Pudong gears up for Chinese New Year: A global shopping haven with festive flair and innovation

Pudong, as an international consumption center that blends international charm with a vibrant local flavor, radiates remarkable vitality.

As the calendar turned, the L City Mall in the new area welcomed its first wave of merchants, which was soon followed by the grand openings of 96 Plaza and Expo Place.

Complementing the influx of new stores, a medley of celebrations unfolded across Pudong's shopping haunts to meet the bustling shopping spree of the New Year season.

L+ Mall, in collaboration with the Dunhuang Museum, debuted the "Divine Snake Garden." This exhibition masterfully merges traditional art with Chinese New Year blessings for the Year of the Snake. The first floor showcases the enchanting "Flying Flower Path," inspired by Dunhuang's famed flying apsaras, while the fifth floor houses the symbolic "Divine Snake Garden." A series of engaging activities will continue until February.

Shanghai Super Brand Mall has also stepped up, presenting the immersive "Dunhuang Seeking the Sacred" Exhibition and a Russian-themed market. The space has been transformed into a magical winter wonderland, complete with ice-skating and snow-like effects.

The New Year Flower Market at Shanghai Expo Culture Park open through February 16, offers a 6,000-square-meter display of various flowers, an ice rink and more. Taikoo Li Qiantan's "Let's Cherish Well" combines art, light and music. Bicester Village Shanghai has a lakeside market, and Shanghai Disney Resort has a Christmas market. The festive season has been further adorned by the enchanting "fairy-tale town" at the New Bund Red Lane shopping center and First Yaohan's exuberant "year-end carnival."

Pudong is also collaborating with Douyin, the Chinese version of the short video app TikTok, and the Pudong Branch of China Construction Bank to promote local food, entertainment and sightseeing gems.

The Italian luxury brand Loro Piana is set to hold its first-ever exhibition at the Museum of Art Pudong in the spring of 2025 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the brand's founding; and the third phase project of Shanghai Florentia Village is ready to go, with construction starting soon.

Consumption boost

Since last year, Pudong has been steadily enhancing the "trade-in" policy for consumer goods, effectively unlocking the potential of domestic demand.

In the automotive sector, the new area has introduced district-level subsidy policies to spur consumption. From October 1, 2024, individual buyers of new cars in Pudong can get an extra 3,000 yuan (US$409.36) subsidy per vehicle, on top of national and municipal subsidies. By December 12, 2024, all 30,000 subsidy quotas were pre-claimed and used up.

About 10 auto-consumption community events were held, enabling consumers to compare car brands, models and performance easily at their doorsteps.

Thanks to the combined effect of "activities+policies," auto consumption has thrived. In October and November 2024, Pudong's retail sales of auto products above a certain scale reached 5.7 billion yuan and 6.67 billion yuan, respectively, with month-on-month growth of 9.6 percent and 16.2 percent.

For catering, Pudong earmarked 100 million yuan in district-level fiscal funds to issue "Enjoy Pudong" catering consumption vouchers.

The new area has also strengthened the integration of business, tourism, culture, sports and exhibitions. Through an "AI Check-in Map," 34 core malls and various cultural, tourism, sports and exhibition venues were linked. Over 165,000 consumption-preferential vouchers were jointly launched with 335 merchants, promoting a more vibrant "big-consumption" scenario.

Welcoming the world

As a major international entry and exit hub, Shanghai sees 55 million passengers passing through Pudong International Airport annually. With an expanded visa-free zone, the "China Travel" phenomenon is on the rise. Pudong is capitalizing on this trend by creating an international and friendly consumption environment.

For payment convenience, Pudong has teamed up with local banks to significantly enhance foreign card acceptance. Currently, the Lujiazui business district has an 87 percent cross-border payment coverage, leading other key city areas.

Four Pudong shopping spots – Shanghai IFC Mall, Qiantan Taikoo Li, Shanghai Florentia Village and Bicester Village Shanghai – have been recognized as part of Shanghai's first 14 "International Friendly Malls."

Furthermore, Pudong values the "15-minute convenient living circle" as a crucial means to build an international consumption center. In 2024, 14 subdistricts and towns were chosen as city-level "15-minute convenient living circle" pilot communities, making for a total of 18 so far. The term means that within a 15-minute stroll, residents can access diverse consumption options, satisfying their various needs.