China News Service, Wuxi, September 26 (Xu Shanshan, Sun Quan) On the evening of the 25th, the "Zhongshan Road Market", which is highly anticipated by Wuxi citizens, made its grand debut. Using art, markets, performances, and trendy consumption as carriers, Zhongshan Road, which carries Wuxi's century-old industrial and commercial memory, has been transformed into a city living room without walls. Through the in-depth integration of culture, business and tourism into innovative scenes, it awakens the vitality of the old city and unlocks a new posture of urban rejuvenation and digital development.
"Zhongshan Road Market" attracts many citizens and tourists to check in. Photo courtesy of Liangxi District Party Committee Propaganda Department
"Shiji" has multi-layered connotations, representing not only the fashion market, but also the flow of time. As the first stop in Jiangsu for Xiaohongshu's annual cultural tourism project "Guide to Enjoy Life", this event is also an innovative practice for Wuxi to promote the younger generation of the city's brand.
At the event site, more than 30 themed pop-up stores of first-time brands were gathered in the block. Among them, Fumanshanhai Cafe & Hatsong Little Red Riding Hood Sandwich made its national debut, and Shishi·New Chinese Bar made its Jiangsu debut; LULUNI art store, pet-themed pop-up store, Xianyu circulation store, etc. were all unveiled. A themed RV market is set up along the street, with Southeast Asian-style catering, specialty coffee, craft beer and other stalls lined up to create a borderless, strolling consumption scene.
The event innovatively launches the Arting theme outdoor art fair, turning the street into an open-air art museum. The art fair brings together 60 leading lifestyle aesthetics market brands, nearly 80% of which are debuting in Wuxi for the first time. For example, the works of artists such as Andy Warhol and Pan Yuliang have walked out of the exhibition hall and landed on the streets; the artistic IP "LULUNI" of trendy artist Zhai Yu has appeared, using the image of cats to convey the concept of slow life; projects such as fine embroidery and Liuqing bamboo carving have entered the market, allowing traditional skills to leave the exhibition hall and integrate into the market in a fresh form.
"Zhongshan Road Market" awakens the vitality of the old city. Photo courtesy of Liangxi District Party Committee Propaganda Department
There are also a variety of performing arts activities on site. The "Chinese Music Escape" entertainment party is staged on the open-air stage; Coser parades, Chinese-style interactions, and guest meetings take turns; and the creative puppet show "Pinocchio's Strange Circus Adventures" is staged, suitable for parent-child family experiences. Old photo walls and four-panel life comic check-in points are set up in the neighborhood to connect old memories of the city with current life. On the evening of the 25th, the lighting ceremony of Zhongshan Road was held simultaneously, linking the lighting of buildings along the road, outdoor large screens and on-site lighting, connecting century-old business connections with light and shadow, kicking off the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday consumption.
This time, Shiji will link up with surrounding commercial entities such as Great Eastern, Suning, and Yunbat to launch two-way consumer benefits. Citizen tourists who meet the single consumption standards in the market can redeem shopping mall coupons; when they spend enough in cooperative shopping malls, they can also participate in draws and apply for coupons, realizing mutual guidance of customer flow between outdoor markets and offline shopping malls.
Zhongshan Road is the spiritual axis of Wuxi’s urban development, witnessing the city’s transformation from a small water town to a modern city. The relevant person in charge of the event organizer said that the "Zhongshan Road Market" uses an old place to incubate new life. It is not only a tribute to the inheritance of a century-old industrial and commercial culture, but also an exploration of activating the old city with innovative consumption scenarios and prospering the holiday economy, and continuing to enhance the vitality of the city through the integration of culture, business and tourism. (over)
