On the afternoon of today (April 10), the
Information Office of Shanghai Municipality held a press briefing. Zhu Min,
director of the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Commerce, introduced the
relevant arrangements of the 5th Shanghai “55 Shopping Festival” and the
“Shanghai Summer” International Consumption Season. Liu Min, deputy director of
the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Commerce, Liu Ping, deputy director of the
Shanghai Municipal Commission of Economy and Informatization, Cheng Meihong, deputy
director of the Shanghai Municipal Administration of Culture and Tourism, and
Xu Qi, deputy director of the Shanghai Administration of Sports, attended the
press briefing and answered questions from reporters.

In recent years, the “55 Shopping Festival” has
introduced an array of new brands, models, products, and landmarks, solidifying
its status as the hallmark IP of Shanghai’s international consumption hub. This
year, aligning with the Ministry of Commerce’s directive to designate the
entire year as a period for consumption promotion, Shanghai is poised to launch
the fifth “55 Shopping Festival” under the arrangements by the CPC Shanghai Municipal
Committee and Shanghai Municipality.

1. Overall considerations for the 5th Shanghai “55
Shopping Festival”

The 5th Shanghai “55 Shopping Festival” will span from
late April to the end of June. This year’s festival aims to accentuate the
interconnectedness of commerce, tourism, culture, sports and exhibitions. It
will emphasize the promotion of goods and services while integrating brands
seamlessly into various settings. The objective is to position the Shanghai “55
Shopping Festival” as a key driver for stable economic growth, a pivotal
platform for harmonizing consumption and investment, a fertile ground for
pioneering new models, brands, and experiences, and a cornerstone event for
enhancing Shanghai’s global visibility. It serves as a vital functional
platform and a major landmark occasion in the city’s journey towards
solidifying its status as an international consumption hub and launching its “Four
Major Brands.”

2. Main characteristics of the 5th Shanghai “55
Shopping Festival”

This
year’s “55 Shopping Festival” will prioritize incremental growth, robust
interconnectivity, enhanced quality, and optimized environment, introducing
several innovative initiatives:

Firstly,
emphasis will be placed on “incremental growth,” with a concerted effort to
attract foreign consumption. Under the banner of “Shopping in Shanghai,”
special activities will be launched during the festival, connecting entities
such as airports, airlines, high-speed rail, travel platforms, and shops that
provide departure tax refund. This initiative aims to provide both domestic and
foreign tourists with a friendly, convenient, and comfortable consumption
environment in Shanghai, forging an “internationally welcoming” consumption
identity.

Secondly,
emphasis will be placed on “robust interconnectivity,” bolstering the
integrated linkage of business, tourism, culture, sports, and exhibitions.
Building upon the city’s policy of promoting service consumption, new policies
and measures will be introduced during the “55 Shopping Festival” to reinforce
connections across these sectors. The goal is to attract a greater number of
high-level, high-traffic, and high-quality events, competitions, and
performances to Shanghai. This integrated approach will facilitate the mutual
promotion of goods consumption and service consumption, culminating in an urban
consumption extravaganza brimming with diverse scenes and innovative offerings.

Thirdly, emphasis will be placed on “enhanced
quality,” spearheaded by a concentrated promotion of inaugural launches,
exhibitions, showcases, and store openings. Introducing the novel concept of “Debut
in Shanghai,” a new IP, will be unveiled, complemented by supportive policies
for “Debut Economy 2.0.” The “Global New Product Launch Season” will undergo
continual enhancement, featuring brand debuts, inaugural exhibitions, premier
showcases, and inaugural stores across diverse settings such as business districts,
neighborhoods, museums, art galleries, and exhibition halls.

Fourthly,
emphasis will be placed on “optimized environment” by leveraging policy
mechanisms to their fullest extent. Refined and user-friendly services like
payment with overseas cards, luggage storage, and hassle-free returns within 7
days will be further optimized to elevate the service standards of Shanghai’s
“55 Shopping Festival.” The implementation of a streamlined one-time permit
approval system for similar activities held at the same venue will be
prioritized. These efforts aim to foster an international-grade business
ecosystem, creating an environment that is globally welcoming, inclusive across
all age groups, brimming with vitality, and offering an enhanced consumer
experience.

3. Key events of the 5th Shanghai “55 Shopping
Festival”

This year’s “55 Shopping Festival” will pivot around
the four key economic pillars: the debut economy, brand economy, night-time
economy, and livestreaming economy. Additionally, it will target the four major
consumption categories of new consumption, service consumption, automobile
consumption, and green consumption, orchestrating over 1,000 specialized
events. The festival will kick off with a grand launching ceremony at the end
of April, with results announced subsequently. It will prominently feature two
flagship initiatives: the “Global New Product Launch Season” and “Shopping in
Shanghai,” bolstering the stature of 15 benchmark activities as key
intellectual properties. Moreover, it will introduce tailored campaigns across
16 districts, alongside various specialized thematic events. Here are the top
15 benchmark activities.

1). Host the Shanghai Nightlife Festival, spotlighting seven key
domains: night-time shopping, gastronomy, tours, entertainment, cultural
events, literature, and sports. This entails an upgrade of weekend pedestrian
streets, featuring sports nights, terrace seasons, and craft beer festivals.
Additionally, trendy nightlife guides and 66 nightlife consumption coupons worth
10 million yuan will be distributed, in conjunction with Shanghai Pudong
Development Bank Credit Card Center.

2). Present the Shanghai Art Season, as citizens and visitors have
access to Shanghai Art Guide at 59 Shanghai Tourism Information Service Centers
and 182 star-rated hotels, allowing them to know about premieres, inaugural
exhibitions, and debut showcases throughout the season.

3). Launch the Shanghai Green Consumption Season by holding roadshows together
with pioneering green merchants to advocate for eco-friendly consumption
settings such as sustainable shopping centers, eco-conscious eateries, organic
farms, and environmentally conscious brands. This initiative will also feature
demonstrations of eco-friendly, smart home appliances, synergizing with the
trade-in policy for household appliances.

4). Host the Shanghai Automobile Quality
Consumption Carnival, integrating the car trade-in subsidy policy with a series
of specialized events aimed at bolstering automobile consumption. These
activities will spotlight new car launches, premier showcases, and inaugural
exhibitions.

5). Organize the Shanghai Import Shopping
Festival, featuring themed events centered around imported goods, cross-border
shopping extravaganzas, and online shopping of exported goods.  Leveraging platforms like the Greenland
Global Commodity Trading Hub, Waigaoqiao “Global Hub”, and Hongqiao Pinhui,
which operate on a “6 days + 365 days” trading service model, discounts on
imported goods will be highlighted. This initiative aims to enable citizens to
access premium and popular products from the China International Import Expo.

6). Present the Shanghai Digital Life
Festival, introducing diverse activities such as “digital lifestyle”, “brand
livestreaming”, “digital commerce zones”, “digital culture and tourism”, and “digital
agricultural revitalization”. These endeavors are designed to facilitate the
entry of new online consumer brands into thousands of households.

7). Host the Shanghai International Coffee
Culture Festival, featuring the city’s premier “Coffee + Culture, Sports,
Tourism, Commerce and Exhibition” carnival at the onset of May. Set against the
backdrop of West Bund in Xuhui, this event will showcase cross-disciplinary
contents including vibrant coffee markets, exhibitions of time-honored brands,
dynamic sports competitions, and captivating performing arts displays.

8). Organize the “Made in Shanghai”
Collection, spotlighting domestic trends and innovation in the realm of
consumer goods. Emphasizing the “eight fashion products,” this initiative aims
to cultivate and nurture new, high-quality productive forces while propelling
Shanghai’s manufacturing enterprises towards diversification, enhanced quality,
and brand establishment. By aligning production with evolving consumer demands,
this endeavor seeks to provide a more robust supply chain for fashion
consumption.

9). Present the Shanghai Global Gourmet Festival,
featuring an array of activities such as the Global Gourmet Market, skill
exchanges between Chinese and international chefs, launches of premium global
ingredients, the Shanghai Gourmet Season, and more. This festival will also
unveil the Shanghai Global Gourmet Index report, introduce the annual Global Gourmet
Guide, and announce the annual list of Shanghai Tastes, further solidifying
Shanghai’s reputation as a preeminent international culinary destination.

10). Host a cultural festival celebrating diamonds and jewelry, featuring
brand pop-up stores, trend markets, and other activities merging jewelry with
culture, including creative design competitions. Leading jewelry companies like
Lao Feng Xiang and Chow Tai Fook will unveil new wedding products and offer
discounts.

11). Organize the Shanghai Sports Consumption Festival, centered around
the theme “Shanghai Sports.” Leveraging major events such as the Olympic
Qualifying Series, the F1 China Grand Prix, and the Shanghai Marathon, the
festival will showcase various performances, event derivatives, and consumer
projects. This initiative aims to further integrate Shanghai’s events with
commerce, culture, tourism, and exhibition industries.

12). Launch the “2024 Shanghai City Experience Carnival,” collaborating
with airlines, brand hotels, and new restaurants to create an immersive
consumption scenario covering aviation, accommodation, and dining.
Concurrently, the city will host the Shanghai International Exhibition of
Senior Care, Rehabilitation, Medicine and Healthcare 2024 alongside the “Silver
Life Festival,” featuring model rooms for the elderly to experience and enjoy a
high-quality lifestyle firsthand.

13). Host the Shanghai Community Life Festival, featuring a week-long
series of themed activities such as “Community Grocery Day,” “Household
Cleaning Day,” “Home Appliance Cleaning Day,” “Supermarket Special Discount Day,”
and “Washing Care Day.” The festival introduces community-wide “trade-in
through train” initiatives, facilitating the integration of superior products
and services into local neighborhoods, fostering a welcoming community
atmosphere.

14). Organize the Shanghai Silk Road E-commerce Carnival, showcasing
themed activities from countries including Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Italy, and
Chile. Events such as the Silk Road E-commerce Coffee Festival, Red Wine
Festival, Food Exhibition, and Silk Road E-commerce Fair offer consumers the
opportunity to savor Silk Road delicacies and experience the cultures of Silk
Road countries right in Shanghai.

15). Introduce the “Happiness Through Train” lunch market initiative,
leveraging employees’ lunch breaks and spare time to promote high-quality goods
and services within enterprises, parks, and buildings. This initiative
addresses the issue of employees having the willingness and ability to consume
but lacking the time, creating a vibrant “noon-time economy” consumption scene.

4. Main arrangements for “Shanghai
Summer” International Consumption Season

Summer
marks the peak season for global tourism and vacations, with demand
concentrated both domestically and internationally. China’s accelerated
resumption of international flights and expanded visa-free countries have
created favorable conditions for attracting inbound passengers and promoting
foreign consumption. This year, the city will introduce a summer consumption
promotion initiative, “Shanghai Summer” International Consumption Season,
following the success of the “55 Shopping Festival.” Scheduled from the first
weekend in July to the second weekend in October, it covers summer vacations,
paid holidays, Mid-Autumn Festival, and the Golden Week in October. Shanghai
will leverage its rich array of boutique cultural tourism offerings and
top-notch goods and services, along with its status as an international
aviation and cruise hub, and extensive transportation infrastructure including
railways and highways. This will facilitate the launch of 65 high-quality,
high-traffic, and high-impact events such as concerts, music festivals,
theatrical performances, cultural and art exhibitions, and major sports events.
Additionally, capitalizing on the characteristics of summer leisure travel, the
city will collaborate with merchants, platforms, hotels, attractions, and
venues to organize a series of events reflecting Shanghai’s
internationalization and quality. Through service enhancements in the
consumption environment, the city aims to attract visitors with cultural and tourism
features, foster collaboration, and elevate service standards, thereby
introducing the new “Shanghai Summer” brand for consumption promotion in
summer.

Residents
are encouraged to inquire about the “55 Shopping Festival” and the “Shanghai
Summer” International Consumption Season through Government Online-Offline
Shanghai, the Suishenban app, SCOFCOM and Shanghai E-commerce and Consumption
Promotion Center WeChat accounts. We extend a warm invitation for everyone to
participate in and enjoy the diverse and thrilling activities on offer.