New York exhibition spotlights the history and modern vitality of Shanghai's Jing'an district

Shanghai and New York are seeing closer business and cultural ties, as representatives from both sides gathered at a dialogue and special exhibition held in New York on Monday, which put a spotlight on Shanghai's dynamic downtown Jing'an district.

Co-hosted by the Jing'an West Nanjing Road-Suzhou Creek Central Activity Zone (CAZ) and Global Business Districts Innovation Club, business leaders from both China and the United States gathered at China Institute in America, exploring topics such as the development of vibrant international business districts, urban renewal, fashion retail, brand partnerships, and global outreach.

Jing'an district is one of Shanghai's most international and economically dynamic central urban districts, and a core area driving the city's goal of becoming an international consumption center. The district has been accelerating efforts to build a fashion and consumer destination with global influence, and shape a future-oriented urban lifestyle.

Julia Solodova, project manager of Global Business Districts Innovation Club, pointed out that business districts are much more than just clusters of office buildings, but are also engines of economic growth and innovation. "Jing'an is one of Shanghai's most dynamic central activity zones, and the Jing'an CAZ has demonstrated to the world its ability to enhance urban quality while maintaining global competitiveness," Solodova said.

James von Klemperer, president and principal of the New York-based KPF (Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates), shared during the event about his engagement in the design and building of the district's landmarks since 1992. He noted that the essence of the CAZ lies not in the height of its buildings, but in the vibrant public spaces between them. 

Looking ahead, he expected that the revitalization of the Suzhou Creek waterfront to integrate the characters of old Shanghai — such as narrow streets, the red-brick architecture and historical contexts — into the new CAZ.

During the event, the Jing'an CAZ, in collaboration with WWD, officially launched a new China-US fashion co-creation initiative named "powered by Jing'an CAZ". It aims to create a specialized acceleration platform for international fashion brands entering the Chinese market, build a full-chain commercial landing system, and help the brands efficiently grow in practical commercial value.

Additionally, a US touring exhibition tracing Jing'an district through the ages was unveiled during the event. With distinctive historical artifacts and side-by-side comparisons of historical and contemporary images of the district, the exhibition presents the urban transformation and modern vitality of Jing'an.

"This exhibition aims to transcend the barriers of physical space and language, recreating Jing'an's century of splendor and human warmth in a way that is readable, tangible, perceptible, and resonating," Zhu Yining, curator of the exhibition, said. "We hope to make Jing'an a gateway for the world to understand Shanghai, and to connect the urban memories of Shanghai and the world."