A Mid-Autumn Festival installation is lit up.
A traditional Chinese opera performance is staged.
Panlong Xintiandi in Qingpu District kicked off its annual cultural festival "Heritage Now Festival" on Wednesday, bringing immersive Mid-Autumn celebrations that reinterpret traditional Chinese folklore through contemporary art, waterfront performances and community experiences.
The seasonal event runs through October 18, spanning the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holidays. The festival follows XINTIANDI's core cultural strategy "Bringing Heritage to Life," transforming Panlong's ancient water alleys into a Jiangnan-style moon-gathering paradise.
Instead of static cultural displays, the program in its third year integrates traditional customs into modern urban lifestyles, creating inclusive and shareable gathering venues.
Performers with traditional Chinese costumes paroll the street.
This year's festival collaborates with contemporary paper art artist Wen Qiuwen to debut a site-specific installation. Inspired by mythical stories behind the Mid-Autumn Festival, the artwork depicts celestial rabbits collecting mountain scenery, river mist, osmanthus fragrance and mortal lights to weave an annual moonlit celebration.
Spread across Panlong's water corridors, glowing lantern installations feature stars, full moons and osmanthus blossoms, turning the waterfront into a terrestrial galaxy. Visitors may admire the glowing scenery from land or enjoy close-up views by boat.
The festival features five immersive experience chapters, including lantern viewing, traditional music appreciation, communal feast, waterfront market and handcraft workshops, revitalizing ancient Mid-Autumn traditions.
A rabbit lantern is featured.
For musical performances, the event partners with a local art ensemble to stage traditional Jiangnan sizhu (string and wind music) music and Kunqu opera on floating flower boats. With performers on water stage and audiences along the riverside, the roaming lantern lights and drifting boat shadows create a unique immersive waterfront viewing experience available through the holiday season.
The festival also launches a festive long-table communal feast. Red silk decorated long tables line the water alleys, serving seasonal Jiangnan delicacies crafted by local culinary creators. The communal dining experience revives traditional Chinese reunion customs, strengthening emotional connection and cultural belonging among participants.
A waterfront pop-up market features boat-side stalls offering seasonal local ingredients, creative handmade goods and Jiangnan lifestyle products, delivering authentic seasonal vitality and street ambiance.
Panlong Town is decorated for the Mid-Autumn Festival.
More than ten intangible heritage workshops invite visitors to experience traditional craftsmanship. Activities include bamboo weaving demonstrations by intangible cultural heritage inheritors and Song brocade handcraft sessions. The interactive programs breathe new vitality into traditional Chinese arts and crafts.
Panlong Xintiandi blends profound Jiangnan heritage and ecological landscapes, serving as a peaceful urban sanctuary for city dwellers. The community hosts nearly 200 merchants, with nearly 80 percent being first-store or concept-exclusive outlets. Recent new arrivals such as Salomon, Adidas Originals, AromeManpo and % Arabica enrich outdoor lifestyle, aromatic wellness, specialty coffee and pet-friendly scenarios.
Panlong Xintiandi covers over 500,000 square meters, featuring 53,000 square meters of commercial space, 230,000 square meters of public green land, a three-kilometer circular trail and large outdoor activity zones.
2026-09-18
