This year marks the 5th anniversary of the concept of people's city. As the place where it was first proposed, Yangpu is thriving with a flourishing digital economy and a dynamic, youthful spirit. Let's immerse ourselves in this city that is becoming increasingly "YOUNG" for the people...

Integrating seamlessly into the urban texture, child-friendliness has emerged as a "vibrant label" of the high-quality development of a people's city. During the summer vacation, various "summer paradises" in Yangpu offer children opportunities to learn, play and enjoy themselves.

The fashion center is a youthful arena where sports and life blend. "It's quite a different experience having so many people watching and cheering for you, as opposed to regular training." Innovative explorations that use sports to build platforms and blend business with tourism have continuously "ignited" the urban vibrancy. The national 4A-level scenic attraction immersed "little scholars" and "little ladies" in historical culture—"Today, I learned a lot about ancient etiquette, making it a very meaningful day". The local Party and mass service stations has embraced the "space dreams" of "little engineers". "But today it's about doing while talking, which makes knowledge absorption faster and leaves a more lasting impression." As innovative practical activities for the summer vacation continue, the "15-minute community life circle" is brimming with childlike interest...

Offering residents quality services and allowing urban spaces to support a higher-standard life represents a fresh scenario in Yangpu's new practices of the people's city.

Fashion center - a youthful arena where sports and life blend

At the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics, an interactive rope jumping performance by the Seine showcased the charm of the sport to the world. In Yangpu, thousands of miles away, the fashion center has become the hottest stage for young people from across the country to display their "rope" skills.

Recently, the finals of the 1st "Run, Youth" China City Youth Jump Rope Open kicked off at the Shanghai Fashion Center. Over 500 competitors gathered to ignite the city's sports enthusiasm. The event featured the toddler group, children's group, preteen group, teen group, youth group and open group, encompassing 11 events in five categories including speed, pattern, routine, master and challenge. Ultimately, the winners, selected through a tiered talent process, will be qualified for the Double Dutch Contest in November.

As one of the first "National Pilot Cities for Sports Consumption", how does Yangpu transform the "traffic" generated by sports events into an "increment" of the economy and create a new pattern for sports development?

Recently, the 2024 Shanghai Youth Sports Elite Series Fencing Competition & Shanghai Youth Fencing Championship (Women's Division) took place at the Shanghai Fashion Center. Throughout the competition, the 28 fencing tracks spread across the shopping mall and the catwalk became a stage for the "integration of sports, commerce and tourism". Numerous residents and tourists visited not only to watch the competition but also to dine, shop and sightsee. "It's quite a different experience having so many people watching and cheering for you, as opposed to regular training," said Cao Wuyue, a 13-year-old epee fencer from Yangpu.

The integration of sports, commerce and tourism has demonstrated tremendous potential, representing both the innovative spirit and the lively atmosphere of the city's vibrant life. Data indicates that during the event, the Shanghai Fashion Center saw an 8% increase in visitor numbers and a 4% increase in revenues, both on a year-on-year basis.

Following the successful model, the China City Youth Jump Rope Open kicked off in March, with subsequent stops in 11 cities including Beijing, Kunming, Quzhou, Hefei and Guangzhou, and regional finals in East, South and North China, attracting participation from nearly 10,000 young people. The events were not only held in professional sports venues and outdoor spaces, but also were introduced to business districts, neighborhoods and scenic areas, such as Powerlong Plaza, Daning International Plaza and Binjiang Forest Park. During these events, a series of activities such as rope skipping performances, cultural promotions and parent-child interactive experiences were delivered, integrating sports into urban life. These moves not only fulfilled the desire of young people to compete outside their homes, but also drew crowds to business districts and infused vitality into tourist spots.

Taking the Shanghai Fashion Center, the venue for the finals, as an example, which is the core area of Yangpu Riverside and a popular spot for Shanghai's residents to shop, relax and be entertained. The center transformed into an intense competition ground where consumers became sports spectators, subtly promoting rope skipping, introducing sports events to scenic areas, neighborhoods and business districts. This further advanced the deep integration of sports with commerce and cultural tourism, unleashing consumption potential.

Statistics show that during the competition, the cumulative foot traffic in related shopping malls exceeded 700,000 visits, with a nearly 6 million yuan increase in sales.

In recent years, rope jumping has thrived both domestically and internationally due to its accessibility, variety, and strong competitive and spectator appeal, with an expanding grassroots following. In 2023, the International Jump Rope Union (IJRU) launched the "EVERYBODY JUMP" initiative globally, embarking on a path from Shanghai to convey the message that "everyone can skip rope."

During the competition, a multitude of sports industry leaders, authoritative figures and academic experts gathered at the Rope Skipping Sports Development Exchange Conference to look into the future of the rope skipping industry. The outcome report of the 1st China City Youth Jump Rope Open was released, and the second edition was promoted. The forthcoming second edition promises an enhanced experience, expanding its reach to more cities with an increased number of events utilizing digital technology for a more professional and intelligent competition.

In recent years, Yangpu has focused on fostering "new consumption, new scenarios and new drivers", closely followed three keywords: "youth, digital and integration", and striven to elevate the level of service consumption. Innovative explorations that use sports to build platforms and blend business with tourism have persisted, embedding the "public fitness" philosophy in people's minds and continuously "igniting" the urban vibrancy.

The national 4A-level scenic attraction immerses "little scholars" and "little ladies" in historical culture

In the internet era, when people often "forget how to write characters when they pick up a pen", the art of calligraphy seems increasingly remote from everyday life. The National 4A-level scenic attraction - the Royal Workshop of Chinese Brush and Ink in Yangpu Riverside, composed of two time-honored Chinese brands, Cao Sugong and Zhou Huchen, is dedicated to preserving the treasured craftsmanship of brush and ink production and promoting the fine traditional Chinese culture.

"Interlace your hands, for boys the left hand should be positioned externally and the right internally, for girls the opposite..." Amidst classical music and the fragrance of ink, the children learned to perform rituals of respect. Recently, a group of "little scholars" and "little ladies" participated in the Changhai Road Sub-district's summer series for minors - "Stepping into the Royal Workshop of Chinese Brush and Ink to Explore Hanfu Culture."

With a bun on the head and a hat on top, holding an abacus signifies "mathematics"; wielding a short bow and long arrows, gazing into the distance represents "archery"...After learning the ritual bows, the "six arts of a gentleman" come vividly to life. How is a piece of Cao Sugong ink ingot made? How many materials are needed to craft a Zhou Huchen writing brush? The traditional crafts and production techniques left the children in awe; what is the historical context of Hanfu, and what is its structure? The instructor elaborated...

Zheng Mengyun, aged 9, who has always been interested in history and Hanfu, felt utterly immersed in the activity, saying, "Today, I learned a lot about ancient etiquette, making it a very meaningful day."

Wang Ruiqi, 8 years old, displayed his traditional attire, exclaiming, "I love wearing these ancient-style dresses. Today I learned there are so many stories behind them, and I also learned how to perform the ritual bow!"

Children were immersed in learning and enjoyment, and for many parents who accompanied them, this cultural experience was quite valuable. "I'm usually busy with work and don't often have the chance to accompany my child like this. My child has always loved Hanfu, and today's event has been enriching for both of us, deepening our understanding of the rich culture behind Hanfu," said a parent.

This event was a collaborative effort by the Youth League Work Committee of Changhai Road Sub-district, the Cultural Center of Changhai Road Sub-district and Changhai Road Sub-district Library, along with the Sports and Culture Service Club of Changhai Road Sub-district and the HZY Huaxia Cultural Society.

As we advance the building of a "15-minute community life circle" in full swing, cultural and sports services play an essential role. Changhai Road Sub-district will continue to deliver innovative practical activities during the summer vacation, focus on public needs, actively explore, and integrate quality resources to create a community that is ideal for living, working, traveling, learning and elderly care.

The local Party and mass service station embraces the "space dreams" of "little engineers"

Children could experience the charm of ancient music and the fragrance of ink at cultural landmarks and explore space at the Party and mass service station nearby.

In July, the Tongji Rim Party and Mass Service Station of Siping Road Sub-district was put into use, offering all-inclusive services -- community news vividly displayed on a "screen", a dedicated area for business services, and a full range of services covering Party and mass affairs, government affairs, life and culture. It can also host activities such as Party member education, themed Party Day and volunteer social practices...

Recently, this place has embraced the "space dreams" of "little engineers"—the third installment of the "Siji Space" 2024 Summer Exploration Series took place here.

At the bottom is the manned spacecraft, with the main body being the core module, and two lab modules attached on either side...At the event, a dozen children were busily assembling a space station model from a pile of building blocks. Shen Sirui, 10 years old, was actively engaged, occasionally discussing with his peers. He said, "I'm a model enthusiast, and today I got to showcase my skills. It's really fun! I've never encountered this type of model before; it's my first time, and it's quite complex, but it's very enjoyable."

"The Tiangong space station is a national space laboratory constructed by China. The Wentian lab module, in particular, focuses on space life science research and has conducted numerous experiments, yielding a series of incremental outcomes..." As the children assembled their models, instructor Huang Lei provided concurrent science education. "Typically, classes follow a pattern of 'teacher talks, students listen', or they're purely hands-on craft sessions, but today it's about doing while talking, which makes knowledge absorption faster and leaves a more lasting impression," said Tang Jiarui, aged 15.

To Huang, the approach of learning through a combination of verbal explanation and hands-on activities helps to make abstract concepts more tangible for children. "We've observed in practice that many children have a strong interest in exploring space, yet their understanding is quite vague. For instance, when I asked them about the assembly of the Tiangong space station, they generally believed all components are launched together. However, it's actually composed of modules like lab module and core module that are assembled progressively. It's during the assembly process that they realized different modules must be formed individually before being joined together," he said.

To date, four installments of the "Siji Space" 2024 Summer Exploration Series have been delivered.