Jing'an shines bright during Spring Festival

Jing'an marked its first heritage-tagged Spring Festival with unforgettable flair. A fusion of traditional charm and modern spectacle brought the district to life, captivating visitors with every step. Here's a closer look.

Jing'an was a bustling commercial and cultural center during the Spring Festival, attracting roughly 300,000 visitors every day from January 28 to February 3. Sales at the district's three commercial zones – Nanjing Road W., Suhewan and Daning – rose 9.11 percent over last year.

Jing'an's popular consumption coupon scheme, which has been distributed three times, started the momentum on January 17. These vouchers revitalized the local economy, increasing retail and dining purchases. Jiuguang Department Store grew double digits, while 900 Food City grew 334 percent week-on-week.

Light shows

The 12-day "Shining Shanghai Light Up Jing'an" festival and other cultural events boosted spending.

The February 1–12 light and shadow show "Golden Snake Brings Good Fortune to Jing'an" combined cutting-edge technology with traditional Chinese culture.

This lively celebration featured lantern riddle guessing, greeting card making and stamp collecting in the Nanjing Road W. and Suhewan business zones. Over 1.69 million people visited Jing'an Park, the main exhibition center, for the show.

Sales in the district's main shopping centers reached 1.17 billion yuan (US$161 million) over the festival, with Nanjing Road W. up 22 percent from the previous year.

Dining sales rose 31.3 percent in Nanjing Road W. and 39.6 percent in Suhewan.

Nearly 4 million visitors visited key business zones, increasing foot traffic. International visitors rose 60 percent year-over-year, while Nanjing Road W. foot traffic rose 9 percent, peaking at 139,000 on February 2 – a 35.8 percent increase from the 2024 Spring Festival.

The interactive light show at Jiuguang Pedestrian Street turned the famous shopping area into a stunning blend of the past and present. A visual symphony that honored both the ancient and the modern was created by lanterns that lit softly next to high-tech displays.

With lights changing in time with the joyful melodies of the Spring Festival, the "Spring Symphony" light show at Feng Sheng Li Jing'an Temple Square, just across the street, brought the sounds of the season to life. The "Cyber Snake" installation, an arcing neon serpent that combined classic symbolism with a sleek, contemporary twist, was a striking highlight.

It was like entering a winter paradise as you strolled around Jing'an Park. As snowflakes and flowers danced in the dusk light, laser beams cut through the trees, illuminating the air with surreal hues.

The memorable sensory experience offered an ideal backdrop for photographs.

'Flickering Shadows'

The park's "Flickering Shadows" presentation, which tells the legendary story of a family's encounter with the Golden Snake, added a cultural element to the celebrations.

This captivating show, which was projected onto an 11-meter-wide screen, included shadow puppetry, an art form recognized by UNESCO.

The show highlighted landmarks like the Shanghai Exhibition Center and Jing'an Temple, adding a more local flair.

Another amazing light show, "Golden Snake Metamorphosis," took place in the park. With designs from all over the world projected onto building facades, this international homage to snake emblems and totems displayed a stunning confluence of cultures.

"Spring Returns to Jing'an," a captivating light and shadow show along Suzhou Creek, marked the 180th anniversary of the birth of the well-known Chinese artist Wu Changshuo. Timed to coincide with his China Art Museum exhibition, the show projected vibrant flowers from his traditional Chinese paintings onto the exterior of a riverside building.

Along with international floral masterpieces by artists such as Vincent van Gogh, Claude Monet, Auguste Renoir, Paul Gauguin and Paul Cézanne, the event also recognized Liu Haisu, a significant heir to Wu's creative legacy.

In the center of Shanghai, these remarkable light projections created a vibrant tapestry that linked local and international traditions, symbolizing the energy of spring and the spirit of cross-cultural artistic interchange.

At Zhangyuan Garden, a garden party gave visitors a chance to experience Shanghai's cultural heritage. In true traditional fashion, guests wrote Spring Festival couplets, pasted paper-cut window decorations and tasted babaofan (eight-treasure rice).

A major highlight of the event was the heritage-listed dragon and lion dancing.

A 50-meter-long golden dragon wound its way through Zhangyuan's iconic shikumen stone-gated lanes, leaping and spiraling in a breathtaking display of strength and grace. This awe-inspiring performance perfectly encapsulated the festive spirit of the occasion.

Adding to the celebration, 10 calligraphy masters from the Shanghai Calligraphy Association hand-painted "福" ("fu") characters, delivering blessings of good fortune to visitors.

The festival also featured an exhibition of Shanghai-style intangible cultural heritage, including paper-cutting, tie-dyeing, and knot-making. Visitors had the opportunity to participate in these traditional crafts, creating unique pieces as gifts to be given away.

'Gather for Fortune'

Meanwhile, Suhewan MIXC World launched its "Now Gather for Fortune" celebration, bringing Chinese heritage to life with knotting, fish lanterns, paper kites, mahjong and lion dancing.

This riverside destination also hosted a New Year goods festival, showcasing local brands like Lei Yun Shang West and Kai Kai.

Avant-garde performances by the CIE Wulong theater troupe captivated visitors with their signature stilt shows, "Winter is Coming" and "The Ode to Autumn," alongside a brand-new winter production.