NEW VENUES 2005 Alessandro De Toni
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SHANGHAI
NEW VENUES 2005 Alessandro De Toni
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SHANGHAI
SHANGHAI
A successful brand is like a sparkling personality in the land of boredom. Private spaces, individual niches for a deeper thinking, to understand what you really are and what you want to become,
peculiar identity, identity metabolize new ideas and broaden its vision. Nurtured with personality and knowledge a brand could never starve but… what if till yesterday (or today?) there were neither
spaces” in China? Is Confucianism so far? If social harmony is a collective goal and in order to preserve it society assigns me a specific position, where is my space as an individual? Could
anymore and finally I can decide: lifestyle, culture, leisure, everything is newly shaped by this “life privatization”. atization” And I’m atization”. ready to defend my territory even behind
life and last but not least their identity. And this could become as well an important goal for a fast developing mass class, which has still to work hard to enjoy enjo its slice of wealth but already
to begin their quest for self-fulfillment.
to make your ego sprout out from the bushes of society: this is definitely the first ingredient of an outstanding brand. But the private spaces of reflection should be opened to the outer environment, should be flexible and adaptable to different reality and cultural stimula: that’s the way a brand,
private spaces nor the possibility to get in touch with the outer environment? Let’s think about the fact that China had been almost closed to the foreign countries ‘till 20 years ago and even today the chance to travel around the world or simply to visit foreign countries is a privilege of a little elite.
ever my personal ambitions, dreams and desires be satisfied? Improved economical conditions in city like Beijing and Shanghai are allowing new generations to tailor their private lives, areas of introspection to enjo their personal enjoy meaning of life, beyond the fixed roles of society.
the barriers of a VIPs lounge (from the Maglev train’s VIPs waiting room to the Sony Gallery in Huaihai Road) if needed! Now a selected class of people can finally enjo the luxury to enjoy understand themselves, their
dreams about a villa in the countryside, a BMW parked in the garden and a holyday on Hainan sunny beaches. But while everybody pursue this dream, Beijing’s review “Lifestyle” is reporting that there’s already an increasing trend among young professionals which brings them to leave a
ready for a new breed of Chinese brands facing the challenge of global market.
self-conscious of its
And how about “my private
Society doesn’t rule my life lif
expectations toward
successful career in order
New shoots of personality are born and though foreign brands are still the major players in this huge market, the soil is almost
SHANGHAI
BEA BEAUTY & COSMETICS
a successful business case in Shanghai: one at every corner and always crowded.
During the Mao years, using beauty products was considered as a bourgeois and anti-revolution
annual average wage is still around RMB 27,000 (3,300 USD) so the major players at the moment are still brands like OLAY OLA (by (b P&G) and L’OREAL, all premium products of the upper-mass segment.
behavior. In the 1980s and 1990s along with the progression of purchasing power things changed: an emerging urban population of ‘white collars’, both male and female, employed in services or in the headquarters of big companies can now be the targeted by foreign cosmetic companies. Anyway Shanghaineses
Therefore the main retailers are Carrefour, WALMART and the Chinese Lotus who propose products such as OLA L’ORÉAL and Avon OLAY, perfectly matching current Chinese needs. In addition to large retailers WA WATSONS, a subsidiary of Hk tycoon Li Ka Xing’s Hutchinson Whampoa Ltd, is selling the same range of cosmetics and seems to be
last years, L’OREAL’s ads in the subway stations attract consumers with the promise of white skin and ruby rub red lips (like the charming ladies in the 30’s cigarettes ads) while targeting the younger with MAYBELLINE MA products, and AVON has created a product line for teens called UP2YOU: a fresh and young attitude toward cosmetics, the
And in this segment the battle is quite hard: OLAY OLA has invested huge capitals in advertising during the
SHANGHAI Beauty & Cosmetics
amazing play of changing your mask and playing with products. Let’s not forget that most Chinese women are beginners in terms of product knowledge and companies are investing a
Abo all that Shanghai is Above also the ‘Paris of the East’, the glamorous capital of fashion and luxury (and ANNA SUI maybe is the most representative stylist to embody this mood), and though most of the pocket
chance to succeed: the decors and the service are much more sophisticated than WATSONS’ WA but the overall environment is still rather informal and easygoing; no matter if you buy or just give a look,
lot to show how to use the products trough demonstrations and minitraining sessions (generally held in department stores). In the same way creating a brand which targets the youngest consumers (e.g. UP2YOU) allows a cosmetic company to start this education training at the earliest stage.
can’t afford it there’s already an elite of DIOR’s addicted. Cosmetic malls in Huaihai Rd are like exclusive boutiques where few career women pamper themselves empting out their pockets, while other customers just have a stroll to look at the new trends. That’s why places like SEPHORA (in Huaihai Lu) should have a better
anyway it’s always a pleasant experience. In cosmetics like in many other fields Shanghai is like that: a window of wishes for the masses and the outpost of foreign companies. So if you really don’t want to mix with common people and want to preserve your ‘VIPness’, the city offer different alternatives to enjoy enjo the
SHANGHAI Beauty & Cosmetics
wonders of personal care: cosmetics boutiques offering luxury products as well as beauty treatment (like the American NU SKIN), upscale fitness centers ‘all-inclusive’ like PHYSICAL (the service
well, Shanghai has many cosmetic surgery’s clinics, last year it hosted the first "Miss Plastic Surgery" beauty contest and now that breast implant is quite common for rampant young ladies, the “Shanghai
range from towels and sandals to massages and skincare treatment), hyper exclusive hairstylists from the fashion catwalks (P&G’s VIDAL SASSOON in Xintiandi is a top one), and of course elegant Spas to spend a day of relax and pleasure (e.g. ONE DAY DA LIVING in Shaanxi South Rd). If all this it’s still not enough to become a star…
Daily” report that breast implants are becoming very popular among men as well! Why? “To impress women, clients, or in some cases their boss”!
SHANGHAI
DESIGN & FASHION
Just 30 years ago the a young artist named Chen Yifei was spending his time in rural Zhejiang province o ovince
to 300,000 dollars and when you arrive in Lujiazui district from the international airport, you guess if the 400km/h speed of MAGLEV train has sent you in the future (as Jin Mao tower’s propaganda
nostalgia they also enjoy enjo a clean private bathroom! New residential areas are courts of sky sk scrapers, artificial lakes and trees protected by walls and monitored by security guards. Most of the flats
painting Chairman Mao’s face for propaganda posters. Just 15 years ago the now amazing Pudong financial district was a field far away from the city: not any Oriental Pearl TV Tower or Jin Mao Building to enliven the skyline. Today Chen Yifei is a Shanghai painter/designer/entreprene ur whose works worth up
slogan says: “Forever ahead!”). Landscape is totally changed and people’s lifestyle adapted to it. The social life of the old houses with few privacy and lively common spaces is almost over. In today’s comfortable compounds people enjoy enjo their privacy and don’t even know neighbors’ names… and apart from
are rented fully furnished either in a pseudo-classical, plastic-kitsch Chinese style or with a simple sober touch, and for a lot of people furnishing a flat by themselves is really hen mafang (litt. it’s a drag). Anyway there are more and more consumers concerned about giving their place a touch of personality and there’s no lack of
SHANGHAI Design and Fashion
alternatives in the city. IKEA is a cool and relatively affordable (not cheap!) way to meet this demand and in my opinion that’s also because it turns furnishing in a funny game: its image is cool and has great
chandeliers. Anyway for those gold collars who trained their taste for design abroad and are not concerned anymore about confirming their status the selection is as well wide. Beside the soon-
LA LAYEFE, and the young and friendly Simon Ma with his brand MA.DESIGN. After years devoted to painting and 10 years spent in New York, now Chen Yifei has the flagship store in Shanghai's upmarket
success among young white collars. Meanwhile a bunch of local luxurykitsch oriented millionaires is celebrating its status ordering the Italian society MILANO42 to furnish their houses: ‘only’ 600,000 euros for a fully furnished villa where the hot selling items are BALDI BRONZI green malachite bathtubs and LA MURRINA crystal
opening SPAZIO in Huaihai Rd, which will be a retailer of brands like B&B, CAPPELLINI, BOFFI and many more Italian design firms, there are many successful examples of a mature Shanghainese taste for design. In particular I think about two big names in this field: the above abo mentioned Chen Yifei, whose brand name is
Xintiandi district. Here people can buy products that are entirely Asian: hand-embroidered bed linen, glassware, vases, lacquered wooden trays and fine porcelain from Jingdezhen in Jiangxi province. o ovince. Meanwhile they’re designing and producing a line of furniture which point at competing with international brands,
SHANGHAI Design and Fashion
providing o oviding the Chinese the western chic homes they’ve seen on TV. TV As Chen Yifei told in many interviews his style need not necessarily to express a Shanghainese identity. Different point of view for
lab. Thanks to his smart fusion between Chinese and Western style is now recognized as a pioneer of inno ative design. East and innov West, art and design: this magic spell is also the philosophy of a 160
seem to welcome new styles and trends from abroad as well as interesting mixtures of influences from the city itself. Simon Ma is for sure a master in meeting the taste of Shanghai’s elite
Simon Ma, who’s proud to write on his homepage: “Made in Shanghai – 100% Original design“ (though he’s born in Hong Kong and educated in London). The MCLUB, not far from the Bund, is his fashionable and cool headquarter: a design workshop, an art gallery a music club, a gallery, restaurant and a hairstylist, in sum a 360° degrees style
interior designers’ team working under his guidance and furnishing private homes as well as a countless list of major corporate multinational clients in Shanghai.
through such a mix, but in the city there are two districts which promise to be an ideal ground for future cool local brands: Moganshan Rd, the Shanghai Rive Gauche (interesting to note that in the art imaginary Shanghai is compared to Paris, while Beijing’s Dashanzi is compared to NY Greenwich village), and the design
Since the beginning of the last century Shanghai, due to its commercial role, has always been a land of cultural exchange; people
SHANGHAI Design and Fashion
center Taikang Rd. The creativity sparkling in these art districts often becomes an ideal incubator of new trends and refined local fashion brands (e.g. JUDY JUD HUA’s showroom in Moganshan Rd).
1 – Nanjing West Rd is definitely the temple of world-famous fashion brands, the paradise of golden collars. A coffee break at The Portman Ritz Carlton Hotel, a walk inside Plaza 66’s to visit the
people in these roads are just hanging around to get a breath of new trends and maybe to buy some fake clones in Xiangyang Street market. Anyway there’s still a part of Shanghainese enjo enjoying their outstanding
When talking about Shanghai fashion we’re really getting into a shopping paradise. To simplify such a vast field I can fragment it in at least 3 categories related to different shopping district of the city: 1) top class brands (most of them western), 2) Hong Kong ‘fast-fashion’, 3) street style.
biggest Dior’s store in Asia, a look to Gucci’s latest models: these are just a few alternatives Nanjing Rd. can offer. A similar range is offered by Huaihai Road: celebrated for its elegance, it features topend designer brands for VIP and wannabes as well as something which fit much more common people’s pockets. Most of the
purchasing power. Here men in black Italian designers’ suits (ARMANI, ZEGNA and GUCCI on the top) and smart glasses, concerned about their image and social success, meet women who could be the testimonial of a LUIS VUITTON’s campaign: sophisticated, ambitious and self-confident. Meanwhile casual dressed
SHANGHAI Design and Fashion
entrepreneurs are having a stroll around with their gorgeous…‘wives’, maybe to fill their strongest desires (mmh, don’t know… a little FRANK MULLER in Nanjing Rd’s store?). Beside jokes about ladies aiming
consumers loy lo alty and to strengthen their distinctive features. People are still going to Nanjing West Rd or Huaihai Rd because everybody knows that there you can buy luxury and high-quality foreign
brands like LUIS VUITTON, VACHERON CONSTANTIN, CONST PRADA and many more (and brand history seems to have a strong appeal on pragmatic Chinese consumers: it’s easier to remember a story about a
at their partners’ pocket, man casual is quite a new phenomenon: until few years ago it was not so common to see a man abo the age of 30 above wearing a pair of jeans and a jacket. It could be a sign that status is loosing importance in the face of comfort and personality. Foreign brands are still on their way to build
products: most of them are not looking for a specific brand which reflects their personal image. It’s interesting that the No mber issue of the Nove magazine TRENDSMAG is trying to improve consumers’ brand culture by means of a supplement which narrates the historical background of some famous foreign
man and his success instead of the imaginary universe of ‘brand’). Finally Xintiandi, though more for tourist, is becoming a pearl of chic apparels for visitors and local millionaires. Beside the great classics of world fashion there are some little stylish boutiques selling garments and accessories which remind the mood of
SHANGHAI Design and Fashion
the glamorous Pearl of the Orient. And far from being a little player (in fact it belongs to Li Ka Xing’s Hutchinson Whampoa Empire) SHANGHAI TANG T is the most suitable brand to embody this city’s
Considering the massive presence of competitors of the same range, the card of fast-fashion couldn’t bring them a great success in term of brand image, so the exclusive location is functional to a
shop: affordable prices to enjo a breeze of cool enjoy without investing too much. For the majority of people fashion is still a carefree game and people are not interested to wear a work of art. They can
heritage: graphics which remind silk embroideries and reinterpretations of classical qipao, playing on the pride of Shanghaineses fashion victims.
repositioning of the brand. When I talk about competitors of the same range of ZARA I mainly refer to the brands of Hong Kong Baleno’s group CBASE, BALENO:ATTITUDE BALENO:A and some less cool brands which are a kind of Chinese equivalent of western H&M. BALENO’s outlet in Huaihai Rd is much more crowded than every luxury
create their touch of personality only with colors and accessories (especially bags) and Hk brands can easily provide o ovide them a pleasant style with a pretty low budget.
2 – ZARA, one of the pioneers of ‘fast-fashion’ in Europe, is going to open a store within the end of the year in Xintiandi’s hyperluxury compound.
3 – A large slice of young people, ranging from 16 to 25yo prefer to make their style in Shaanxi South Rd, Julu Rd and all the little
SHANGHAI Design and Fashion
cozy shops surrounding Huaiha Rd as well as the fake markets in Xiangyang Rd, a foreigners’ hot spot with the main gate on Huaihai Rd, and Qipu Lu, where plenty of young people order tailor made
abo e]”. abov e]” ADIDAS and PUMA zip sweaters and bags, loose fit jeans, caps, RAY RA -BAN style unisex glasses are among the coolest items in those places. There’s also a broad range of products targeting the younger
adults can’t have access to. Finally it seems to be the same psychological introspection you can often find in Japanese teenagers’ mangas.
garments based on models viewed on foreign (especially Japanese) reviews. As Tony, ony a young model ony, scout I met in Huaihai Rd, told me “Shanghai is so boring, there are not so many places to have some fun… if you want to find some more cool freaks like me, you have to visit all those places [I mentioned
‘manga girls’: MEGGY AND PEGGY costume jewelry and mobile accessories, EMILY EMIL THE STRANGE bags, pins, colorful shirts with stripes and comics’ characters. Although it seems to be a concept of fashion which is 100% fun, it’s also a way to disguise, a trial to create a carefree world of fancy through accessories’ feticism, a private world
pearls of street style, two emerging brands created by local young designers and already well-rooted among the fussiest consumers: MAN ON MARS and THE THING. MAN OF MARS is a creation of Tony Wong, a 25 years old designer who studied fashion in Japan and aims to become a symbol of Shanghai’s street
Shanghai has also two local
SHANGHAI Design and Fashion
style. His shop is coated of white and green tiles and at a first sight looks like a surgery room. You fell a little bit more at ease when you find a dj console on the counter and a mosaic work on the floor with a
and caps are the real furnishing of the place. All the drawings are works of art: poetic, cruel and melancholic at the same time. An example? A young woman shooting in the head; the blood
portrait of a funny dog. Decors have a strong Japanese taste and the few garments in the shop (they’re creative works, not tons of stuff to wear!) are quite simple and suitable to a comfortable and careless urban style. THE THING is a little concrete grey minimal shop where amazing graphics printed on t-shirts, bags
splashes out from her head turning into ruby-r rub ed butterflies. Impressive, isn’t it? In this drawing I find a high dose of frustration which seems to be the Shanghai’s boredom or mal de vivre Tony (the model scout) told me about, a kind of inner voice which says: “we’ve everything, but we’re nothing”. nothing”
SHANGHAI
TECHNOLOGY In a city like Shanghai, where fashion absorbs new trends and influences from art and design, hi-tech as well has to adapt to this scenario. Hi-tech is a kind
highly specialized shopping malls (selling consumer as well as business products) usually not in downtown areas, Shanghai’s downtown district of technology are very closed to fashion malls (e.g.
on the trains, urban planning of new hi-tech districts and propaganda showing the people the future of a hi-tech Shanghai. As a consequence people get even more concerned about
of fashion accessory, accessory which improve your image like an OMEGA watch or a MONT BLANC briefcase would do; of course hi-tech products are functional tool which can speed up your work and improve your selfconfidence, but they’re also a way to gain people’s praise and social success. So while in Beijing you find hi-tech products in specific
Huaihai Rd and Nanjing Rd) either they attract fashion shops in the same location (like in Lujiazui and Xujiahui districts). Another important fact to notice is that the authorities are also promoting the image of Shanghai as the hi-tech Capital of high finance: plasma screen everywhere in the subway stations and
having the latest mobile, camera, mp3 player and whatever: “I’m from Shanghai, the symbol of modern China that world is looking amazed at, I absolutely can’t be a freak with an old reflex camera and a mobile which can only place phone calls!”. s!” s!”. Mobiles in fact have to be the fashionable precious accessory to call and text
SHANGHAI Technology
friends and colleagues, but also to listen to music or playing games on your way back from work (on the subway almost the own mobile become the focus of everybody’s attention). Sony Ericsson seems to be
with its pocket mobile’s integrated camera, fashionaddicted ladies and career women enjoy enjo models which perfectly suits their pocket bags, like SONY CYBERSHOT (same consideration for portable pc, like the
one) and they were kind of disappointed when they noticed it was an old style reflex. EPSON opened a gallery in Huaihai Rd, which often hosts photography contests: an effort to educate
the best selling brand, but Nokia and LG are as well strong competitors and Motorola, though a little weaker in the last year (the guys were pioneer in China’s mobile market), brought a breeze of cool with the fashionable RAZR. Digital cameras have turned everybody in a photographer and while young people make do
Panasonic R3). Among men photography is becoming a common hobby hobb and a matter of discussion. I experienced that they’re very interested in having information about new models from abroad: plenty of people on the street kindly asked me to give a look to on of my cameras (of course the bigger, to them more professional
consumers and turn their hobb in art (and of course hobby to sell them some photo printers) has a gallery in Huaihai Rd. Finally as for fashion, so does exclusivity works in the field of hitech and only VIPs can enjo the wonders of enjoy technology and spend a morning at Sony Gallery. As regarding domestic
SHANGHAI Technology
appliances the local brand HAIER is very popular for refrigerators, televisions, air conditioners, washing machine and many more products. It’s one of the few Chinese brands perceived as cool by the consumers.
common people. Beside HAIER, the Korean LG and Siemens are also sold very well. The first one is in China since a very long time and through advertising, mo movies (e.g. Wong Kar-Wai’s “2046” fantastic future is
HAIER is a young brand who played better than its Chinese competitors in building a brand (just give a look to its logo’s brilliant cut pink color), therefore it has an extremely successful story and its founder and current chairman of the group Zhang Ruimin is a model of smart and wise leadership for rampant businessmen as well as
filled with LG ads), good products’ quality and affordable prices has become very popular. SIEMENS, beside the products’ high quality, quality can instead rely on its provenance: Germany is synonymous of solidity and long-term reliability, eliability all eliability, things that are quite important when investing in domestic appliances.
SHANGHAI
LEISURE
While the common people from the countryside, amazed and disoriented by the surrounding sk scrapers, arrive in sky
businessmen and celebrities: as elsewhere in the world these are the basic features which make a nightlife spot hip and exclusive. Moving Mo from MESA MANIFESTO (a Brazilian creation) in Julu
around. Beside these top scales places, which could be representative of luxury all over the world, the most interesting thing in Shanghai is a growing philosophy of leisure which
Pudong with a tourist bus and have to pay a ticket to enjo the view of the city enjoy on the 88th floor of the Jin Mao Tower, a ‘VIP’ (which means good car, expensive garments and overconfident look) can have a mojito at Cloud 9, the GRAND HYA HYATT’ ATT’s bar on the 87th floor of the tower. Expensive, fashionable, frequented by expats, local
Rd to LARIS’ bar and BAR ROUGE on the Bund the people is often the same: smart looking Chinese people in foreign designers’ suits who enjoy enjo a bottle of cognac while squatted on ultra-comfortable sofas, foreign people who enjoy enjo the luxury of earning dollars and spending renminbi and charming local ladies hanging
try to mix together art, entertainment and consumption by creating multifunctional areas. Places like the now wellrooted Xintiandi, a few blocks of old buildings in the French Concession, gained such an incredible popularity that there are many similar projects in the pipeline. Xintiandi hosts bars, restaurants, fashion
SHANGHAI Leisure
shops, cultural events and recently also a FERRARI store and bar, who had its grand opening just before the F1. And people love lo to sit for a drink in the bar and to hang around in the shop looking at gadgets,
and many others have peaceful terraces facing the Bund. Same style but different mix for Moganshan Rd. This art district of galleries and workshop in the North of the city, city after the
Shanghaineses spend a relaxing weekend: a walk, a ride on a rickshaw, some pictures to try the new camera and maybe a visit to the near Museum of Technology. Chen Yifei, artist and
garments, caps and also portable pc. After a week/day of work and worries people are looking for a comfortable and relaxing place which can offer a wide range of amusements in a peaceful
construction of many upscale garden suburbs in the neighborhood, is planned to become a leisure district of bars, restaurants and fashion shops. In the other side of the city
entrepreneur behind the brand LAYEFE, LA together with Stanley & Partners is planning to build a ‘creativity center’ inside the park. Although their declared aim is to create an inspiring an peaceful
and green environment. That is the case of the river bank on Pudong’s side, where STARBUCKS, ST PAULANER, HAAGEN-DASZ
Century Park (which often sounds like ‘Central Park’ unveiling the ambitions of Shanghai citizens’) is another place where tired
environment for art and design workshops, such workshops will occupy occup only the 8.86% in a total area of 20,310 square meters.
SHANGHAI Leisure
The rest will be dedicated to a cinema, a karaoke, an exhibition space and many restaurants, bars and other amenities. Fun, culture, dining all in the same place… just like Chinese traditional opera in
people and the lively, ely ely, colorful, cozy environment is anyway something different from urban whitecollars every day’s routine. As regarding the second alternative the current leisure hot destinations of
I quote a Shanghainese friend comment about Disney which sounded quite interesting to me: “You suggest me to go to Vietnam or Thailand for what??? HK Disneyland is much better: It’s closer and
the past!
Shanghai’s travel agencies are: 1) Thailand and Bali, the exotic paradises of luxury Spas and a place where golden collars can chill out and forget their business for a while
you can find everything there!
Finally two leisure alternatives for the tireless shopping addicted and for the few ones who can afford a trip abroad. Shanghai is 24h/7days shopping center so places to go are countless, but Qipu Rd and its street markets seem to be a very popular place for local
2) Hong Kong Disneyland, an American myth which attract people of different ages and status.
3) Jeju in South Korea, proposed by local tour operators as the land of the famous Korean soap opera “All-In” where you can visit every single place you see in the TV drama!
SHANGHAI
FOOD
We’re neither in Japan nor in the US but the city has a convenience store every 3,800 residents: you can find LAWSON, ALLDAYS, ALLDA
still open as everyone do it. Why? I guess it is an outpost, a place where you absolutely have to be ‘because it’s the giant window of booming China. But others prefer to take advantage of the situation
on your way through crowded and colorful lanes, at the rhythm of extra loud pop-music, you enjoy enjo your walk from the paradise of fangbianmian (litt. easy noodles -> instant noodles), to frozen Chinese
KEDI, QUIK, FAMILYMAR FAMIL T and many more. In People’s square downtown area the high concentration of offices attracted eight convenience stores (in a total area of 1000 square meters). According to a
instead of keeping still like a Xian terracotta warrior, expecting someone to notice him. I’m talking about CARREFOUR, WALMART and their Chinese competitor LOTUS. I’ve been recently to
dumplings, fresh vegetables and imported products (Australian wines, French cheese, Italian spaghettis, Korean snacks and many other foreign delicacies). WALMART (like its Chinese) is pretty good as well but
Shanghai Commercial Information Center’s report of 2005, they’re not making any profit because of the high rent but they
Pudong’s CARREFOUR on a Saturday evening and though the company’s logo is everywhere, it seems to be in a lively street market:
less bright and amusing, even if it was very funny to see the clerks playing at “The price is right” with the customers. I think that
SHANGHAI Food
every purchasing experience in China should include a part of game to be really successful: people are really playful there and playing is also a way to go back to a carefree childhood, above abo all the worries of everyday
and places. The fast pace of the metropolis often doesn’t allow to sit down for a lunch break and in the trendiest spots downtown you just have to turn a corner to find a ‘street restaurant’ serving
the environment is simple but pleasant, clean and quite bright. Western fast-foods are instead places to sit down for a while after a day of crazy shopping or to meet friends and have a nosh
life… and everybody know what a great consumer a child can be!
meat, vegetables and rice (noodles and those stuffs stuff are better for Beijingers and northern people!). WISH DOING and XIN YA DA BAO are also two Shanghai fast-food chains which seem to work. They’re very cheap and their target is old people (the ones who are still afraid of hamburgers), housewives and children;
together. So people can admire the Bund from the opposite bank of the river and buy a juicy Big Mac at the vending stands, they can have a rest from wild bargaining in Xiangyang market and enjoy enjo MR. DONUT’s delicacies, otherwise a short stop at JACK THE HUT could be much more suitable for the fast rhythm of the city: a
Ok, it is fun and it must be fun to do the shopping but eating out is much easier! Especially in Shanghai, where the choice is really broad: the city doesn’t have a strong culinary tradition and people get easily hot for new flavors
SHANGHAI Food
good glass of fresh pearl tea (a specialty imported from Taiwan and become cool in Shanghai), a hot spicy kebab from an Uyghur vendor, and then immediately straight back to duty (which of course
being growing thanks to an incredible blend of local and foreign influences. This mix is the “cultural cocktail” which nourishes the city itself (though this drink is only for a VIP selection of guests!).
contemporary interpretation of Chinese classical design for an extremely refined environment whose guests are mainly golden collars and overseas Chinese entrepreneurs.
means… shopping!).
Three hot spots representative of different styles are SHANGHAI YE, COLORS 7 and the PEOPLE’S (not by chance they’re all creations of Chinese entrepreneur who had several experiences abroad). SHANGHAI YE is located in the super exclusive Xintiandi, the former French concession: a smart,
The COLORS 7, inside a peaceful and charming garden downtown, seems the club house of a first class golf club. The outside terrace disappears between the trees leaving the guests to their placid talks and tasty dishes. PEOPLE’s is a minimal loft on two floors with an American bar on the mezzanine; huge spaces
Finally the topping on the cake about Shanghai’s food culture is for sure the amazing range of upscale restaurant. Most of the customers are local yuppies and expats: two groups that cannot be really representative of Shanghai’s lifestyle? No, Shanghai since the past has always
SHANGHAI Food
SHANGHAI
enlightened by faint lights in order to assure guests’ privacy and a reservation system which is one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen. When you phone to book a table they tell you a numerical password. Once you arrive at the restaurant’s address there’s not any sign except some beggars waiting outside the entrance corridor (that’s the other face of Shanghai’s glamour). At the top of the stairs there’s a square of 9 enlightened holes, you put your hand in the holes following the order of the password numbers and… the door opens to rev re eal
this little temple of cool and consumerism.
SHANGHAI
MEDIA
China is going to become the world's biggest ecommerce market with 200 million Internet users and Shanghai is the most
attention of the media, is a b2b commerce portal used now worldwide: foreigners can find a huge free database of local companies and Shanghainese entrepreneurs are using it a lot because
opened to e-commerce: it’s fast, cool and it sometimes allows you to find particular things that you could hardly find in the city’s commercial districts. EBA and TAOBAO EBAY T .com (a subsidiary of ALIBABA.com)
suitable place for internet communication: a dynamic environment, a strong commercial tradition, a people opened to new fashionable lifestyles. And different companies and business ideas meet different consumers’ demands. ALIBABA.com, a miracle by Zhejiang province’ o ovince’ s entrepreneur Jack Ma who attracted the
it’s a fast and convenient way to build business relations (and writing in English is much more simple for them than talking on the phone). Meanwhile retailers can build their shop online thanks to the services offered by HOTSALES.net (b Shanghai Hotsales (by Network Infor-Tech. Ltd.). People are as well very
are very popular in the city though now most of the services are not free anymore. But people do not use internet only for shopping: the p2p telephone software SKYPE is common as the QQ (see Beijing’s section) and MSN Instant Messenger, both ideal for a generation of mobile texting addicted.
SHANGHAI Media
Especially young people are often spending their time inside dark internet points where they can watch mo , meet new friends movies online and playing videogames for hours. There’s also an increasing
screens installed in Nanjing Rd can show it very well). The kind of events can vary widely and they can be simple commercial promotions with singers, dancers and games or they could be related to city’s
race) the success was granted. Meanwhile the art festival related shows in Nanjing Rd and an interesting exhibition of young artists brought many shopping malls in the neighborhood to organize
trend among teen-targeted brands to advertise their products by means of online contests and games.
special sales during those days.
Of course Internet is still mainly for young people and for a selected part of
important sport or cultural events. At the time of this research Formula One Racing and the Shanghai International Art Festival were the crowd-attracting happenings. The watch brand TAGT
the population. For all the others street promotional events are also very popular and are always appealing the masses (and the huge
HEUER played all its campaign on F1 and since people is going nuts for it (the tickets were sold out several weeks before the
any hint: of course soap operas and fashion/lifestyle magazines! What a surprise! Shanghaineses (like all
As regarding TV and magazines I think that after reading this report you could tell me what’s hot in Shanghai without
SHANGHAI Media
Southern China’s audience do) seem to love lo Chinese and Korean contemporary soap operas talking about troublesome corny love lo stories. To me, it seems a kind of escape from reality in search of intimate
Shanghai: you can find them at every corner of the city form the hipster to the city, dullest one, and the range is much broader than in Beijing. Bazaar, Vogue, Elle, Trendsetter and Trendshealth are very well-
feelings; feelings which in every day routine don’t have any space, maybe due to the fast pace of the city and also to a cultural heritage which didn’t (and in part still doesn’t) allow to freely express personal emotions. Fashion and lifestyle magazines sold countrywide gain as well great popularity in
known and they offer a monthly overview of what is cool in terms of fashion, lifestyle, travel and so on.