Changning Historical Block Turns into a Hotspot for New Consumption

Changning District continued to draw on the rich historical heritage and unique resources of the Yuyuan Road neighbourhood. 

On No. 1227 Yuyuan Road, a new shop called "Picnic" has drawn attention from passersby with its artistic walls, the stained-glass windows and the thoughtfully staged interior space, which adds a vibrant touch of French charm to this historic neighbourhood.

Its product range includes French-style outfits and handcrafted jewellery as well as high-quality homewares and exclusive niche finds.

The shop owner Huihui came across a post on her social media feed about a shopfront for sale on Yuyuan Road—a small premises that had previously been a florist’s. It took just two days to finalise the contract.

Since opening for a trial run on June 26, the shop is currently open daily from 14:00 to 22:00 apart from being closed on Wednesdays. Huihui explained she has also registered her business in Changning; for her, this shop is not merely a retail space, but also a place to interact directly with customers and share the brand’s story and philosophy in depth.

"Byroots", an Eastern philosophy-inspired wellness brand established three years ago in Changning, has also taken a crucial step in its offline venture. The brand’s first physical pop-up store officially opened its doors to the public on June 25 and will remain open until  September 15. 

It creates a rare "sanctuary for the soul" in the bustling city. Stepping into this 10-square-metre "tree hollow", the solid wood décor and bespoke furniture create a simple, natural atmosphere that encourages a slower pace of life.

Drawing inspiration from the natural world of herbs, the brand conveys the philosophy of embracing nature and fostering healing through its range of natural herbal and jade products; the shop features a carefully curated selection of products from various ranges.

Founder Wang Yue stated that the brand has consistently relied on social media and digital sites like Xiaohongshu, Douyin and Tmall as its sales platforms, and made its first offline appearance in April at the Yuyuan New Market. This first physical appearance on Yuyuan Road has further tested the products’ competitiveness in a purely offline environment, whilst also providing valuable experience for the future opening of physical stores.

A representative from Jiangsu Road Sub-district stated that in recent years, it has been continuously exploring a distinctive service model of "scenario-based business incubation", utilizing platforms such as Story Shop and Yuyuan New Market to provide start-up brands with low-cost, accessible offline showcases.

Decathlon Opens New Store in “The Place" Mall

Decathlon "The Place" store (Hongqiao Nanfengcheng) officially opened on July 3. Spanning over 1,300 square metres, the shop brings together more than 80 categories of sports equipment, ranging from lightweight gear for everyday commuting to professional, competition-grade equipment for advanced athletes.

Positioned as a community-focused store, it caters to families with children, young white-collar workers, students and sports enthusiasts in the Tianshan and Gubei International communities, offering product support ranging from basic to advanced items, and from equipment selection to outfit coordination, across more than 80 sports categories.

In terms of services, the new shop offers equipment rental, bicycle repair and maintenance, the collection and resale of second-hand bicycles, racket stringing and table tennis rubber fitting.

Store manager Lai Shanyu noted: “We hope that by offering a product range more tailored to the local community, more convenient specialist services and more regular community events, consumers will not just make a one-off purchase, but will find it easier to discover a form of exercise that truly suits them.”

Communities also serve as an important means for new stores to connect with local shoppers and nearby residents. The Nanfengcheng store will focus on building communities for teenagers, families, and running and cycling enthusiasts, whilst incorporating activities such as walking and badminton to continuously organize events suitable for families, office workers and young students.

This is Decathlon’s 23rd store in Shanghai and its second in Changning District, and the new store launch has complemented the brand’s network of stores in western Shanghai.

Sport is moving from specialist venues into neighbourhoods and public spaces, gradually becoming part of people’s everyday lives.

Antoine Masson, Vice President of Retail at Decathlon China, noted that Changning District has always been one of the key areas for its retail efforts in Shanghai. “This new store also reflects our long-term confidence in Changning’s potential for sports retail and the vibrancy of urban life here,”he said.

Hongqiao Arts Centre Celebrates 10th anniversary

On 6 June 2016, the Hongqiao Arts Centre reopened following the reconstruction and renovation based on the former Tianshan Cinema. Time flies; over the past decade, the Hongqiao Arts Centre has been deeply committed to promoting art for all and collaborating with neighbouring commercial districts. Whilst gradually evolving into a regional cultural landmark, it has also become a cherished artistic haven in the hearts of the people of Changning.

During this year’s  28th Shanghai International Film Festival, the Hongqiao Arts Centre screened a total of 90 films, welcoming 33,242 cinema-goers and treating film enthusiasts with a series of spectacular cinematic experiences.

It has ranked among the top three cinemas in the city in terms of box office takings for nine consecutive years.

Over the past decade, the Hongqiao Art Centre has recorded numerous highlights, and the venue has hosted thousands of exciting performances and regularly hosts over a hundred high-quality shows and films throughout the year, allowing citizens to encounter art right at their doorstep. 

It has hosted various performances such as comedies and movie retrospectives, stage plays, classical concerts, Qin operas, and so many more.

It has also adopted new formats such as embedding artistic atmosphere into urban consumption spaces, extending the enjoyment of theater space onto outdoor lawns, bringing elegant art into public green spaces and building a boundary-free urban cultural ecosystem.

For example, the "2025 Hongqiao Grassland Music Festival" kicked off at the New Hongqiao Central Garden, allowing citizens and tourists to immerse themselves in a romantic journey of "music + nature + trend."

Looking ahead, Hongqiao Art Center will continue to expand its performance venues, enriching multicultural scenes, and further leverage performances and events to bring art beyond venues into daily lives.

Columbia Circle Offers Diverse Consumption and Leisure Destination

The Columbia Circle has added new scenarios for diverse consumption and culture, creating an immersive new paradigm for urban leisure that offers both daytime and nighttime experiences.

On July 4th, the urban drama mindset workshop "Side B Stories", jointly staged by La Strada and the Columbia Circle, was successfully held at Sun Ke Villa, with the core theme "Life Turning," guiding the public to face life beyond the plan and re-understand the meaning of moving forward through adjustment and acceptance.  

On July 11, Shanghai Philharmonic Association Chamber Orchestra presented the "Mozart 270th Anniversary Classic Chamber Music Special" at the Navy Club, paying tribute to the 270th anniversary of the birth of this classical music giant. 

The entire event was presented in an immersive format without sound reinforcement, requiring no electronic equipment to embellish it, allowing the audience to closely capture the delicate details of string bowing and piano touches, truly experiencing the authentic timbre and texture of classical music.

As a major show in the "World Musicians Series" of the Columbia Circle's Urban New Theater initiative, this concert centered on Mozart's classic works, connecting representative pieces of contemporary classical music, breaking away from the traditional concert hall viewing model and integrating professional classical music appreciation into urban public spaces, creating a high-quality artistic experience that is close and resonant to the public.

As summer nights grow longer, nightlife has become an important indicator of a city's vitality.

Recently,  the Columbia Circle and the Early Spring Fun Event Committee jointly launched the “Sunset Catering” initiative, inviting a group of vendors with high-quality products and local characteristics to set up their stalls in the park every evening, thus providing residents with more options for enjoying the summer season.

The 7×24-hour open neighborhoods in the Columbia Circle allows visitors to only sit by the iconic swimming pool and enjoy a light Western meal but also stroll among the stalls at the “Sunset Restaurant” to experience the joy of outdoor dining and the vibrant atmosphere of urban life. This blend of historical charm and modern leisure offers an ideal way for urban residents to find a sense of relaxation.

The Columbia Circle has been committed to exploring a model that combines cultural experiences, gourmet dining, and nighttime social activities. The diversity of its commercial offerings is one of the reasons why it continues to attract so much attention.

In the summer, visiting the Columbia Circle is a great way to relieve fatigue.

Domestic high-end spa brand  Bath Feel opened its nationwide debut store, which is definitely worth experiencing. Featuring the theme of “a private, relaxing bathroom for one person,” this store has already become a popular spot for city dwellers to take a break from their busy lives, thanks to its four distinct areas designed to encourage encounters, handshakes, conversations, and future meetings.

The store offers brand-new summer experiences, bringing “relaxing body care” into this urban oasis.

The Columbia Circle was also successfully included in Dianping's 2026 must-visit list.

Why not invite some friends over and take a stroll during different times of day to discover the many facets of this artistic landmark?

World-renowned IP companies and famous advertising agencies become tenants of this recently renovated office building

Youyou Center has successfully attracted high-profile tenants through recent renovations and targeted service.

The office building was converted from an old-style hotel, with a total construction area of less than 20,000 square meters. The project adopts a layout model of commercial space in the lower-tier floors and businesses in the upper-tier floors, with renovations completed by the end of 2023 and officially open for lease in April 2024.

By the first half of this year, its occupancy rate had climbed to 95 percent, attracting a group of high-quality companies with industry influence, including top global IP operators, internationally renowned advertising agencies, and convenience chain store businesses.

Given that its hardware is not top-of-the-line, how did Youyou Center win the market's favor?

Make the "invisible" services solid

Faced with competition from large-scale benchmark projects in the surrounding area, the operations team chose a differentiated approach.

Although limited by the original structure and unable to match the ceiling height of the newly built buildings, the project retains the unique advantages of the original structure of the hotel. 

The units are square and column-free, with a high usable area ratio and more spacious layouts. More importantly, the team paid meticulous attention to detail.

Thanks to the original hotel design, the building has a higher ratio of restrooms than typical office buildings and retains a 24-hour independently metered air conditioning system. For creative and technology companies that frequently work overtime, this translates to approximately half of their monthly electricity costs alone.

The outdoor scenery is another winning card. The building has an L-shaped layout, with most office areas facing Zhongshan Park directly, offering unobstructed views. Many clients, after their initial site visit, stated that the park view from the windows was one of the key factors in their decision-making.

In terms of investment attraction strategy, the team did not pursue a one-size-fits-all business development approach, but instead focused on finding "like-minded" customers.

After the arrival of the first benchmark company, a positive word-of-mouth effect has gradually emerged. These high-quality companies typically maintain a low profile and have extremely high requirements for the privacy and comfort of their office environment. To address this, the building has implemented strict elevator control and brought in a professional logistics company to provide on-site pickup and delivery services twice daily, minimizing external interference.

“These companies choose offices more like they choose residences; they don’t pursue a grand lobby, but rather value whether the layout is square, whether there is sufficient natural light, and whether the environment is quiet,” stated the head of the leasing department at Youyou Center. 

This understanding of customer needs made the leasing process quite smooth. Data shows that the project added more than 10,000 square meters of leased area in 2024, ranking among the top new supply projects in the district; of the 5,000 square meters of new area transacted in 2025, nearly half came from existing customers actively expanding their leases.

The neighborhood acts as a helpful "shopkeeper"

The smooth progress of the project is inseparable from the precise services provided by the local Huayang Road Subdistrict.

In the early stages of the project's operation, the business environment department of Huayang Road Subdistrict took the initiative to provide services, established a communication and coordination platform, and worked with relevant functional departments to strengthen policy guidance and process coordination. Through special coordination meetings and other means, the department promoted the proper resolution of issues, providing strong support for the smooth operation of the project and the new tenants settling down in the building.

During its daily operations, the neighborhood extends its services to the "last mile." From assisting businesses with registration to inviting professionals to conduct specialized lectures in buildings on specific issues of common concern to foreign-invested enterprises, such as labor laws and tax policies. This "unobtrusive yet responsive" business environment has provided tangible support to both businesses and operators.

Currently, this relatively small office building has entered a phase of refined operation. The project team believes that for urban renewal projects, becoming a "landmark" is not the only goal; achieving stable cash flow and a healthy tenant base within limited physical space is also a form of success.