “Pokémon Pathway Stroll” garnered nearly 7 million views on Xiaohongshu.

Three highly popular art installations from the show— “Peach, Plum & Apricot,” “Qutey Elves,” and “Miss Skirt” — will remain in Zhongshan Park for a full year. Thus, the month-long flower event did not fade with the blooming season, but instead settled into everyday scenery for the year ahead.

MAKE021 builds an AI OPC super ecosystem in Changning

In the latest edition of our series on “Changning’s Incubator Development,” we visit MAKE021, a national-level maker space driven by a dual “cultural creativity + tech innovation” engine. The space has built a domestic “AI OPC” (One-Person Company) super ecosystem, enabling countless individual creators to complete the full journey from a spark of inspiration to commercial monetization.

Founded in 2016 by a team of alumni from Donghua University and Tongji University, MAKE021 integrates four core pillars: AI skill empowerment, industrial ecosystem services, business scenario services, and growth incubation support. “Years of accumulated systematic support allow even first-time entrepreneurs to focus on what they do best,” said Zhou Feng, head of MAKE021.

The platform boasts cultural and creative industry resources far exceeding peers. It currently hosts over 50 AI OPC teams specializing in fields such as illustration, design, and fashion consumption, and has brought together more than 3,000 illustrators and over 300 brand resources.

Two resident teams, Zhuimang Technology and ReZ-TI, have both made critical leaps with MAKE021’s support.

Zhuimang Technology focuses on emotional aromatherapy products for relaxation, focus enhancement, and stress relief. After joining MAKE021, the platform connected the team with cloud computing resources that helped automate repetitive computational tasks, cutting R&D time by roughly 20 percent.

ReZ-TI, which specializes in intelligent control modules, also benefited greatly. Founder Chen Feng said that with the AI computing power and development tools provided by MAKE021, the company shortened its cycle from design to prototype validation by 30 percent.

MAKE021 is now accelerating its expansion. The Mi Industry-Education Integration Shanghai Center, currently in pre-approval, is expected to be put into operation this year within the MAKE021 space. “The center will provide shared R&D workstations, an AI computing pool, and Mi ecosystem supply chain project matching services for OPC joint labs, industry-education integration training, and smart home startups, while simultaneously opening up real project training scenarios from Mi’s ecosystem companies,” Zhou added.