Tradition is creation as Panlong Tiandi celebrates

A 12-day immersive cultural extravaganza that creatively revives traditional festivals with a modern lifestyle will be staged in September at Panlong Tiandi, a renewal and upgrade of the ancient Panlong Town in Qingpu District.

Leading urban solutions provider Shui On Group's Xintiandi brand on Friday announced the launch of a new cultural IP "Xinsheng Festival." This adheres to the concept of "tradition is creation," drawing inspiration from traditional Chinese festival customs, integrating the beauty of traditional culture with contemporary lifestyles, and reshaping the ritual sense of traditional festivals.

The cultural feast, running between September 6 and 17, is the first activity of the cultural IP, which will feature more than 90 performances, 15 workshops, a literary forum, a four-day long-table banquet, and the presence of more than 50 brands.

As one of the key recommended activities of "Shanghai Summer," it will bring an immersive Jiangnan (south of the Yangtze River's lower reaches) Mid-Autumn Festival experience to citizens and tourists, while showcasing the charm of traditional Chinese culture and the vibrant vitality of Shanghai.

It will comprise four sections – performance, market, feast and workshop.

In terms of performance, heavyweight folk musicians and artists will present multiple close-up performances, and there will also be more than 30 public art performances by local art institutions such as Shanghai Conservatory of Music and Shanghai Theater Academy, as well as folk music singers, who will entwine beautiful melodies into the poetic texture of Panlong's streets, pavilions, and bridges.

In the "Feast" section, echoing Shanghai's inclusive city spirit and combined with food culture, there will be a nearly 300-meter-long table banquet lasting four days, providing people with a new option for the Mid-Autumn Festival reunion dinner with Jiangnan folk customs and ritual sense.

In the "Workshop," a slew of interesting events such as a Mid-Autumn paper lantern workshop brought by intangible cultural heritage inheritor Li Wentao, cultural tours, night tea parties, and Qianpu's unique rice cake tasting will be rolled out.

The 10th anniversary exhibition of Yuz Museum adds a splash of artistic color to the event.

A Mid-Autumn Festival fair will be held, enabling people to experience the traditional culture and customs that have been accumulated over the long river of history.

Paper-cut artist Wen Qiuwen will create a unique Chinese-style romantic "Moon God in the Water" lantern installation.

Panlong Tiandi reimagines the ancient Jiangnan watertown as a modern urban retreat. With a history dating back more than 1,000 years to the Sui Dynasty (AD 581-618), Panlong Town is one of 32 historical protected zones in Shanghai.

Starting with the Mid-Autumn Festival and Panlong Tiandi, more traditional festivals will be staged in Shui On Group's multiple urban landmark projects under the new cultural IP.

If you go

Venue: Panlong Tiandi 蟠龍天地

Address: No.8, Lane 123, Panding Road, Qingpu District 青浦區蟠鼎路123弄8號