Where the shadows of century-old sycamore trees blend with trendy youth-oriented shops, Jing'an's Julu Road-Fumin Road-Changle Road neighborhood remains one of Shanghai's most vibrant hubs for youth culture and fashion consumption. Now, in this trendsetting epicenter, a new landmark is emerging: 812 Julu Road.
This is not only China's first youth economy flagship space directly operated by the Committee of the Communist Youth League—Lab812 Jing'an Youth Gravitational Field—but also a zero-cost, low-risk incubator for experimentation.
Since its launch in October 2025, Lab812 has taken a fresh approach, empowering youth-oriented shops to transition from concept to market and from the streets to their dreams. Furthermore, centered around the vision of making cities more youth-friendly and helping youth thrive in urban environments, it acts as an in-depth social experiment.
Breaking the ice: an almost zero-cost incubator for experimentation
"The first step in entrepreneurship is often the hardest to take." During its research, the Chinese Communist Youth League Committee of Jing'an District found that countless creative young people with promising products hesitate when facing asset-heavy trial and error. The rent, deposits, renovation, and operating costs of a physical store act as an invisible wall, enough to stifle a nascent entrepreneurial spark.
Meanwhile, despite its vibrancy, the Julu Road-Fumin Road-Changle Road neighborhood grapples with underutilized spaces and business homogenization. How can the creative energy of young people be transformed into regional economic momentum?
Jing'an District offers an answer: taking proactive steps and pioneering new approaches. The Chinese Communist Youth League Committee of Jing'an District and Jing'an Temple Sub-district hit it off instantly, transforming the sub-district-owned space at 812 Julu Road into a youth economy pilot site. For operations, Shanghai Yishe Public Benefit Culture Development Center acts as a third-party partner. Tasked with overall design planning and daily management, it ensures the space's professionalism and sustainability.
This multi-party collaboration has made Lab812 a "hub" for resource convergence. The house number "812" naturally aligns with International Youth Day on August 12, giving the space a distinctive cultural identity.
This is not just a physical space, but a system innovation. Here, Jing'an has pioneered the establishment of the League's first Youth Economy League Steering Committee (Youth Economy League Steering Committee for the Julu Road-Fumin Road-Changle Road Neighborhood in Jing'an Temple Sub-district), creating a collaborative mechanism led by League organizations, coordinated by multiple departments, and joined by social forces.
Lab812 has a clear positioning
Non-profit, content-driven, and highly interactive. Applicants moving in only need to cover utilities and incidental expenses in exchange for a 7- to 20-day market validation opportunity. The news ignited the enthusiasm of young entrepreneurs, with nearly 20 brands signing up in a short period.
Experiment: youth business narratives in 11 pop-ups
"Here, I am not just selling things; I am conducting a social experiment." Peng Yang, a Cambridge University graduate and founder of the silk brand Silkinc, is one of the first experimenters at Lab812. Previously, deterred by high rents and brand positioning concerns, she hesitated to open a standalone physical store. At Lab812, she transformed the space into a mini "silk exhibition hall," using light and shadow to tell the story of fabric innovation. The 20-day trial not only significantly boosted her online sales but also strengthened her determination to open a permanent physical store in Jing'an. "It can't be lukewarm; it must shine brightly."
Wang Xi, a postdoctoral fellow at Tongji University, also found a sense of connection here. Under her management, LANERS Tiger Stove Cafe has transformed the space into a hub for sharing local history. She installed an interactive setup called When You Become the Street View, using a window camera to project images of passersby onto a large screen. Wang Xi shared, "When curious passersby step inside, I offer them coffee and share stories behind the renovation of the old houses and the neighborhood's renewal. Lab812 infuses business with warmth and depth."
Currently, Lab812 takes the form of a green cabin, temporarily hosting the YOTTOY pop-up store.
Founder and CEO Dong Feiyue believes that young people visiting the neighborhood are not there to shop, but to experience life. Matching the character of the neighborhood, he opted to organize yoga and cycling activities instead of running promotions.
Following over a month of operation and positive user feedback, the brand decided to permanently establish its sub-brand YOTTOY ACTIVE here. "Without Lab812's low-cost trial space, we wouldn't have dared to attempt this, let alone committed so quickly."
In its first six months, Lab812 has hosted 11 consecutive pop-up events. From intangible cultural heritage silk to sustainable fragrances, and circular public benefit initiatives to sports fashion, it serves as an "inspiration lab" where brand concepts and neighborhood culture interact in fascinating ways.
Empowerment: collaborative support from government services and university-government partnerships
The success of Lab812 is not a solo effort by the youth league organization, but a symphony of pooled resources. It is backed by a unique think tank: the Anju Talent Special Working Group, established by the Chinese Communist Youth League Committee of Jing'an District and the Committee of the Chinese Communist Youth League of Donghua University. Six students majoring in applied economics, design, and artificial intelligence participated in its operations as one-day store managers and youth observers. They offered professional branding advice and compiled visit reports on nearly a hundred youth-oriented shops. This closed-loop model that integrates a university think tank and street-level practice gives students hands-on training while providing intellectual support to shop managers.
At Lab812, the Chinese Communist Youth League Committee of Jing'an District acts as the most dynamic facilitator. It has launched the Youth-oriented Shop Alliance, bringing together professionals from district departments like Market Supervision, Taxation, Human Resources and Social Security, Urban Administrative and Law Enforcement, and Public Security to form a dedicated service team. This marks a shift from reactive responses to proactive outreach. The Market Supervision department has introduced a Shop Opening Guide, and the Tax department provides customized guides to tax incentives. These targeted government services free owners from administrative affairs, allowing them to focus on refining their products.
Passion requires sound business logic to thrive. The Chinese Communist Youth League Committee of Jing'an District regularly hosts Youth Economy Closed-door Venture Capital Meetings to connect entrepreneurs with investors. It also publishes the Youth Economy Guide to drive traffic from the Jing'an Temple business district to backstreet shops, and produces podcasts to share shop owners' stories with a broader audience.
Vision: creating a replicable Jing'an Model
Over the past six months, Lab812 has not only successfully incubated brands but also fostered a sustainable ecosystem for youth entrepreneurship. Through the Hand-in-Hand Initiative, established brands mentor emerging ones, and experienced owners recommend new talent. Apple Rabbit IP founder Shu Yang now serves as a youth entrepreneurship mentor for Jing'an's youth-oriented shop owners. Jurui Jewelry attracted investor interest at a closed-door venture capital meeting and advanced to the municipal Youth Entrepreneurship competition. This warmth of "one group supporting another" has transformed Lab812 into a self-sustaining ecosystem.
If Lab812 is Version 1.0 of Jing'an youth economy, the upcoming Version 2.0—expanding from isolated hubs to a comprehensive network—is ready to launch, elevating the youth economy from a pilot project to a flagship model.
Jing'an will soon release the Jing'an Youth Economy Policy Advisory Report, alongside 15 concrete measures that cover five key areas: talent, competitions, funding, spaces, and services. For example, on the talent front, the district will attract and cultivate at least 100 industry professionals annually through tiered programs like the Youth-oriented Shop Owner Training Camp and the Jingying Industry Youth Talent Training Camp, alongside youth innovation and entrepreneurship competitions such as Youth Entrepreneurship and the Struggle Cup. On the funding front, Jing'an has partnered with Du Xiaoman, financial institutions within the district, and social funds to launch the Jing'an Youth Entrepreneurship Loan. This offers an interest-free loan pool of at least RMB 5 million, effectively lowering financing costs for young entrepreneurs. On the physical resources front, using Lab812 as a blueprint, the district will integrate state-owned assets with backstreet resources in the business district to launch at least 10 additional youth economy pilot sites. This aims to explore an incubation model featuring pop-up testing, neighborhood implementation, and business district upgrading.
Beneath the sycamore trees of Julu Road, stories of youth continue to unfold, as small, creative ideas find fertile ground to grow at Lab812.
Jing'an will work to build a replicable and scalable Jing'an Model, fostering co-frequency resonance between youth creativity and the district's industrial foundation, and positioning Jing'an as a national pioneer in defining and exporting the youth economy model.