The 2025 Quality Lifestyle Festival opened on May 31 at Raffles City, a glitzy shopping center located in Changning district.

Now in its third consecutive year of hosting the event, Changning district has established itself as a hub for latest fashion and consumer trends, attracting over 200 fashion brands and nurturing more than 30 local designer studios.

A dozen shopping landmarks were unveiled at the festival's opening ceremony, including the quirky Story Store on Yuyuan Road and Shanghai's first Tsutaya Books at Columbia Circle.

Other highlights included the Romomo Live Streaming Center and the new energy vehicle zone at the Cloud Nine Shopping Mall.

The landmarks span diverse industries, such as apparel, home decor, pet products and electric vehicles, reflecting the district's commitment to offering personalized services to its customers.

The opening ceremony also highlighted Changning's dynamic "debut economy". Locations like Yuyuan Road, Wuyi Road, Columbia Circle, and C•PARK Haisu Cultural Square are now recognized as global hotspots for debuting new products.

In a move that to energize the local retail scene, Changning issued a special batch of shopping vouchers on May 30, which sold out within seconds.

Within just one minute, the first redemption was made in the Zhongshan Park shopping area.

More vouchers will be issued in four rounds through June 26, and consumers can get them via Alipay's homepage from 11 am every Friday.

They are valid for discounts in categories such as fashion, beauty, daily goods and jewelry, covering 343 brands across 15 major shopping malls and the Yuyuan Art and Lifestyle Block.

Shoppers can enjoy discounts at both domestic brands like Li-Ning and Dazzle, as well as international names like ASICS, Onitsuka Tiger and ZARA.

What's more, Changning is also capitalizing on China's newly optimized departure tax refund policies by expanding its tax-free shopping services.

Shopping centers like L'Avenue, Takashimaya, Parkson Newcore and Bailian Xijiao have applied to become tax-refund shopping outlets for overseas tourists — with Takashimaya and Bailian Xijiao offering instant "refund upon purchase" services.

Since April, over 20 new merchants in Changning have applied to join the tax refund program, including pet stores, home appliance retailers and supermarkets.

Promotions have been made in areas with high foreign visitor traffic, such as Yuyuan Road and Columbia Circle.

Source: Shanghai Observer