SD IN ACTION

One aspect of Swire Properties’ commitment to placemaking is creating public spaces where arts, culture and creativity can thrive. Our Shanghai properties host a variety of artistic and cultural activities that seek to engage, educate and delight the community.

In 2021, we became the Principal Patron for the Museum of Art Pudong (“MAP”). Covering six floors with 13 exhibition halls, MAP adds to Shanghai’s flourishing arts scene, with exhibitions that range from classical and Chinese art to international collections.

To mark the grand opening of the wellness-themed Taikoo Li Qiantan in September 2021, the mall held an 11-day Wellness Festival that unveiled our creative placemaking vision. The event included gardening workshops, outdoor movie screenings and fitness events to promote health and community engagement. A light show called “The Journey of Water” lit up the mall’s central installation, Please Be Seated, by British designer Paul Cocksedge, while sound and ever-changing ripples of light spread across the art piece, creating a multisensory experience.

More recently, Taikoo Li Qiantan has hosted the “Let’s Art Well” festivals. The inaugural festival in 2023 was part of the 22nd China Shanghai International Arts Festival. Featuring nearly 50 art installations from 30 contemporary artists, it included a museum-level fashion photography exhibition and various interactive art pieces. In 2024, the festival featured over 30 Chinese and international artists who showcased more than 30 works of art. In spring 2024, The Pool by X Museum opened to the public, supporting and celebrating emerging artists’ new ideas and diverse cultures, creating an inclusive space for the new generation of artists and the local community. The “Stage to Street” Musical Carnival, held in October and November 2024, featured over 30 performances across multiple venues with performances by renowned local and international artists.

Taikoo Li Qiantan and HKRI Taikoo Hui mall also hold experiential retail events, seeking to create memorable and engaging customer experiences that go beyond product sales. These events highlight aesthetics, respond to emotional needs and facilitate a deeper connection with brands.

We regularly integrate art and lifestyle elements into our properties’ public spaces, hosting installations and cultural exhibitions while showcasing cutting-edge digital technologies. The “Play me, I’m Yours” campaign, which has run for seven consecutive years, brings art and uplifting music together through uniquely decorated pianos installed in public places for people to play. Over the years, the campaign has seen significant success, with over 70 pianos, decorated by more than 60 artists, donated to public spaces in cities across the Chinese Mainland.

In 2023, the campaign introduced the “Play me, I’m Yours” mini-programme that facilitated the navigation of the donated pianos. The mini-programme also provides more context and historical stories of each of the pianos and their location, creating a “musical tour” for participants. In 2024, the campaign introduced an AI component, creating a multi-sensory musical space that weaved together creativity and technology to engage and entertain.

Shanghai Fashion Weekend, held at HKRI Taikoo Hui in October 2024, merged fashion with culture and featured unique experiences and collaborations, such as a pop-up store with an emerging designer. The event celebrated local fashion design while providing a platform for cultural exhibitions. The Branding City Design Exhibition, held during the same month, explored innovative urban living concepts through design displays that reflect contemporary lifestyle aspirations.

After the grand opening of ZHANGYUAN Phase 1, the nearby North Maoming Road has become a pedestrian street on weekends and holidays, creating a new event space for the community, with Swire Properties managing any events held on the street. During the year, we brought events related to skiing and Formula One racing, as well as a Chinese New Year concert.

These events significantly enhance our properties’ aesthetic appeal, draw in more foot traffic and most of all, contribute to the cultural enrichment of the whole community.

Pets have become an important part of urban life and culture for many people, and HKRI Taikoo Hui has embraced this shift with a spirit of inclusivity. In summer 2024, the mall introduced several pet-friendly upgrades, featuring a “Pet Friend Forever” theme in multiple mall areas, while outdoor spaces such as the South Garden and Roof Garden were transformed into pet-friendly gardens. New services for pets including pet-friendly lifts, restrooms and strollers were also added. More than 150 retailers across the mall have so far joined this initiative to welcome pets.

Our Shanghai properties support the mental and physical health of our visitors, tenants and workers in creative and groundbreaking ways.

The wellness-themed Taikoo Li Qiantan’s open plan, with its lanes, “wood zone” and “stone zone”, features a semi-open and naturalistic design that uses biophilic natural materials like timber and granite. These create a welcoming and harmonious atmosphere while enabling natural ventilation and lighting, which has been proven to make people feel better physically and emotionally.

Its “double open park” design concept centres on the 86,000 sq ft central park – a “green oasis” used for relaxation, community gatherings, events, socialising, and exercise. The park connects various retail zones and provides a tranquil space in the midst of a busy urban environment. The adjacent 2.87 million sq ft riverside Qiantan Leisure Park offers additional recreational opportunities, featuring walking paths and cycling routes that connect seamlessly with the retail complex.

Another highlight is the 450-metre Sky Loop surrounding the Taikoo Li Qiantan rooftop. As Shanghai’s first AI digitalised running track within a mall, the Sky Loop features professional running and walking tracks and is equipped with facial recognition technology and digitalised changing rooms. Other facilities are focused on promoting healthy lifestyles – a yoga studio, roof garden and numerous healthy F&B options. More than 20 million visitors per year enjoy the experiences Taikoo Li Qiantan has to offer.

Meanwhile, HKRI Taikoo Hui serves as a modern town square, offering a central hub for both commerce and community interaction. The commercial complex features a parallel layout, with Shimen Road (No.1) and Discovery Boulevard offering south-north corridors inside the mall, along with two large open-air event venues, the Event Centre and Roof Garden, a multi-functional event centre and a unique roof garden. The design facilitates seamless connections and close interactions across various buildings and functional spaces.

Nature is an important part of wellbeing. In addition to biophilic design elements, our properties celebrate nature in other ways. HKRI Taikoo Hui’s 200-meter-long roof garden hosts activities such as fitness classes, music performances, and markets, all contributing to the vibrancy of the area – providing a tranquil place that is connected to nature and a versatile venue for exercise, socialising and community interaction.

As part of 2024’s “Dare to Art” public art season at our Shanghai properties, HKRI Taikoo Hui’s nature-themed “Optical Earth: Reprogramming Nature as Art” interactive exhibition transformed the mall into a canvas that showcased the natural beauty of America’s Yosemite National Park through intricate line patterns. The launch included a forum discussing eco-urban technology and how nature in urban settings contributes to human health and wellbeing. During the “Play Me, I’m Yours” initiative, HKRI Taikoo Hui introduced handbags made from recycled fabrics used in the Cube Piano installation. The repurposed fabric, along with other eco-friendly materials, was transformed into multi-functional, stylish bags that blend art and sustainability for everyday use.

HKRI Taikoo Hui also hosted the “ReMe” sustainability-themed exhibition at the LG2 Metro Shopping Area. The exhibition encouraged visitors to adopt eco-friendly practices, improve their mental and physical wellbeing, and reduce their carbon footprint.

Swire Properties works to increase resilience by reinforcing social cohesion and boosting our investment in people and communities in Shanghai.

Part of Swire Properties’ placemaking and placekeeping work at HKRI Taikoo Hui involves honouring and preserving the area’s rich historical heritage. The development includes the century-old European style mansion, Cha House, which was carefully restored to retain its original architecture and many of its distinctive features. The building is an important cultural landmark linking the past and future of Shanghai.

A century-old Magnolia tree on the site was protected. To ensure its continued vitality in the modern era, some commercial space was sacrificed, underscoring our dedication to safeguarding and revitalising this historical treasure.

ZHANGYUAN is Shanghai’s first urban regeneration project and is being managed by Swire Properties. The ZHANGYUAN district dates back to 1882, and is the largest, best-preserved and most diverse shikumen (a traditional style of Shanghainese architecture) compound in Shanghai, known for being a public garden for cultural and entertainment activities. Many “firsts in Shanghai” originated here: it was the first private garden that was free to the public, the place where China’s first electric lamp was lit, where the first bicycle race took place, where the first outdoor photo booth was located, and where the first film was projected.

When complete, ZHANGYUAN will be a world-class example of how modern cities can revitalise and regenerate historic districts. The project is drawing on the Jing’an Real Estate Group’s extensive protection and rejuvenation experience, with the historic buildings restored based on original drawings; and Swire Properties’ placemaking and placekeeping experience.

Work is now continuing to advance ZHANGYUAN by opening up the West Nanjing Road metro station connections to Lines 2, 12 and 13. The East Zone will open to the public by the end of 2026.