Lantern Festival Delights with Bazaars and Ancient Town Adventures

Gumei Subdistrict

In the Gumei area, the Warm Lantern Festival bazaar was held between late February and early March at Wanyuan Plaza and Wanyuan Urban Development Center to celebrate the Lantern Festival, part of the yearlong Chunshen Wonderful Life Season unergoing in Minhang District.

The bazaar hosted a wide range of traditional Chinese New Year goods, dishes and delicacies as well as trendy and fashion items, from beautiful flowers and green plants to exquisite desserts and coffee.

Pet owners were able to enjoy a cozy time while unwanted and leftover items were brought to second-hand dealers to be put into good use.

The Handicraft Experience Zone hosted dedicated sessions for residents, allowing them to take part in the making of tangyuan (glutinous rice dumplings), paper-cut lanterns, gourd carving and paper-tearing art, providing a one-of-a-kind Lantern Festival experience.

Qibao Ancient Town

In the old town, a Lantern Festival bazaar featuring Dunhuang cultural elements was held on March 3, where visitors immersed themselves in the festive atmosphere through traditional musical instrument experience.

The ancient town was turned into a "Chinese music amusement park" where visitors collected their exclusive stamp booklets at the entrance, and then followed the strains of traditional Chinese instruments to embark on a delightful stamp-collecting adventure.

Four checkpoints were positioned throughout the venue, linking iconic landmarks along the historic streets, including the Bell Tower, Taiyuanxiang store, the Old Qibao Restaurant and a newly refurbished teahouse Puxi Yashe.

Stamp collectors needed to complete tasks involving traditional musical instruments – including the drum, pipa, erhu and guzheng.

Each checkpoint also highlighted distinctive local features and historical stories of Qibao Ancient Town so that visitors could learn about the historical and cultural heritage through interactive engagement.

Shanghai National Musical Instruments Factory Co Ltd, a co-organizer of the bazaar, said that traditional Chinese music and the ancient town are fully complementary with each other. Chen Yiling, official of the company, expressed the hope that residents and visitors would experience the charm of China's outstanding traditional culture while strolling through the old streets, appreciating national music and enjoying photo opportunities.

MAMAHOOD neighborhood

Retailers also leveraged the festive occasion to stage limited-time offerings and new store formats to infuse a cheerful and relaxing atmosphere.

The MixC Shopping Mall's MAMAHOOD neighborhood staged a limited-time florist exhibition.

The pop-up florist jointly staged by beauty brands Guerlain, Jo Malone and Estée Lauder transformed the traditional Chinese New Year flower market into a fusion of brand aesthetics and festive spirit.

Jo Malone's pop-up drew inspiration from sage and bluebells to create an understated floral landscape, with its pony candle becoming an instant social media sensation. Guerlain paired rich fragrances with festive themes to create vibrant New Year gift sets.

Each "florist" was characterized by the brand's iconic aesthetic style, and the outdoor corridor offered a one-stop experience for shoppers and passersby.

The MixC saw tangible footfall increase and consumption vitality.

Since January, the number of visitors has shown a marked year-on-year increase, and this pick-up in popularity is spreading to every corner of the neighboring retail districts.

It also teamed up with Douyin, the Chinese version of short video platform TikTok, with special coupons and group-buying vouchers during the festival that successfully pushed up spending at various restaurants within the shopping complex.

Grand neoBay

At the Hengjing Riverside Street of Grand neoBay, an outdoor Lantern Festival and Early Spring Market was staged, blending youthful vibrancy, diversity and leisure.

It offered residents and visitors a one-stop immersive springtime experience, infusing the hub of innovation with a rich cultural atmosphere.

The outdoor bazaar featured eye-catching arches and lantern-adorned canopies, as well as giant handheld dragon-fish lanterns, creative tree lanterns and all sorts of floral lanterns, creating a delightful interplay. Bamboo-crafted riddle walls exuded timeless elegance.

The market represented a significant initiative by Grand neoBay to enhance commercial amenities, enrich neighborhood vibrancy and elevate the quality of life for innovation talent. It aimed to immerse more visitors in neoBay's scientific heritage and cultural allure, with greater warmth and a more vibrant, everyday atmosphere.

Shadow puppetry performances and celebrative parades were also held alongside robotic technique displays, as traditional culture and modern technology shared the stage.

A special flagship store and restaurant was unveiled during the spring market featuring agricultural products and specialty dishes from Zhaotong in Yunnan Province.

Since establishing a paired assistance relationship in 2021, Minhang has consistently deepened and strengthened collaboration efforts with the county in the southwestern province, and the flagship store represented a significant step to further facilitate the introduction of Zhaotong products into Shanghai.