Park life

By Yang Zhenqi Source:Global Times Published: 2013-8-13 18:28:03

Zhongshan Park

Zhongshan Park

Located at the intersection of Changning Road and Kaixuan Road in Shanghai's Changning district is the Zhongshan Park subway station, where metro lines 2, 3 and 4 meet. The busy hub not only serves as an indispensable part of the city's western traffic network, but is also home to a flourishing business area featuring a number of dining treats, shopping and leisure destinations.

Arriving at the station from metro Line 2, commuters will be taken to the underground floor of Cloud Nine Shopping Mall (1018 Changning Road), a comprehensive one-stop destination for dining, shopping and leisure.

A newcomer to the mall's B2 floor is Uncle Tetsu's Cheese Cake, a famous bakery chain from Japan which has enjoyed great popularity among Japanese customers for more than 20 years. After its successful foray into the Taiwanese snack market, the franchise has opened seven outlets in Shanghai.

Although the new Cloud Nine store opened just a week ago, the brand's widespread fame has drawn hordes of customers eager to try out their signature cheesecake priced at 39 yuan each ($6.36).

Using high-quality ingredients including cream cheese, cream, milk and flour, Uncle Tetsu's offers handmade, freshly baked cheesecakes. According to a staff member at the Cloud Nine store, their bakers only make 18 cakes per batch, which take about 20 minutes to be prepared.

After the cakes are taken out of the oven, bakers will print the brand's logo - a smiley, plump, glasses-wearing chef named Uncle Tetsu on every cake. The yellow cake is renowned for its lightness and fluffy texture. The store staffer also told the Global Times that business is particularly good during rush hour and on weekends when customers typically wait 30 to 60 minutes to get a bite of their coveted cheesecake. So visit the store during less busier hours if you want to avoid the long queue.

Heading east to the station's exits 3-6 will lead commuters to ShangHai Road (820 Changning Road), a large underground shopping street. Like other popular underground shopping centers in Shanghai, such as Dmall Shopping Center and Hong Kong Famous Shops Street, ShangHai Road, which is decorated in an old-Shanghai style, boasts over one hundred small shops and boutiques offering clothes, shoes, bags, jewelry and other fashion accessories. Exploring the winding, labyrinth-like, air-conditioned shopping street is a good way to while away a sweltering summer afternoon. However, many fashion boutiques on the street reportedly source their products from the wholesale markets on Qipu Road, which is notorious for selling low-quality, knock-off goods. Be sure to take a close look at items before you purchase. Haggling is a must when you shop on this street.

Uncle Tetsu's cheese cakes

Uncle Tetsu's cheese cakes


A short walk from the station's exit 3 leads to Metro Town (890 Changning Road), another buzzing shopping plaza. The five-story building houses a large number of restaurants, fashion boutiques and lifestyle stores. The Thing (No.22, 1/F, Metro Town, 5241-0007) is a popular graphic and fashion design label founded by a group of young Shanghainese designers in 2005. With a score of outlets in such major Chinese cities as Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Changsha, Chengdu and Dalian, the brand offers affordable, fun and funky streetwear for both men and women. At the Metro Town branch, an eclectic new collection of T-shirts and jeans is on display, along with a selection of seasonal items including sunglasses, hats, bags and sandals. Prices start from 100-plus yuan for a simple graphic tee.

Another attraction here is the Lawson convenience store themed on the Detective Conan anime series (No.8-9, 1-B1/F). Opened in late November, the two-story corner store is the first-and-only of its kind in Shanghai and has attracted many anime fans to pay homage to this much-loved Japanese cartoon character.

Visitors to the shop are greeted by a huge billboard which reads, "Welcome to the mysterious world of Conan." In addition to regular daily commodities sold on the first floor, the store also has a wide collection of Conan merchandise ranging from posters, mugs, notebooks and pens to clocks, T-shirts, eye patches and iPhone cases.

Inspired by the 2002 Conan anime film The Phantom of Baker Street, the shop's underground floor features some familiar scenes from the movie, including Detective Sherlock Holmes' Baker Street home in London, the red telephone booth next to his house, and a trolley bus on the London street.

Customers can also pose with one of two bronze statues of Detective Conan: one in his signature "There is only one truth" stance, and the other of Conan preparing to shoot anesthetic needles from his watch.

Metro Town Photos: CFP and Yang Zhenqi/GT

Metro Town Photos: CFP and Yang Zhenqi/GT


A five-minute walk from exit 4 is the station's namesake, Zhongshan Park (780 Changning Road). Covering a total area of 214,200 square meters, the park was built by the Shanghai Municipal Council in 1914 and was originally called Zhaofeng Park (Jessfield Park). It was later renamed in honor of Sun Yat-sen, the forerunner of the democratic revolution of modern China and the founder of the Republic of China (1912-49). The park, which features British landscape architecture, is one of the city's largest green spaces and boasts over 30,000 trees of some 260 species.

The park has been undergoing a major facelift since late last year and just reopened its western section to the public in mid-July. The revamp project is slated for completion by the end of this year. The park opens from 5 am to 7 pm with free admission.

Lawson Conan-themed store

Lawson Conan-themed store



Posted in: Metro Shanghai

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