Raffles City Changning launches 9th anniversary event, unveiling major upgrades for 2026

The Raffles City Changning has launched its nine-anniversary campaign "Go For Wild" immersive paradise, bringing a California-style town experience to downtown Shanghai and rolling out two key venue upgrades for the second half of 2026.

The landmark Zhongshan Park shopping mall builds on its signature annual micro-vacation IP, creating outdoor and indoor scenic spaces for city dwellers seeking casual urban leisure.

Raffles City Changning has stuck to its annual themed celebration strategy since 2021. Its seventh anniversary featured vibrant outdoor recreational spaces including a color-block boxing court and retro roller skating rink. The eighth iteration built a tropical island retreat with coconut grove displays and immersive wave light shows in front of the mall's century-old clock tower.

This year's nine-year milestone elevates the micro-vacation concept. A striking California-style town art installation sits on the venue's open green lawn, serving as the campaign's core photo hotspot. The mall partnered with contemporary artist RUN to launch the limited-edition Runtoto character beside a themed roller coaster exhibit. Decked with cowboy hats, star emblems and the "Have Fun!" slogan, the cartoon IP adds playful artistic touches to the outdoor paradise.

Indoor themed scenes complement the outdoor layout. An immersive time-travel station exhibit opens on the mall's second floor, guiding visitors through a surreal journey between reality and fantasy. An interactive custom gashapon machine on the sixth floor combines entertainment and consumption for shoppers.

The mall rolled out multi-layered member benefits to strengthen customer engagement during the event.

Beyond the anniversary celebration, Raffles City Changning unveiled upgrades for late 2026.

The mall will open a full-floor sports and social venue in its west zone. The new space will host Hyrox, pickleball and rock climbing facilities, positioning the property as a regional lifestyle hub for sports enthusiasts.

A revamped 300-square-meter Changning Road lawn will open at the mall's east gate in the second half of the year. Extending the existing central lawn and century-old clock tower landscape, the new green space echoes the historical context of the former St. Mary's Hall, the alma mater of renowned writer Eileen Chang. The multi-functional public area will support nature, cultural activities, sports and pet-friendly recreation.

As a core commercial anchor of Shanghai's Zhongshan Park business circle, Raffles City Changning opened in 2017. The 128,000-square-meter complex houses nearly 300 retail and catering brands. It has formed a unique operational model combining historical building revitalization, large outdoor lawn scene creation and matrix pop-up IP operation. The property has earned official recognition as a Changning District fashion landmark.

The mall will highlight its competitive advantages of historical heritage, natural open spaces, trendy retail formats, sports scenarios and pet-friendly services.

The "Go For Wild" nine-anniversary event runs through July 25. The mall is located at 1139 Changning Road, accessible via Metro Lines 2, 3 and 4 at Zhongshan Park Station.

Teen foreign enthusiast joins ping-pong training at 2026 Shanghai Table Tennis Carnival

The 2026 Shanghai City Table Tennis Carnival has sparked a citywide ping-pong boom, drawing widespread attention from domestic and international sports enthusiasts.

Flavien (Jin Kaijie), a teenage student from Shanghai French School, joined a professional table tennis training session at Ledong Hongqiao sports venue recently. The facility is located at Lane 445 Loushanguan Road, under the one-on-one guidance of Li Xiang, a head coach from Changning District Juvenile Sports School.

"China's table tennis team has excellent performance," Flavien said with excitement.

Born to a French father and a Shanghai native mother, the teen grew up around table tennis and developed a deep passion for the sport. He admires top Chinese world champions including Ma Long, Fan Zhendong and Wang Chuqin. He also follows France's elite table tennis athletes, the Lebrun brothers.

During annual summer visits to France, Flavien plays ping-pong on a homemade table on his uncle's balcony. The casual summer games nurtured his long-term love for the sport long before formal coaching.

Flavien had never received systematic professional training before the carnival session. Coach Li taught him core fundamentals including serving skills, ball receiving postures and body force control step by step. Two peer young players joined the on-site drill for friendly scrimmages.

The teen showed outstanding learning aptitude in his first professional training. He mastered standard serving motions within 10 minutes and quickly picked up basic forehand and backhand strokes. His awkward backhand movement improved notably through repetitive on-court practice.

"I will keep practicing and improve my skills," Flavien said after the training. "I want to surprise my uncle with better plays when I go back to France this summer."

For amateur teen beginners like Flavien, Coach Li shared targeted training advice. He suggested young lovers of the sport watch tutorial videos from retired national team players and professional coaches online. He also recommended mirror swing drills to correct hand, leg and footwork posture and build stable on-court muscle memory.

"Consistent training and more competitive matches are the key to steady progress for young beginners," Li said.

Jin Liting, Flavien's mother, fully supports her son's hobby for China's national ball sport. She said table tennis benefits teenagers far beyond physical fitness.

"The sport improves body coordination and motor ability. It enriches teenagers' spare time and builds a positive lifelong hobby," Jin said. "Table tennis is a popular national sport in China. It is meaningful for young generations to experience and participate in this iconic sport."

Changning Outer Ring Greenway unveils new summer upgrades

Changning District will extend the daily opening hours of its Outer Ring Greenway starting July 1 to let residents fully enjoy summer night breezes and urban green landscapes.

The greenway will operate from 5am to 11pm daily. The extended schedule gives residents ample time for after-work cycling and post-dinner walks under the moon.

Local authorities have ramped up on-site security patrols and upgraded full-range lighting facilities for nighttime visitors. Officials remind pedestrians and cyclists to slow down and prioritize personal safety during nighttime outdoor activities.

The greenway has also launched standardized bicycle management upgrades alongside the new opening schedule.

A unified public notice board has been installed at all major greenway entrances. It displays clear illustrated riding rules and safety reminders for shared bicycle users.

Electronic geo-fencing systems are now in full operation across the scenic zone. The regulation bans shared bikes from leaving the greenway and attached sports park area, and prohibits outside bicycles from entering the green space. All cycling activities must take place within designated zones.

The district will conduct public demand surveys to launch diversified bicycle models in phases later this year. The new vehicle types will cater to personalized travel needs of different visitor groups.

Changning officials plan to upgrade the greenway's landscape and recreational functions in follow-up renovations. New themed sites including a bee camp, healing garden and ecological habitat garden will be built on the greenway.

A series of seasonal events will be rolled out sequentially, including morning fragrance cycling tours, nocturnal insect observation runs, greenway lifestyle festivals and on-site art exhibitions. The district aims to build the greenway into a top local leisure destination.

Known as the urban green lung of western Shanghai, Changning Outer Ring Greenway serves as a public recreational space for local residents. Officials encourage citizens to visit the venue for morning outdoor activities and evening leisure tours.

Changning builds AIGC film hub for startups at iQiyi Creative Center

"Technology rooted in Changning, scenarios deployed worldwide." That mantra defines Changning District's push to grow its science and innovation ecosystem.

Inside incubators across the district, research teams test superconducting materials. Post-90s founders launched one-person company, or OPC, startups with lean operations. Former factory buildings at Tongchuang 717 and Suhehui nurture cutting-edge tech amid urban renewal. Hongqiao Zhiyu evolves into a testbed for intelligent agents and embodied intelligence. These hubs form Changning's interconnected innovation network.

The eighth stop in our series on Changning's incubator development lands at iQiyi AIGC Creative Center Shanghai, a digital dream factory for film and video production.

As new technology eases production burdens, small OPC teams have emerged as powerful new players in the content industry. The iQiyi center delivers flexible office space, massive IP libraries, professional production support and clear monetization channels. It lets OPC teams focus purely on refining creative stories instead of operational burdens.

Gathering New Industry Talent to Launch iQiyi's First AIGC Film Base

Housed in iQiyi Innovation Tower Shanghai, the creative center features multi-function halls and training rooms. The space supports daily creation as well as industry salons, roadshows and professional exchanges, focusing on premium film and television content. It lowers barriers for resource matching and post-production work.

A growing number of OPC creative teams have settled into the facility. The roster includes professional screenwriters, directors, contest winners and student entrepreneurs majoring in film and media.

The center uses an application and review system. Evaluators judge applicants on creative capacity and commercial potential. Qualified teams receive a full package of development support.

Beyond professional workspace, the center leverages iQiyi's IP resources, digital asset library, business networks and creator community. It delivers end-to-end services covering content development, operation and commercial cooperation.

Dual Support of Space and Resources Turns Creative Ideas Into Reality

Zhou Hao, who leads an OPC team, said the center solved his biggest production headaches.

For a short film scene depicting strangers helping each other on a rainy night in an old alley, traditional location shooting would cost heavily on venue rental and set building. The center provided ready-made digital scenes and storyboard tools. His team only needed to polish narrative rhythm and emotional depth. The final footage exceeded expectations.

"We no longer get stuck on trivial production work and can fully concentrate on storytelling," Zhou said.

Li Jun heads another OPC team focusing on short films and animation. Li said the center delivered stable production assistance and compliance guidance, cutting long lead times, high costs and overreliance on large crews. Her team recently finished an animated short with consistent artistic style and outstanding visual quality.

The center's biggest advantage lies in iQiyi's long-form video resources. Creators gain access to licensable novels, scripts and comics to avoid creative bottlenecks. An open digital asset library offers ready-to-use virtual scenes and props, so teams do not need to build environment from scratch.

Mentorship and Practical Training Nurture the Next Generation of Filmmakers

High-quality productions demand stronger professional skills. The center has built a complete training model pairing top-tier mentorship with real project practice.

In September 2025, iQiyi partnered with Oscar-winning cinematographer Peter Pau to launch the Peter Pau iQiyi AI Theater program. Out of more than 500 global applicants, 16 teams were selected for intensive training. Pau guided the whole production process for their short films.

This May, the two sides opened submissions for the Peter Pau iQiyi Cinema Project for commercial feature films. Selected projects will receive full creative supervision from Pau plus investment, promotion and distribution support from iQiyi. The plan aims to produce 10 Chinese-language feature films longer than 60 minutes.

The first AI film creation camp opened in May. The five-day course covered screenwriting, directing and production technology. Seventy-two participants finished 29 short films, moving from theoretical study to finished works. The center will keep hosting salons, summits and master classes with renowned directors, producers and IP authors.

Zhou Hao attended the full camp. He once thought AI only generated visuals, but learned storytelling remains the core while AI serves only as a production tool. The training filled gaps in cinematography, shooting techniques and distribution strategy. He also connected with peers to broaden creative ideas.  

Monetization Channels and Policy Support Let Creators Focus on Creation

The center has built a complete industrial chain from content production to revenue generation. It offers platform-wide distribution, promotional resources and targeted traffic to expand audience reach.

Local government policy also fuels development. Changning rolled out a comprehensive innovation package including project rewards, streamlined licensing, startup subsidies, talent housing and funding support for major events.

Changning Administration for Market Regulation opened a dedicated green channel for the creative center. Specialized staff handle applications, and the site was included in the Cloud Address registration system. Business license paperwork has been simplified, shortening review and approval timelines to speed up project launch.

The social media era allowed ordinary people to publish content freely. Now the platform era makes high-end film production accessible to micro teams.

Moving forward, iQIYI AIGC Creative Center Shanghai will attract more outstanding creators. Backed by iQiyi's IP ecosystem and creator community, it will keep producing premium film works and build a sustainable system for creator growth and content production.

Night running routes in Changning unveiled

As summer arrives, more and more people in sportswear hit the riverside promenades and park tracks after dark—this is the city's beloved night running craze! Wondering where to run in Changning? Check out these curated routes.

Route 1: Suzhou Creek Changning Waterfront Promenade

Total length: 11.2 km | Best for night views

Stretches from Jiangsu Rd N. (east) to the Outer Ring Linkong Area (west). The entire route features rubberized slow-traffic paths and full riverside landscape lighting.

- Beginner 3 km: Zhongshan Park (Changning Road entrance) → Hongqiao Riverside Park. Enjoy the lit-up clock tower of East China University of Political Science and Law, glowing waterfront railings, and shaded camphor trees. The riverside stays cooler; benches and convenience stores are available for rest and refreshments.

- Regular 6 km: Hongqiao Riverside Park → Under the Middle Ring Painted Bridge → Wind Chime Green Space. The graffiti sports field under the Middle Ring is a popular photo spot. Rest stops and restrooms are well-equipped; drainage is excellent for rainy seasons.

- Full 11.2 km: Connects Suzhou Creek Leisure Space, Tianyuan Riverside, and Linkong Music Park. River breezes chase away summer humidity.

Nearby metro: Lines 2/3/4 to Zhongshan Park Station or Beixinjing Station.

Route 2: Tianyuan Riverside Park

The park spans from Furongjiang Road (east) to Tianzhong Road (west), covering 34,500 sqm. Its landmarks are the Suzhou Creek viewing corridor running through the park and the Future Tower for panoramic views. Though compact, it's a hidden gem for walking, family outings, and photography.

Fitness paths under the corridor and uniquely designed rest spots add fun to your workout.

Route 3: Outer Ring Ecological Greenway

Loop: 6.25 km | Urban version of "Wizard of Oz"

A fully enclosed, independent greenway with no traffic lights. Surrounded by dense woods, it stays cool and shaded.

- Short 3 km: Round-trip from Guangshun Rd N. entrance to Xianxia Rd W. exit.

- Full loop 6.25 km: Guangshun Rd N. → Quankou Rd → Kele Rd → Youle Rd. Nine scenic footbridges, full nighttime lighting, and views of Hongqiao Airport flights. Four rest stops along the way.

Nearby metro: Line 2 to Songhong Road Station or Hongqiao Airport Terminal 1 Station.

Route 4: Xinjinggang Riverside Greenway

Loop: 3.7 km | Best for short community runs

A riverside loop in Beixinjing, surrounded by residential areas—perfect for a quick run right downstairs. Lush greenery, bright streetlights, and smooth pavement make it ideal for a post-dinner 3 km jog. Pocket parks offer quick rest stops.

Route 5: Zhongshan Park Lake Loop

Loop: 2.8 km | Best for beginners & fat loss

A tree-lined, all-day open loop around the lake. Shaded and well-ventilated, with moderate crowds—great for brisk walking or jogging.

After your run, pick up fresh seasonal produce at nearby street markets—workout + nutrition in one go!

Night Running Tips

- Best time: 6–8pm. Finish by 9pm to avoid sleep disruption .

- Warm-up: 10 minutes of dynamic stretches (high knees, ankle circles).

- Beginners: Try "2 minutes running + 1 minute walking" for 20 minutes.

- Advanced: Try interval training, but increase weekly mileage by no more than 10 percent to avoid injury.

- Cool down: Stretch and cool down promptly after running.

Who Should Avoid Night Running

- Acute knee injury

- BMI > 30

- Unstable coronary heart disease

- Uncontrolled high blood pressure

- Severe osteoporosis