The Suzhou Creek meanders, and its waterfront shoreline connects a string of resources, bearing witness to Shanghai’s stupendous changes. The Jing’an section spans 6.3 kilometers, linking a total of 500,000 square meters of historic buildings, making it the unique and vibrant waterfront hub in Shanghai’s central urban area, where a seamless fusion of Chinese and Western influences adorns both banks of the Creek.

Through urban renewal, more and more “dormant” public spaces on both banks are being revived, exuding both vibrancy and warmth. Residents living here experience the lively pulse of life and the colorful hues of the city in the cycle of day and night.

Morning:

Reviving dormant spaces under the bridge

Amid the ceaseless flow of traffic overhead, a unique atmosphere pervades the space beneath. Adjacent to the old site of Shanghai No.1 Fuxin Flour Mill, the “Tide Surging on the Suzhou Creek” sports space under the Gonghexin Road Bridge offers a variety of trendy sports facilities. Vibrant mural paintings add a touch of cultural charm.

In the early morning, some elders practice Baduanjin (or eight-sectioned exercise) on a riverside platform, foreigners in cargo pants and skate shoes skate freely in the skateboarding area, while youngsters gather at the basketball court for dribbling, passing, and shooting. The citizen service center nearby offers public restrooms, direct drinking water dispensers, and seating areas, providing essential convenience for residents engaging in sports activities.

The public space under the bridge on the north bank of Suzhou Creek, covering an area of approximately 11,000 square meters, was previously primarily used for road parking. Once a dusty “gray space” with rebars and concrete, it has been renovated into a hub for urban sports and cultural activities.

To maximize the space’s utility in three dimensions, an elevated two-story viewing corridor has been constructed under the bridge. The railings on either side of the corridor feature undulating lines, resembling a city symphony. “Standing in the corridor, you can have a nice view over the sports field. At night, there is a dynamic demonstration of the landscape lighting that complements the nearby scenery of Suzhou Creek,” said Zhai Lei, District Mayor of Jing’an District.

In Jing’an, there are several under-bridge spaces similar to this one. For instance, beneath the Changshou Road Bridge, colored organic glass combined with lighting creates a colorful corridor. The ends of the walkway connect to a garden and a trestle bridge, forming a continuous, three-dimensional waterfront promenade system—Guangyin Trestle Bridge, Suzhou Creek Path, and Jinxiu Garden. Under the Hengfeng Road Bridge, two cultural spaces have been created—one to the south presenting urban cultural heritage through miniature landscapes, and the other to the north integrating poetry and culture into citizens’ lives through floral art sculptures.

“We have upgraded and transformed the space under each bridge with a unique theme, incorporating many citizen service functions tailored to the local context to create a comfortable and aesthetically pleasing environment,” said Zhai Lei. “The goal is to turn each ‘gray space’ under the bridges into high-quality and visually appealing ‘scenic spots’, making these ‘dormant’ spaces vibrant and colorful.”

Noon:

The Party-mass service center caters to the needs of the people

At noon during the dog days of summer, with the sun blazing overhead, after delivering the final morning parcel, SF Express deliveryman Huang Yuan entered the Suzhou Creek Greenbelt Party-mass Service Center (hereinafter referred to as “the Center”). He took a bottle of mineral water from the fridge and drank most of it. “When I pass by here on my way back to the express station at noon, I always come in for a short break. I can charge my phone and use the air pump to inflate the tires of electric bikes here. It’s very convenient.”

As one of the sites in the “Home of Jing’an · Suzhou Creek” Party-mass Service Site System, the Center covers approximately 40 square meters. It features five main service areas including “Red Recharging, Public Opinion Collection, Convenient Services, Health Management, and Landscape Resting”, making it a “compact yet comprehensive” convenience service site.

The Center is equipped with AEDs, first-aid kits, microwave ovens, umbrellas, wireless networks, chargers, multifunctional health check machines, blood pressure monitors, and other facilities, providing convenience to nearby residents, tourists, and outdoor workers. Many visitors come in with stamp collection books. The service desk features over a dozen stamps that represent historic buildings and 13 iconic bridges along Suzhou Creek. Through word-of-mouth among local stamp collectors, this activity has gained popularity.

In the adjacent public opinion collection book, many citizens have shared their valuable ideas. Initially, it was at the suggestion of nearby residents that the Center at the Suzhou Creek Waterfront Platform was established. “Residents can freely comment on the management of the waterfront platform and the functions of the Center. Here, we have also created distinctive service projects such as the Suzhou Creek VR Red Tour, ‘A Date with Suzhou Creek’ Live Broadcast Room, and the Suzhou Creek Public Welfare Forest Adoption’,” explained Pu Yanrong, Director of the Beizhan Sub-district Community Party-mass Service Center.

“Our residents live and work here, experiencing and feeling this place deeply,” said Zhai Lei. “In the urban renewal process of public spaces along Suzhou Creek in Jing’an, we care about three points: What do the people need? What ideas do they have? And how effective are our efforts for them? We aim to turn everyone’s ‘golden ideas’ into well-received ‘golden fruits’ among people.”

Night:

Innovate the way of unfolding historical context

In the evening, the Fotografiska Shanghai in Suzhou Creek is brightly lit. Most visitors wandering through the exhibition halls are young people. In addition to exhibitions, open-air bars, rooftop gardens, and cultural and creative stores are all great places to unwind after work.

This artistic landmark, open for daily business until 11 p.m., was transformed from the historically protected building Sihang Warehouse Guangsan Branch, originally built in 1931. The interior walls retain the weathered historical traces, while elements like the ceiling and columns are authentically preserved, creating a fusion of urban historical memory and contemporary art.

After work, Zhao, a white-collar worker, enjoys inviting friends to visit. “Here, you can grab a drink and admire the photography exhibits in the exhibition area, then dine and chat with friends on the rooftop terrace, enjoying the night view of Suzhou Creek and feeling complete ease.”

Following the Suzhou Creek eastward leads to the century-old Tianhou Palace, where the ancient gatehouse, theater stage, and two-storied buildings for audience on its eastern and western sides exude a nostalgic charm, transporting visitors through time. Integrated with the Suzhou Creek MixC World Commercial Complex, the palace’s original site is “revived”, undergoing a vibrant transformation in the urban renewal process with a blend of fashion and culture.

During the Shining Shanghai Festival, an immersive interactive architectural light show unfolded, featuring kaleidoscopic patterns inspired by the spiral motifs on the ancient theater stage’s caisson ceiling. At the China Shanghai International Arts Festival, the Tianhou Palace hosted a fashion show welcoming the Zhejiang Xiaobaihua Yue Opera Troupe, with performances by Cai Zhefei, Chen Lijun, and others engaging in a dialogue of opera, light and shadow, and historic buildings. In the Jing’an Modern Drama Valley, the community cultural teams took turns to shine, transforming the quaint and elegant theater stage into a “people’s grand stage” open to all.

Relying on the abundant historic building resources along Suzhou Creek, Jing’an innovates the way of unfolding historical context. Today, an art appreciation passport for the Suzhou Creek area links multiple art venues along the river, transforming professional art resources into resources for social aesthetic education. Students, residents, and white-collar workers can visit exhibitions at popular art spaces such as Fotografiska and Suhe Haus, engaging in an “intimate interaction” with culture and art.

District Mayor Zhai Lei stated that Jing’an will always prioritize allocating the best resources to the people and providing them with high-quality services. “We will continue to promote the opening, sharing, and connection of public spaces along Suzhou Creek, such as under-bridge spaces, waterfront platforms, park greenbelts, and cultural venues to build more high-quality public spaces into exemplary models of urban renewal and vivid practice of the important concept of a people’s city.”