The 'Oriental Champs-élysées' blends French esthetics with Chinese culture

Editor’s note:

Rome wasn’t built in a day. Neither was Shanghai. Once dubbed "the Paris of the East,” the city has evolved into a fusion of multiculturalism. Along the way, Shanghai has accumulated a repository of stories about the people and events that have shaped its history. Five areas of the city occupy pride of place in that journey: People’s Square, Jing’an Temple, Xujiahui, Lujiazui and Xintiandi. This series, a collaboration with Shanghai Local Chronicles Library, visits them all to follow in the footsteps of time.

On April 18, 2000, the 10th anniversary of Pudong’s development, Century Avenue opened to traffic.

Hailed as the “Oriental Champs-élysées,” the grand boulevard stretches 5.5 kilometers from the Oriental Pearl TV Tower to Century Park, blending French romantic esthetics with the subtle grace of Eastern culture.

The thoroughfare was designed to link zones in the Lujiazui area, such as riverside tourist venues, the financial district, shopping and commercial complexes, and Pudong’s administration center.

One of the most striking features of the avenue is its asymmetrical cross-section design. The central roadway is 31 meters wide, while the pedestrian paths on either side vary in width from 44.5 meters in the north to 24.5 meters in the south.

This design shifts the road’s central axis 10 meters southward, not only resolving the challenge of aligning Century Avenue with Dongfang and Zhangyang roads but also enhancing the overall esthetic and spatial harmony of the boulevard.

The avenue is bordered by lush landscape design, making it Shanghai’s first scenic roadway where greenery and pedestrian pathways surpass the width of vehicle lanes.

The broader northern pedestrian walkway is lined with four rows of trees, including evergreen camphors and deciduous gingkoes, providing shade in summer and sunlight in winter.

At eight key intersections, themed parks named after Chinese plants such as Willow Park, Cherry Park and Magnolia Park feature more than 100 species of trees, with more than 80,000 planted. Complementing the greenery, an open-air sculpture corridor punctuates the avenue, alongside modern street lights, railings, pillars and benches.

In keeping with the avenue’s name, Century Avenue incorporates the theme of “time” into its landmark architecture and artistic installations.

A centerpiece of this theme is the “Light of the East” sculpture, a collaboration between renowned designers Jean-Marie Charpentier from France and China’s Chen Yifei.

Positioned at the intersection with Yanggao Road M., the sculpture features a monumental sundial-inspired structure, resembling a futuristic satellite dish. Surrounding the main installation are time-related elements like hourglasses, blending majesty with ethereal elegance.

At night, a striking blue laser beam shoots skyward from the sundial’s peak, while ticking sounds echo softly, creating an enchanting atmosphere that invites passers-by to experience the magic of traversing through time.

The construction of Century Avenue was a showcase of problem-solving ingenuity and meticulous engineering. A special method was adopted to ensure a solid foundation. During the construction of the Yanggao Road interchange, measures were taken to minimize ground degradation and protect underground Metro Line 2, which was already into operation.

Paving the asphalt near iconic landmarks such as the Jin Mao Tower and the Oriental Pearl TV Tower was equally demanding. Following repeated rehearsals, dozens of vehicles delivered steaming asphalt to the site, where paving and rolling machines operated in seamless shifts. Construction teams worked tirelessly from afternoon until the next dawn, achieving exceptional quality and completing the work on schedule.