Before Suzhou Creek flows into the Huangpu River, it sketches out a beautiful arc several kilometers long, and this is the river section in Jing’an District. Spanning across 4.2 square kilometers, the area boasts a total of 500,000 square meters of historical buildings and 17 historic conservation neighborhoods, dotted with 170 cultural tourism sites including museums, art galleries, and new cultural spaces. It represents a unique waterfront vitality hub with “one river, two banks, Chinese and Western integration” in the central urban area. In July 2023, Jing’an District launched the “Artistic Suzhou Creek” brand, commencing the comprehensive development of Suzhou Creek as a hub of artistic ecology. By exploring the value of historic buildings, increasing public cultural facilities, hosting cultural festivals, exhibitions and competitions, and attracting high-end art industries, it aims to fully develop Suzhou Creek into an important part of Shanghai’s artistic landscape.

High-quality art exhibitions along the banks of Suzhou Creek have become a key element that attracts residents to flock to the area, and various international cultural exchange activities continue to create hot topics of artistic themes. A series of high-caliber cultural and art exhibitions and events have been held, such as the world-class art exhibition “Matisse by Matisse”, Modern Time: Masterpieces from the Collection of Museum Berggruen / Nationalgalerie Berline, Suzhou Creek Art Biennale, the world’s largest trend art exhibition BTS, Our Water—Dialogue between Suzhou Creek and Seine, the “ART IN SUHE HAUS” international art exhibition, Art021 Shanghai Contemporary Art Fair, and more. The first “Shining Shanghai Festival” was held, presenting 396 light-shadow visual feasts, 36 activities and 10 theme days. It garnered over 2 billion clicks online, achieving an organic integration of international reach, innovation, and appeal to the people.

With the formation of a composite artistic ecosystem along the Suzhou Creek, influential festivals and events with a large flow are increasingly concentrated on the north and south banks of Jing’an Suzhou Creek, revitalizing the area and intensifying public and tourist interest in the “Artistic Suzhou Creek”. To amplify the urban consumption energized by art and enhance the comprehensive value of urban aesthetic education, Jing’an District Bureau of Culture and Tourism has designed and produced the first hand-painted map with the theme of “Artistic Suzhou Creek”, facilitating better sharing and interaction of art and culture among citizens and tourists. The map includes more than 20 art institutions including the “Artistic Suzhou Creek Alliance”, as well as various artistic buildings, business districts, theaters, food, hotels and other cultural tourism sites within the district. Citizens and tourists can quickly find art galleries, museums, galleries, auction houses and other art venues around Suzhou Creek according to the elements of “dining, accommodation, transportation, touring, shopping, and entertainment”. The map also offers fantastic route recommendations such as Art CityWalk, providing a comprehensive view of Jing’an’s art vibes. The first batch of maps has been distributed to various sub-districts and towns, some institutions under Artistic Suzhou Creek Alliance, commercial carriers with artistic characteristics, cultural tourism locations, and cultural museums, available for citizens and tourists to pick up for free.

The Comprehensive Hand-painted Map Guide is a concrete initiative adopted by the Jing’an District Bureau of Culture and Tourism to promote the “Shanghai Culture” brand, actively publicize the cultural and tourism characteristics of Jing’an, and shape a favorable district image. It is conducive to fostering the development of regional cultural tourism and stimulating cultural tourism consumption. Moving forward, additional efforts will be made to strengthen cultural brands, create a high-quality environment, and accelerate the iteration of cultural tourism products to highlight Jing’an’s features. In addition, Jing’an District will also improve cultural tourism services to spread its warmth and intensify the promotion of its image and social communication to allow domestic and foreign tourists to experience Jing’an with cultural flavor, artistic sense and international style. Following the “Artistic Suzhou Creek”, maps of the “Drama Practice Manual”, “CityWalk in Jing’an” and “Tea-coffee Tour” will be released successively, leading citizens and tourists to discover a different Jing’an.