Biggest mall and cultural center opens (2)

English>>Life & Culture

Editor's Pick

Biggest mall and cultural center opens (2)

By Li Anlan (Shanghai Daily) 09:10, August 20, 2013

Email|Print|Comments

twitter

facebook

Sina Microblog

Some projects involve intangible cultural heritage, such as guqin music, which are not commonly seen.

Musical performances of various kinds will be staged in the theater.

“The exhibitions, performances and lectures to be hosted at Global Harbor will be free and open to the public,” Yang added. “The Shanghai History Museum also wishes to have a better space for presentation, a chance to show the past and development of the city to more residents and tourists. The government has special funding for museum to operate exhibitions.”

Zhang Liming, an expert in intangible heritage research, said “with the Global Harbor as a platform, cultural projects will reach more people and gain more support and recognition.”

Calligrapher Shen Jie believes for artists, it’s a great opportunity to have works displayed somewhere in the downtown area. “The huge crowds going to malls everyday changes the situation of sometimes not having enough people visiting exhibitions after the grand opening. From the business perspective, having a group of artists and art lovers come and enjoy exhibitions will increase the consumption level.”

The Shanghai Qipao Art Hall and its haute couture retail space not only display luxury brand fashion and take custom orders, but also provide services for qipao fashion shows and annual shows of fashion collections. It includes four qipao companies in Shanghai, including Long Feng Qipao, a national intangible heritage project.

“Qipao companies now have a formal stage at Global Harbor, so more residents and customers will learn about China’s qipao culture, including history, design and tailoring. New customers will also be cultivated,” said Zhou Zhuguang of Hanyi Qipao.

The fourth floor above the ground contains a comic book gallery featuring Chinese comic books and illustrations, as well as two reading rooms. Regular exhibitions are planned.

“While online shopping poses a major challenge to traditional retail malls, what customers can experience at malls cannot be replaced and that’s what we’re striving to perfect,” said Ding Zuohong, CEO of Yuexing Group, the developer of Global Harbor.

The rooftop garden square will also be used as an interactive space, hosting fashion weeks, beer festivals, video game contests and other events. An ice rink will be opened.