Nanjing Road Pedestrian Street East Extension

Duration: 1 day
Time: September

With whom: Spouse
Activities: Photography, Cultural Exploration
Places visited: Nanjing Road Pedestrian Street, The Bund, People’s Square, Shikumen, Shanghai Peace Hotel, Jiangxi Middle Road
Published on 2020-09-15 at 22:30

On September 12th, the much-anticipated East Extension of Nanjing Road Pedestrian Street, known as ‘China’s Number One Commercial Street’, officially opened. This marks the largest-scale upgrade and renovation since its opening in 1999, extending from Henan Road to The Bund. On the first day of the opening, the East Extension was bustling with visitors, with a 500-meter stretch filled with delightful surprises. Time-honored brands and new districts caught the attention of consumers as they strolled along.

The East Extension of Nanjing Road Pedestrian Street continues from Henan Middle Road to Zhongshan East First Road, meaning that visitors can now walk directly from People’s Square to The Bund! The pedestrian street, originally 1033 meters long, now extends by approximately 500 meters. Vehicle lanes have been removed, and the ground has been transformed into walkways leading to the buildings on both sides, widening the pedestrian paths by 10-20 meters. Even the rest seats, signs, street lamps, and other details incorporate Shikumen elements, exuding the charm of Shanghai’s local culture. The pavement is made of ‘Xinjiang Kamai Gold’ granite, harmonizing with the colors of the historical buildings along the East Extension and maintaining a stylistic continuity with the pedestrian street on the west side.

Turning into the new area of the pedestrian street from The Bund, the view immediately expands. With the removal of vehicle lanes, the ground is now dedicated to walkways leading to the buildings along the street. The absence of obstructions allows for an unobstructed view of locals and tourists taking photos and selfies. The East Extension of Nanjing Road has been designed into three types of areas based on pedestrian flow and the functional layout of surrounding buildings: strolling areas, leisure areas, and characteristic rest areas. Strolling areas are primarily horizontally paved with vertical elements to guide east-west pedestrian flow; leisure areas are mainly horizontally paved to encourage interaction between pedestrians and the adjacent commerce; characteristic rest areas combine urban furniture, greenery, and artistic details like manhole covers to create comfortable spaces for pedestrians to linger. Visitors can leisurely stroll, savor the classics, and shop for fashionable items here.

The enthusiasm of residents and tourists was particularly high. At the intersection of Nanjing Road and Henan Road, where there used to be a constant stream of traffic, a rare ‘people surrounding cars’ scene was observed today. ‘The crowd was like a tide,’ ‘a sea of people’ – the unprecedented crowd made the security task on Nanjing Road extremely challenging. To maintain order and prevent pedestrian counterflows, security personnel continuously broadcast announcements about peak-hour visitor precautions, while on-duty police officers and armed police formed a human wall, becoming a unique spectacle of the day. Under the guidance of traffic police, crossing the road revealed that many pedestrians were already in motion. In front of the Peace Hotel is the best spot for photos in the East Extension, where it is the liveliest. Almost every passerby would raise their phone and take a picture.
The significance of Nanjing Road Pedestrian Street to Shanghai is profound. Along the street, there are not only various shopping and entertainment venues but also a significant number of historical and cultural facilities. In addition to the well-known historical buildings such as the Peace Hotel, the first arc light in Shanghai is also located here. It is understood that this arc light was lit in 1882 near the intersection of Nanjing East Road and Jiangxi Road. At that time, the arc light on the lamp post shone brightly under the night sky, resembling a bright moon. For many years, this lamp post has stood here, but due to being obscured by greenery, it has not been discovered by many people. During the eastward expansion of Nanjing Road Pedestrian Street, this piece of history was unearthed and amplified. A ‘1882 Plaza’ was created at the original site. The arc light from a century ago was relit, and under the light, there is a copper book engraved with the history of the development of Shanghai’s electricity in 1882. The first arc light in Shanghai was lit near the intersection of Nanjing East Road and Jiangxi Road. A square, ‘1882 Plaza’, was created at the original site of the first arc light on the eastward extension. The designer paired various spotlights on the surrounding ground and walls to create a dazzling effect. The lamp post has inscriptions such as ‘People’s City Built by People’ and ‘People’s City for People’, and the ground is engraved with text introducing the history of Nanjing Road Pedestrian Street. The plaza will be a place where citizens and tourists can enjoy both day and night in the future. At night, one can watch the changing lights; during the day, one can read the ‘history’ in detail. It is reported that on the ground under the lamp post, there is an engraved text introducing the history of Nanjing Road Pedestrian Street: near the location of the lamp post, on July 28, 1882, the first power company in China – Shanghai Power Company officially started commercial operation; in 1882, the first electric light in China was lit here; in 1883, the first overhead lines in China were erected; in 1906, the first tram line in Shanghai was opened on Nanjing Road; in 1928, the Grand Bright Theater opened. To the left is the fashionable New World Daimaru Department Store, and to the right is the ‘Nanjing Building’, which is 85 years old this year, and not long ago, Huawei’s largest flagship store in the world just opened! At the entrance of New World Daimaru Department Store, a rose flower house has appeared, covered with gorgeous flowers. The mall has also laid a red carpet from inside to outside, creating a ‘shopping mall + outdoor small square T-stage’ runway show. Looking towards the Bund from the French Blue Counter at New World Daimaru Department Store, one can clearly see the iconic sharp top of the Peace Hotel building. Continuing to move forward, one arrives at the intersection of Sichuan Middle Road, getting closer and closer to the Bund! Across from the Milun Building, in Cianli and Cichangli, a wave of new stores will open along the street, including flagship stores, trendy stores, and refurbished old brand stores! At 172 Nanjing East Road, Cichangli Building, built in 1911.
At the location of the former Day and Night Sparkling Store, there is the well-known South Korean brand KAKAO Friends. This is a trendy ’emoticon pack’ store with a large number of cute derivative products. In this block, there will also be the flagship store themed on the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, an internet-famous snack collection store, and the first store in China of the well-known Italian dessert brand Rinaldini! The Central Building has a sense of familiarity. It was formerly called the Central Market, a name full of memories. It mainly sells department store goods, clothing, electrical appliances and other commodities. It was a famous comprehensive shopping mall in Shanghai in the past. Long ago, this was the busiest landmark in Shanghai: For repairing things, go to the Central Market! For bargain hunting, go to the Central Market! For visiting snack streets, go to the Central Market! The building in memory has been renovated! From 1920 to now, it has a sense of history! There is Peet’s Coffee on the first floor. The second floor is all sports brands! The third floor can be interconnected with another building! The fourth, fifth, and sixth floors are all restaurants and bars! Just take a look! Continuing to walk forward, you will see the Hui Luo Company familiar to us Shanghai people! The facade of the Hui Luo Company building has also been renovated, and the space at the entrance has become very wide. No. 100, Nanjing East Road. The Hui Luo Company is the largest global department store established by foreign businessmen in modern Shanghai. It was built from 1904 to 1906. When the landmark Peace Hotel comes into view, the Bund is also close at hand! Unconsciously, one has walked all the way from Henan Middle Road to the Bund. Crossing the road and looking back, Nanjing Road is crowded with people. Looking at the scenery from the Bund observation deck.

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