Nanjing Rd walking street growing
Print Edition
THE new extension of the Nanjing Road Pedestrian Mall will open to the public in September, featuring new lighting, more seats and upgraded businesses.
Gao Yun, Party secretary of Huangpu District and a national legislator, told the ongoing National People’s Congress that the future pedestrian area is expected to become “a new highlight” of Shanghai.
Nanjing Road E., built in 1851 was one of the city’s first modern roads. The pedestrian-only section is extended east to Sichuan Road M. from its current end at Henan Road M. It will later be extended to the Bund to accommodate a growing number of visitors.
The pedestrian mall, as a main part of the road, stretches 1,033 meters between Xizang and Henan roads and 200 million people visited in 2019.
Gao said the focus now is on details of the expansion. Plans have already been made for the street’s paving, lighting and the decoration of historical structures.
Lighting will be transformed to better connect the different lighting styles of the Bund and the current Nanjing Road E.
The lighting on the Bund features a classic style, while the neon lights on the pedestrian mall showcase its prosperous businesses. The lights on the new pedestrian section will blend both.
Additional public seating, flower beds and rubbish bins with special designs will be installed.
Up market businesses will become another highlight. Existing businesses will be upgraded and characteristic shops will be opened on nearby roads, such as Jiangxi Road M. and make the surrounding area more dynamic.
The landmark Century Plaza in the middle of the pedestrian mall will undergo a major renovation for international brands to launch new products and become a popular wanghong (online celebrity) site. A blueprint from the Spanish architecture institute EMBT has been chosen, Gao said.
Nanjing Road began as Park Lane from the Bund to a racetrack on today’s Henan Road. It was extended to Zhejiang Road in 1854 before being stretched to Xizang Road in 1862. The Nanjing Road Pedestrian Mall was opened on September 20, 1999 and quickly became an attraction for tourists and local residents alike.
Last year, the walking street was listed by the Ministry of Commerce as one of China’s first batch of pedestrian roads to receive high-quality, tasteful renovations and improvements. The entire Nanjing Road E. is now covered by 5G technology.
Although brick-and-mortar stores on the road have taken a beating recently amid the novel coronavirus pandemic, traditional department stores are fighting back, especially in Huangpu, where over half of the city’s commercial facilities are based.
The outbreak has driven major traditional stores to launch online platforms or join the trend to livestreaming, Gao said.
Xintiandi, for instance, has begun using 5G to unveil new products on the Internet, which has proved to be popular among customers.
Gao said the conversion and upgrading of Huangpu’s commercial hubs had also brought about the revival of its night economy. A number of landmarks have been listed as test areas to boost after-dark spending. They include Xintiandi, Yuyuan Garden Malls and the Cool Docks.
Fengjing Road near the Bund Financial Center and Waima Road near the Cool Docks will also close to traffic at certain times on weekends to accommodate entertainment, markets and food stalls.
Late last year, a section of Hubin Road near Taiping Lake became pedestrian-only from 8pm on Fridays to 5am on Mondays.
The road received some 190,000 visitors during initial operations with street artists, stalls and outdoor movies.
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