CHINA DAILY | HONG KONG EDITION Friday, July 17, 2020 | 17 LIFE SHANGHAI Shanghai festival livelier than ever

By HE QI [email protected]

Unlike previous editions, this year’s Shanghai Wine & Spirits Fes­ tival does not have a confirmed end date. Rather, apart from the main event that kicked off on June 6, the festival will also comprise multiple sub­ events that are scheduled to take place throughout the year. “The biggest difference of this year’s festival is that there are differ­ ent topics and sub­events. We want this year’s event to be ‘never­end­ ing’,” says Xu Qin, director of the Hongkou district commission of commerce, one of the main organiz­ ers of the event. “This festival is no longer just a wine activity for distributors and agents to interact. We want to share the wine and spirits culture with more people so that they will have a greater understanding of these products.” Organized by the Shanghai Iconic tourist hotspot Municipal Commission of Com­ merce and the government of Hong­ kou district, the festival has attracted hundreds of enterprises from more than 50 countries since its launch in 2004. Besides featuring famous liquor given an injection of youth brands such as Wuliangye, Changyu and Cavesmaitre, the festival this year also invited a host of bartend­ ers to prepare cocktails for guests. The famous Yu Garden is using pop­up stores and live performances Also present were vendors selling to draw younger visitors, reports in Shanghai. snacks like kebabs, DJs and street Xing Yi performances.

ith a history span­ local restaurants such as noodle ning more than 400 shop Song He Lou and steamed­ years, Yu Garden has bun shop Nanxiang Mantou — the always been a popu­ garden’s management has invited larW international destination in Tsingtao Beer to set up a pop­up Shanghai. booth in the central plaza area, But many Shanghai residents, which also hosts a variety of West­ especially those from the younger ern items such as pizza and steaks generation, view the place as a tour­ that are more popular with young ist trap that is best avoided. visitors. But this summer, the garden A Bite of Jiangnan, a new can­ space has been given a jolt of youth­ teen­style restaurant in the garden, ful vitality after the introduction of also offers a range of snacks from pop­up markets and cultural per­ Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Anhui prov­ formances. inces. In July, Yuyuan Inc, the company Formerly known as the go­to that manages the property, shopping destination for tradition­ Visitors enjoy food and drinks at launched a summer festival to al Chinese souvenirs, Yu Garden Wine Fair, a sub­event of the imbue the historical site with a has also given its retail scene a face­ wine and spirits festival at 1933 modern twist that is more palatable lift with the addition of more guo­ Shanghai in Hongkou district. to young people. chao — literally, “national hipness” PHOTOS PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY Colorful carts selling food and — stores selling products from souvenirs have popped up in the trendy homegrown brands. The move to transform the festi­ main shopping area and young In the store LuShanghai, a wall of val appears to be driven by the grow­ adults who have embraced the han­ T­shirts with designs featuring Chi­ ing interest that Chinese consumers fu trend — wearing traditional Han nese and Shanghainese cultural have for wine and spirits. clothing from centuries ago — can symbols has been erected to draw According to an industry­research be seen roaming around the prem­ customers. The store also has an report by iiMedia Group, the sales of ises. ongoing exhibition featuring spirits in the nation from January to “I have been to Yu Garden count­ Top: A summer festival T­shirts with Chinese zodiac signs November 2019 was 492.74 billion less times since college with friends including pop­up markets and interpreted into different design yuan ($70.41 billion), a year­on­year who came to tour Shanghai, but cultural performances has styles like steampunk, tai chi moves growth rate of 19.9 percent. this is the first time I am a part of imbued Shanghai’s historical Yu and origami. Meanwhile, e­commerce sites the scene,” says Zhang Danqing, a Garden with a modern twist. At China Craft for Design Life, a sold 76.7 billion yuan worth of wine hanfu enthusiast. PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY souvenir store that combines tradi­ and spirits in 2018, up from just 7 “Unlike nearby Suzhou and Above: Cellist Wendy Lee tional handicrafts with modern billion in 2013. The report estimates Hangzhou, which have many tradi­ performs in Yu Garden’s central design, artisans have been invited that sales would exceed 100 billion tional Chinese parks and gardens, square during weekend evenings. to set up studios and sell their yuan in 2020. Shanghai is a modern metropolis — Right: Palm painter Zhu works. Among the companies that have this makes such an experience Yongchun creates traditional Palm painter Zhu Yongchun, one benefitted from this rise in interest more meaningful,” she adds. Chinese paintings using her of the in­store artists, created a tra­ is Chinese baijiu (white liquor) Despite its name, Yu Garden palms, fingers and nails. ditional Chinese black­and­white brand Qianzuiduo. comprises not only a garden but PHOTOS BY XING YI / CHINA DAILY painting using only her palms, fin­ This year, the brand set up a also the neighboring City God Tem­ gers and nails. 10­square­meter container space in ple and a 20,000­square­meter “I started out with ink­and­ which visitors could sample differ­ shopping complex that used to be a brush painting when I was 15, ent types of cocktails made using the bazaar during the Qing Dynasty and later developed the palm­ company’s baijiu. (1644­1911). I have been to Yu painting technique with my hus­ The tiny space managed to rake in The garden segment was origi­ band,” Zhu says, adding that she 50,000 yuan in sales over two days, a nally built by the Ming Dynasty Garden countless has been working in Shanghai two­fold increase from last year. (1386­1644) government official times since college since 2005. “The growing influence of the fes­ Pan Yunduan, who had meant for “Foreigners really like my tival is the main reason behind our the space to be an idyllic abode for with friends who work,” she says. “To better commu­ growth in sales. The festival has also his father to enjoy his twilight came to tour nicate with them, I’ve started become livelier because of the addi­ years. learning English online in my tional activities and this has certain­ Beside the garden is the City God Shanghai, but this is spare time.” ly helped,” says Deng Jianghao, CEO Temple, an ancient structure from the first time I am a Xu Xiaoliang, chairman of the of Qianzuiduo. the Ming Dynasty that was dedicat­ board of Yuyuan Inc, told National “In the past, visitors usually hung ed to Qin Yubo, a scholar of the part of the scene.” Business Daily in May that the around for three to five minutes imperial academy who was vener­ Zhang Danqing, a hanfu company has accelerated the before moving on to another booth. ated as the “city god”, who oversaw enthusiast rebranding of the 16 time­honored This time around, more people the safety, health and wealth of its brands in the garden to make stayed longer to experience the residents. them more appealing to young atmosphere and our products.” Next to the garden and the tem­ people. Deng points out that it wasn’t just ple is the sprawling shopping area “The Chinese aesthetic is under­ sales at the festival that have improved. where buildings sport traditional­ going a revival, and young people’s “Our business wasn’t affected by style facades. growing interest in culture has pro­ the COVID­19 epidemic. In fact, our Besides pop­up stands, another has been practicing balloon sculp­ Emirates and Malaysia. the classical with the modern,” she vided us with a great opportunity to sales have increased over the past new addition to the garden is Wang ting with his brother in Shanghai Another new performer the gar­ says. “We have done this in other evolve,” he says. “Old brands shall several months compared with the Shiping, a balloon artist who will since 2002. The “Balloon Broth­ den has engaged is Wendy Lee, a places, but this is the first time I am not only be preserved, but also rein­ same period of last year,” he says. showcase his craft by the iconic Jiu ers”, as they call themselves, were cellist who performs to the sounds performing in Yu Garden. I am vented into cool, fashionable and Xu adds that digital platforms have Qu Bridge, which zigzags across a among the first certified street of house music in the central quite excited.” hip entities.” also empowered the festival. He says lotus pool, every day between noon artists in the city. The duo has square during weekend evenings Apart from the usual Chinese merchants are not just resorting to off­ and 9 pm throughout July. even performed in other coun­ from 7 to 8 pm. food offerings — Yu Garden is home Contact the writer at line communication to draw custom­ Born in Shanxi province, Wang tries such as the United Arab “I think this is a way of mixing to more than a dozen renowned [email protected] ers but livestreaming channels as well.