On May 31, Daxue Road Pedestrian Street marked its second anniversary! A hub of youthful dreams, this ever-vibrant road is rolling out a series of fantastic events to celebrate. Come and join the never-ending party.

Never-ending youth: Stepping into a cross-dimensional fairy tale world

As Daxue Road celebrated its second anniversary, it became a playground for romantic encounters. With the debut of the "Daxue Road Emerging Brands of the Year 2025" and the arrival of many avant-garde brands opening their first stores in the country, the street buzzed with endless energy. The Little Prince-themed market added a touch of whimsy, inviting visitors to dream within a piano-key box or read heartfelt letters for graduates under the iconic baobab tree.

As June arrives, so does another graduation season. Daxue Road Pedestrian Street kicked off its summer graduation festivities, where the pulse of youth beats strong and free. Students from Fudan, Tongji, and other top universities took to the stage with energetic performances, delivering a dynamic song and dance extravaganza. Popular Bilibili content creators used their music to voice hopes for the future and their dance moves to express the spirit of Generation Z, turning the graduation concert into a blazing celebration of eternal youth.

Beyond the usual, this place offers incredible cross-dimensional encounters. The event teamed up with the hit Bilibili IP To Be Hero X to bring you an exclusive "hero assembly" graffiti debut. You can watch the graffiti art wall come to life right before your eyes. Plus, To Be Hero X joined forces with 11 unique shops along University Road to create hero support walls. Collect special stickers from these shops and cast your vote for your favorite hero. And get ready for surprise visits from hero Cosers on the street, blending dimensions in a truly magical way.

Unlocking the traffic code: Amplifying reach through collaborative innovation

In the span of two years, Daxue Road Pedestrian Street has adhered to a strategy of collaborative innovation, meticulous planning, and a fast-paced rhythm. Teaming up with over 70 top-tier companies and world-renowned institutions like Bilibili, Xiaohongshu, Aihuishou, and Dewu, it has orchestrated over 80 major thematic events, including the "KIC Knowledge and Art Festival", "Carbon Reduction Carnival", "Street Life Festival", "Spring Resonance: Oriental Aesthetics Market", and "Heartbeat Town Spring Fling". The immersive experience, featuring "weekly and monthly highlights", has not only sparked the collaborative passion of businesses, universities, and other entities but also drawn in a steady stream of visitors.

The festival nodes have acted as a powerful catalyst, boosting brand influence and fueling commercial prosperity. Since May 2024, the pedestrian street's sales have soared past 151 million yuan, marking a remarkable 33% year-on-year growth. The daily sales peak has surpassed 1.9 million yuan, the weekend sales peak has exceeded 3.2 million yuan, and the weekend footfall has hit 130,000 visitors. These three key metrics have all reached unprecedented levels.

To break free from seasonal limitations, Wujiaochang Sub-district teamed up with the operator Shui On KIC, to add windbreaks to outdoor seating. This simple yet effective measure has stretched the prime consumption hours in winter and summer, turning what were once slow seasons into bustling peak times. This has led to a remarkable 20% boost in sales and footfall for local merchants.

Revamping the consumption landscape: Breaking through with innovative business models

The vibrancy of Daxue Road stems not just from its dazzling array of events, but also from the reshaping of its business forms and innovative models, which are fueling its growth. Over two years of strategic reconfiguration, the share of retail forms in the area has surged from under 20% to 41%. Meanwhile, cultural and creative forms and trendy retail are emerging as powerful clusters.

Notably, bookstores like Old Fudan Bookstore, Yue Yue Bookstore, and Mystery Books are teaming up to create a symbiotic scene of "shared customer traffic and complementary business models", bringing to life the unique charm of the "book fragrance economy" flourishing in this inspiring community.

In May, Daxue Road, spanning just a few hundred meters, hosted a cultural and artistic extravaganza — the "Daxue Road Bookstore Festival & KIC Knowledge and Art Festival".

More than 60 top-tier publishers, distinctive bookstores, and cultural brands gathered on the street, creating over 100 stalls filled with books and creativity to connect with fellow culture lovers. With over 20 knowledge sharing sessions and more than 10 creative drama performances taking turns on the stage, Daxue Road has once again become a must-visit spot for culture enthusiasts in Shanghai. In this vibrant space, the scent of books and the lively atmosphere of daily life intertwine, shaping a spiritual sanctuary not just for Yangpu, but for the entire city of Shanghai.

Another standout is the rapid growth of the first-store economy and "ACGN economy". Since its opening, Daxue Road (including branches) has drawn 29 first stores nationwide and in Shanghai, with 14 new ones in 2024 alone, making it a hotspot for emerging brands. Capitalizing on this, the area has tapped into the trend of young consumers' preferences. By leveraging IPs like "SALLY", "The King's Avatar", and "Love and Deepspace", it has created a unique "IP empowerment + experiential consumption" model, dubbed the "pain street" mode, and keeps pushing the boundaries of new consumption experiences.

Embroidery-like collaborative governance

The vibrant and well-ordered Daxue Road exemplifies the people's city concept, built on the embroidery-like collaborative governance led by the Party.

Since its establishment, the Daxue Road Party Branch has included 18 Party organizations of mixed-ownership enterprises, non-public enterprises, new economic organizations, new social organizations, and new employment groups into a collaborative "social circle", forging a volunteer service alliance. This alliance effectively supports merchants, consumers, and new employment groups. By energizing community consultation platforms like the Daxue Road Self-Management Committee, the community has tapped into intellectual resources from universities such as Fudan, Tongji, and Shanghai University of Finance and Economics. These collaborations have propelled practical projects like community garden building and urban furniture creation. Meanwhile, university student groups have actively engaged in pedestrian street activities, infusing the area with the creative energy of Generation Z. Together, they have cultivated a vibrant ecosystem of street, university, and enterprise collaboration.

While pooling advantageous resources, the deep integration of various entities also demands greater precision in governance. To address the new challenge of balancing diverse interests and sharing development benefits, the sub-district leverages the Daxue Road Self-Management Committee to form a community co-governance alliance among merchants and residents. This alliance tackles recurring issues like parking disputes and disturbances from fumes and noise, and has rolled out regulatory covenants covering outdoor business management and civilized operations. A year after its debut, the "Chuanmenr" card has evolved into a bridge connecting businesses and residents. This unique community initiative has turned the street's growth into a heartfelt experience that warms the lives of locals.

In two years, Daxue Road Pedestrian Street has cultivated a vibrant space through collaborative innovation and inclusive governance. It has linked the essence of tech innovation with the heartbeat of culture, blending the charm of diverse dimensions with the warmth of human touch. This street has emerged as a dynamic driver for the local economy and a shining window to Yangpu's unique identity.

Beyond its name, Daxue Road, shaded by the graceful plane trees, has become a living canvas of "university-city integration". Here, campus boundaries softly blur, and the rhythm of knowledge mingles with the heartbeat of the streets. Young souls dart between cafes and bookstores, transforming "Young Culture" into a tangible force of innovation and warmth. This vibrant ecosystem is a vivid reflection of the symbiosis between academic wisdom and urban energy.

As it marks its second anniversary, Wujiaochang Sub-district is poised to elevate community standards and broaden its reach. It will offer innovative solutions in grassroots governance, urban renewal, and consumption enhancement, fueling the district's pursuit of excellence with a steady stream of dynamic energy.