Hongcai Leling Life Center Changxing 4S Store, a wheelchair-focused facility, has begun trial operations on Quyang Road in Hongkou district, Shanghai, offering a range of integrated services: product displays, wheelchair sales and rental, age-friendly modifications, wheelchair repair and customization, and social and leisure activities.

The 200-square-meter center, guided by the Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Civil Affairs, is hailed as the country's first one-stop wheelchair service center.

The venue is organized into six main sections: an age-friendly model room, a clothing and footwear area, a bathing assistance experience zone, a mobility support section, a hearing aid fitting area, and a cafe.

One of the store's main functions is wheelchair repair and maintenance, complementing services for selection and fitting.

Official after-sales repair services from several wheelchair brands are available, with minor repairs such as screw tightening and brake maintenance offered free of charge.

Among the technicians is Wang Feng, a wheelchair user himself. A lifting platform in the workshop allows him to perform repairs while seated, with commonly used replacement parts available on site.

Wang also provides customized wheelchair solutions tailored to each visitor's physical condition, lifestyle, and mobility needs. A professional maintenance team stationed on site offers inspection, repair, and upkeep services to ensure safer travel.

Moreover, the center displays dozens of the latest manual and electric wheelchairs, including newly developed smart wheelchairs equipped with automotive-grade radar systems capable of detecting and avoiding obstacles while automatically correcting direction in narrow spaces.

Wang, who serves as the store's chief experience officer, emphasized that wheelchair-accessible restrooms and ramp access at the entrance allow him to move freely throughout the facility.

The center also features an age-friendly model room with anti-fall flooring that can absorb nearly half of the impact from a fall, compared with traditional flooring.

In addition to wheelchair-related services, nearby elderly residents can test a range of assistive devices, including the latest generation of column-type exoskeleton robots.

In the store, a counter operated by Bear Paw Cafe has been specially designed at a height suitable for baristas using wheelchairs.

Outside, a garden area is being transformed into an accessibility challenge course with uneven stone paths, steep slopes, and narrow turns to simulate obstacles commonly encountered in daily travel and test wheelchair performance.

Statistics show that China's annual output of electric wheelchairs reached around 2.7 million units by the end of 2025. With rising demand from wheelchair users and elderly residents, the store fills a vital gap in the market for specialized wheelchair services.

Sources: Jiefang Daily, Shanghai Rehabilitation Device Association