Shanghai deserves more night markets!

For the past two successive weekends, Fengjing night market downstairs in the BFC has been packed with people of all ages who come along for the ride. The long-lost vibrant urban street life due to the epidemic comes back again! I am particularly pleased that many families take the elderly and children out for enjoyment and sharing of happiness, making our BFC truly part of an extension of family life of Shanghai people.

In fact, at the beginning of restoring the night market, what concerned me a lot is whether there are potential safety hazards or whether litter will be dropped everywhere as a lot of people will be attracted to the night market. Just as you intend to entertain guests at home, you may always worry about whether the guests will have a bad experience by your oversight in some aspect. However, I am more and more confident to develop a better Fengjing night market of the BFC upon the observation for 2 weeks.

First, high-quality citizens stand behind the vibrant urban street life

I remember that the liveliest place is often the dirtiest and noisiest one in a city before. Thousands of people pass by, so litter is left all over the place. Through constant improvement subsequently, the city becomes clean, but loses the hustle and bustle of the city life. People always miss the lively scene in the past but are reluctant to give up the cleanness today.

Nevertheless, what surprises me most in the night market in Shanghai is the cleanness. A female cleaner working in the Fengjing night market of the BFC told me that few citizens will drop litter carelessly. They often throw the rubbish into the designated dustbins. Moreover, no citizens throw rubbish outside the dustbin, even beside the dustbins, which are so clean that they do not give out any smell in the hot weather recently. I also saw that many citizens, who accidently dropped a bamboo stick to the ground, picked it up immediately and then threw it to the dustbin again.

Our security officers are patrolling surrounding areas. They told me that the night market is in good order despite the crowd. Even though it is already the early summer with hot weather, everyone takes time to quietly enjoy the lively scene on a night in the early summer. Customers with their children or pets are very careful, tightly holding their children or pulling the pets in a crowded place.

Second, behind good order lies excellent urban management

As said just now, vitality is always contradictory with order in cities. We want both a vibrant life and an orderly city. This is a test especially for a government’s capability in urban management. Then how to balance vitality and order?

At the very beginning when Shanghai announced to promote nighttime economy last year, many people’s first reaction was “will crayfish barbecue and street stalls return to such an orderly city as Shanghai?”

That’s not the case for nighttime economy today. A modern nighttime economy is an offline experience economy featuring integrated management of cultural experience, fashion, entertainment, food, leisure, etc. It provides city dwellers who have a busy day with an opportunity for the vibrant hustle and bustle of the city life and relaxation. However, the success of nighttime economy requires a highly complex management system.

Therefore, our Yuyuan and BFC have very early, under the leadership of Huangpu District and subdistrict offices, discussed with over ten departments including the department of city management, traffic police, greening, market regulation, transportation and lighting management office, with a view to making good plans for this campaign which seems simple but actually involves such various problems as closed management of roads, business licenses, market order, and disturbance to residents. Besides, Huangpu District pioneered to appoint the first “nightlife director” in Shanghai who matches the government’s requirements with market demands through the government’s overall coordination, while market players take the initiative on their own.

Over the past two weekends, I have seen people’s police, traffic police, fire fighters, city managers and other workers give up the opportunity for family reunion on weekend, but choose to perform duties at all key posts of Fengjing night market in the BFC in this hot summer. We should be aware that there are silent devotion and efforts of countless people behind the vibrant urban street life with order.

Although the epidemic has temporarily pressed the pause button of our lives, with our industriousness, efforts and wisdom, we are bound to create more sources of development vitality like the nighttime economy in Shanghai. Let’s work together and live with our hearts. Wish everyone and every family healthy, happy and wealthy!