Jing'an comprises 13 subdistricts – Jing'ansi, Caojiadu, Jiangning Road, Shimen Road No.2, Nanjing Road W., Tianmu Road W., Beizhan, Baoshan Road, Zhijiang Road W., Gonghexin Road, Daning Road, Pengpu Xincun and Linfen Road, and one town – Pengpu. Every one of them is working to make Jing'an a better place. We invite a local resident or worker to introduce the best of each subdistrict and town in this series.
Ju Fu Chang
When talking about Shanghai, "Ju Fu Chang" is inevitably an icon and landmark.
"Ju Fu Chang" stands for Julu, Fumin and Changle roads — backstreets that feed into the bustling Nanjing Road W. Most part of the area is under administration of Jing'ansi Subdistrict. A pleasant retreat for expats and a popular hangout for fashionistas, "Ju Fu Chang" is often considered a local version of New York's NoLita.
In the latest effort to fuel the local business environment and further polish the image of "Ju Fu Chang," a development alliance to boost development of local brands in the area has been established. The first to join include LABELHOOD, Fashion Lab and 108 Shangyuan.
LABELHOOD is a textbook example of the labels involved. It began as a single outlet on Fumin Road in 2011 and has become a leading independent platform for emerging fashion designers in China, having fostered and promoted more than 200 domestic brands from Shanghai to the world.
According to the subdistrict, in future, it will organize local retailers to hold fairs on a regular basis; invite artists to hold exhibitions about local history and culture; and cooperate with renowned designers to launch micro-renovations in old neighborhoods so as to create Instagrammable longtang (alleyways).
As a trial, Guanghuali, a new-style lane house neighborhood at 786 Julu Road, in May held a special exhibition that drew on the tradition of open-air drying in Shanghai's longtang.
The densely packed poles and lines hung with washing used to be a common, yet unique view in Shanghai's old shikumen neighborhoods, due to the cramped living conditions. In today's Guanghuali, bedsheets covered with graffiti, painting and other forms of art were fluttering again between the red bricks.
It has made Guanghuali a popular rendezvous among youngsters.
Business-friendly
Jing'ansi Subdistrict boasts 36 office buildings which are home to more than 2,000 companies, including nine headquarters of multinational companies and 10 Fortune 500 companies.
It is the subdistrict's advantageous location and good business environment that made them stay.
Taking L'Oréal for example.
The international beauty giant has been in Jing'an for more than 20 years, with its regional headquarters located at Park Place.
When the company was considering moving its e-commerce business to Shanghai, it realized its Shanghai office was almost fully occupied.
The district moved forward to negotiate with the 1788 Square to accommodate L'Oréal's new office.
In recent years, the subdistrict has been improving its "commercial butler" platform where new policies are updated in real time and personalized services are provided.
An example of the district's popularity is that when a large multinational company planned to move from the subdistrict for business reasons, the decision was overturned by all of the staff. They firmly believed in the Jing'ansi area.
One-stop service
Elders and office workers are two major population groups in the Jing'ansi Subdistrict. Last month, a comprehensive community service center was unveiled to provide one-stop service to local residents, especially the young and the old.
The center, which was recently renovated, covers an area of nearly 3,000 square meters at 1855 Xinzha Road, and incorporates childcare, elderly care, a library, a fitness club and a cultural center.
It also provides one-stop 24-hour civil affairs service to offer convenience to office workers.
Various activities such as traditional Chinese medicine consultations would be on offer.
Around the subdistrict, there are eldercare service centers that provide meals, bathing, laundry and other services to elders. Statistics show that the subdistrict has more than 15,000 people over the age of 60, which account for nearly 44 percent of its population. (Source: Shanghai Daily)
A single purchase
