Huangpu to build new waterfront path, green spaces along river

A new riverside path along the South Bund in Huangpu District will open to the public by the end of November, along with four new greenery gardens in the waterfront area.

After the opening of the new 1,240-meter-long waterfront section, people will be able to walk from Waibaidu Bridge to the Bund, Shiliupu Pier and the South Bund all the way to Nanpu Bridge along an uninterrupted riverside path, said Gao Yun, the Party secretary and director of Huangpu District.

A renovation is being conducted on riverside paths in the Dongjiadu area, where the city’s earliest shikumen, or stone-gate houses, were built, and the Lujiabang Road ferry station.

Construction has also begun on new riverside gardens in the South Bund area.

The Taidi Garden on Longhua Road E. will cover 10,000 square meters and include a football pitch. It will open sometime around September.

The Vane Garden, near the historic Shiliupu Pier on Waimalu Road, will open by the end of the year.

The Tranquil Garden near the Cool Docks, a fashion and dining landmark developed along the river, will cover 9,900 square meters. It will have an underground parking lots.

The nearby Mystery Garden will be around 5,500 square meters. It and the Tranquil Garden will open around 2020, according to the district government.

Meanwhile, the Huangpu government also aims to upgrade the shopping environment on Nanjing Road E. and at the Yuyuan Garden Malls, Gao said.

The former Central Mall, a market known for selling and repairing electronic appliances, has been converted into the Jazz at Lincoln Center Shanghai, the only foreign branch of the New York-based Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra.

The five-story mall, which covered about 6,000 square meters, was closed in 2007 along with nearby historic buildings for renovation. The mall had a strong reputation for reliable quality and a wide variety of goods such as glasses, cigarette lighters and watches, as well as various imported products.

“Most consumers care more about the artistic and natural environment at a shopping mall than the merchandise and shopping activities,” Gao said. “We aim to create a world-class shopping cluster incorporating art, humanity and nature.”

The Yuyuan Garden Malls will be extended westward. It will connect with the Xintiandi area and create a complex featuring culture, art, entertainment, consumption, finance, business and natural scenery, Gao said.

At the shopping complexes, the city’s time honored brands will be highlighted to rekindle their former popularity again, he added.

Huangpu has over 100 time-honored brands, accounting for nearly half of the city’s total. The government will help these brands adopt new technologies and operation strategies to make them popular among global consumers, the Huangpu government said.

Laofengxiang Jewelry, a century-old jeweler, for instance, has applied to register its trademark and brand in 10 countries across Asia and Europe as it prepares to expand into these regions, according to the Huangpu-based Laofengxiang Co.