Film fans help fill Shanghai hot spots

Inspired by the hit Chinese TV series Blossoms Shanghai, Spring Tour Travel Agency debuted its first Blossoms Shanghai Citywalk Tour along Zhongshan East Road on Jan 14. The service can accommodate up to 18 people, most or all of whom are avid fans of the show.

Among those taking part, a 60-year-old woman stood out from the crowd by adorning herself in fur, mirroring the iconic style of Li Li, a key character from the series. Some families also brought children to explore the city's history through the lens of the hit show.

But despite their sartorial particulars, the series was a unifying common denominator for the participants.

Priced at 69 yuan ($9.6), the tour is co-curated by the travel agency and guide Zhou Jun. As a native Shanghainese born in 1987,Zhou was deeply impressed by the TV series.

"I have developed a resonance with the content. For example, the hospital in the TV series — Renji Hospital — was where I was born. Although the TV series only presented a small part of the original novel to the audience, according to director Wong Kar-wai, he cleverly takes us back to that era full of opportunity."

From the Bund on Yan'an East Road to Waibaidu Bridge, Zhou led the participants to explore the scenic spots featured in the TV series, including an exhibition by Jin Yucheng — author of the original novel Fan Hua (Blossoms) — at Bund One Art Museum, and a visit to the iconic Peace Hotel.

"The 1-kilometer route takes two hours to explore due to the numerous classic buildings featured in Blossoms Shanghai and the rich historical stories behind them," said Zhou.

"For instance, Three on the Bund, where Italian designer Giorgio Armani opened his first flagship store in China, served as a focal point for male protagonist A Bao in the TV drama. A Bao tailored his suits by Hongbang tailors there. The plot of the TV series leads to an explanation of the history of Hongbang tailors — a very typical representative of skilled clothiers in Shanghai at that time,"Zhou explained.

Zhou's citywalk tour is now a weekly Sunday fixture, and beyond serving the public, it also caters to corporate team-building and livestreaming as well.

In fact, not only do followers of Zhou's tour group get drawn in by the TV drama's plot, but the city's tourism sector is also greatly influenced by Blossoms Shanghai.

"Huanghe Road, a major street in the TV series, was full of people every day after the TV series aired. Also, the protagonist's suite at Peace Hotel surged to 16,888 yuan per night. Even the struggling Tai Sheng Yuan restaurant, the prototype of Zhi Zhen Yuan in the drama, saw a turnaround, and now offers a TV series-inspired package which boasts a full reservation book.

"The TV series has breathed new life into Huanghe Road, rejuvenating the catering industry and contributing to the tourism sector in Shanghai," Zhou said.

According to Chinese online travel agency Ctrip, the protagonist's suite has been fully sold out up to Feb 12, and prices during Spring Festival even surged to 22,888 yuan per night.

Spring Tour Travel Agency has also seen a sharp increase in bookings for hotel packages related to popular establishments besides Peace Hotel, such as Jinjiang Hotel and Park Hotel.

"Following the TV drama finale on Jan 9, inquiries for these packages doubled," said Zhou Weihong, vice-general manager of the agency.

Moreover, Tai Sheng Yuan restaurant's offline private rooms are fully booked for two weeks, with the Chinese New Year's Eve dinner completely sold out, leading to a more than 17-fold surge in online searches and a 14-fold increase in on-site visits, said the 21st Century Business Herald on Jan 14.

Due to the rich historical architecture and cultural heritage attached to urban areas involved in Blossoms Shanghai, citywalk routes centered around the TV drama have become extremely popular.

According to Shanghai Securities News, since many users shared their Blossoms Shanghai citywalk routes on review app Dazhong Dianping, the number of related posts has surged by 540 percent. As of Jan 5, the popularity of the launch of the Blossoms Shanghai citywalk routes had received over 11 million followers on the platform, ranking tops among all popular topics.

Lan Yue, a post-80s enthusiast of citywalks, acquainted herself with Shanghai by strolls a decade ago. She highlighted the shift in popular routes from the former French concession Wukang Road and Huaihai Road to the current hot spot, Huanghe Road.

"Walking amid historical buildings naturally sparks an interest in uncovering their stories. I used to pass by Huanghe Road all the time, but not until I watched Blossoms Shanghai and delved into its history did I begin to take a more mindful walk along the iconic street," Lan said.

Zhou Peiyuan, an associate professor at Shanghai Urban Construction Vocational College, said the impact of the TV series has led to a change in traditional tourism strategies.

"The traditional way of touring and explaining scenic spots is outdated, and now it is more customized, small-group and theme-based tourism experiences, prioritizing the integration of culture and tourism," said Zhou, who is also among the first batch of ambassadors in Shanghai promoting the Readable Architecture project.

Following the buzz around the film B for Busy, Zhou launched customized citywalk routes mirroring the movie's subplots. Popular among female tourists, these routes included key locations including the characters' homes, a grocery store and a Wuzhong Market.

Therefore, inspired by Blossoms Shanghai, Zhou initiated several thematic citywalk routes as well.

"Since this TV series can drive many themes, I can at least introduce four or five routes,"Zhou said. "For example, the route from Peace Hotel to Park Hotel will pass not only the popular Tai Sheng Yuan eatery, but also Changjiang Apartments — originally named Carlton Apartments — that represents the most popular architectural style of the 1930s."

Zhou further recommended some other citywalk routes, such as the filming spots of Blossoms Shanghai and the delicious offerings that appeared in the TV series.

"Besides Huanghe Road, Shanghai has many streets full of delicacies, such as Wujiang Road, Yunnan Road and Zhapu Road, suitable for foodies to sample while exploring the city by foot," he added.

In addition to these city blocks that found their second wind thanks in large part to Blossoms Shanghai, another recently released movie, The Murderer, directed by Peter Chan, also gave birth to hot spots related to movie scenes.

Before filming, the section of Zhapu Road located between Haining Road and Wujin Road had been restored into Jiangyuan Alley from the 1940s, where the murder happened in the movie.

After being restored by the production team, the entire street presents an old Shanghai style, attracting local people and tourists alike to the area to relive old memories.

"After all, culture is the source," Zhou Peiyuan said.

Lin Jinyi contributed to this story.