On Shanghai's iconic Nanjing Road, a time-honored shopping complex is reinventing itself into a vibrant cultural and tech-filled playground, where captivating live performances and futuristic attractions are luring huge crowds and driving up consumer spending.
The Shanghai No. 1 Department Store was first opened way back in 1936, and after undergoing a makeover in recent years, continues to be a top commercial landmark along one of China's busiest pedestrian walkways of East Nanjing Road.
As the afternoon sun bathed the bustling shopping street on Sunday, the stirring sound of Scottish bagpipes suddenly rose above the crowd as a flash mob of musicians unexpectedly emerged.
Drifting from the pipes was the melody of "Mo Li Hua", or 'Jasmine Flower', a beloved Chinese folk song, which saw local passers-by singing along. The team of performers included young bagpipers and drummers from the Nord Anglia Chinese International School (NACIS) pipe band, the first ever student pipe band formed on the Chinese mainland, who also delivered a rendition of Beethoven's famous "Ode to Joy."
The unexpected harmony of Eastern and Western cultural elements set the air alight, as curious crowds gathered to enjoy the enchanting atmosphere.
"I was drawn here by the sound. It's fantastic!" said one local resident.
"It's my first time hearing traditional Scottish music live. It made me so happy and energetic," said another.
The excitement wasn't just out on the streets, as the fun extended inside the Shanghai No. 1 Department Store, as more rousing music filled the shopping mall. A Celtic folk band performed their foot-tapping sets in the expansive Wutong Hall, while shoppers were taught traditional Scottish Ceilidh dancing steps on the spot, turning one of the city's oldest shopping malls into an open dance floor for the afternoon.
"It feels magical. The mall turned into a dance hall. So fun, so exciting, so creative," a shopper said.
"It reminds me of the Paramount ballroom, but even livelier. This brings people in. After dancing, we'll browse the shops," said another visitor.
Beyond music and dance, cutting-edge technology is also adding to the appeal. As China's robotics sector continues its fast-paced development, a special demonstration area was set up outside the mall allowing these high-tech bots to showcase their latest capabilities. This included a squad of robot dancers busting their moves, while a robot boxing ring and a table tennis challenge was set up which invited humans to take on these cutting-edge machines. These interactive innovations have been wowing scores of visitors every day.
"Shanghai, especially about the new-generation modern city, is very good," said a visitor from Poland.
"You saw just now when it was on, everybody came. I will go in here because it's connected," said a British tourist.
The No. 1 Department Store is fully leveraging the foot traffic generated by such lively cultural shows and tech-driven entertainment, with merchants offering special discounts, coupons and other promotions to entice more consumers.
"Culture attracts large crowds, and those crowds translate into sales. Since the May 5 Shopping Festival, our mall has recorded growth in both foot traffic and revenue. Going forward, we will continue to introduce top-notch international art IPs while strengthening the integration of technology, sports and youthful energy into our space," said Wang Ya'nan, the deputy general manager of the department store.
Int'l cultural experiences, futuristic tech turn historic Shanghai mall into surprise hit
