Lantern-lit, four-day, long-table banquet highlight of festival

Basking in the full moon, people are immersed in a 12-day cultural extravaganza that creatively revives traditional festivals with a modern lifestyle at Panlong Tiandi, a renewal and upgrade of the ancient Panlong Town in Qingpu District.

As a highlight of "Shanghai Summer," the cultural fest under the new cultural IP "Xinsheng Festival," launched by leading urban solutions provider Shui On Group, opened at Panlong Tiandi on Friday night.

Running through September 17, it will feature more than 90 performances, 15 workshops, a lantern-lit four-day long-table banquet, and the presence of more than 50 brands, inviting people to enjoy music, have a reunion meal, and stroll the market under the moon, to rediscover the unique Chinese Mid-Autumn cultural essence and flavor.

On Friday, guzheng (plucked zither) artist Chang Jing staged a unique performance with soulful melodies at the Yuz Museum, presenting the ancient cultural heritage of the "Book of Songs" in a new way across time and space.

Renowned musician Chen Jingfei performed "Moonlit Flowers" on the Panlong sculling boat, interpreting a dream of the Jiangnan (south of the Yangtze River's lower reaches) region amidst the swaying boat and bright lights.

Reunion is an eternal theme of the Mid-Autumn Festival, and a reunion feast is a reconnection of emotions and memories. Between September 14 and 17, a "long-table feast" integrating various flavors will be grandly opened. Breaking geographical boundaries, the reunion feast table will be moved from indoors to the Jiangnan streets for the first time.

Eight representative Mid-Autumn dishes selected from various cuisines will be served, and tables will stretch hundreds of meters along the street, with red silk curtains and the clinking of cups, bringing back the cultural memory that has lasted for thousands of years.

More than 15 workshops will invite cultural enthusiasts to exchange on topics such as tea and wine, silk and embroidery, lanterns and wooden beam scales, and traditional skills. Activities will include rabbit lantern handicraft and bamboo plaiting workshops, rice cake and harvest experience and reading events.

Heavyweight folk musicians will present multiple performances during the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday between September 15 and 17, while more than 90 public art performances such as quartets, ballet dances and A Cappella pop-up performances will be staged, entwining beautiful melodies into the poetic texture of Panlong's streets, pavilions, and bridges.

Panlong has formed a cross-street commercial pattern since the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties, and there has always been a tradition of "going to the market" during festivals.

A bazaar featuring food and goods from all over the country will enable people to taste traditional Jiangnan delicacies such as Qingpu zhuanggao, a glutinous rice cake, Jiangnan green plum, and Shaoxing yellow wine, and explore traditional Jiangnan crafts such as cloisonne, kesi (silk tapestry) and ancient fragrance making between September 15 and 17.

The "Xinsheng Festival" 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.

If you go

Date: Through September 17

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