Pedestrians walk on the newly opened eastern extension of the Nanjing Road Pedestrian Mall in Shanghai, on Sept 13, 2020. (GAO ERQIANG / CHINA DAILY)

As a replica of an 1882 lamppost lit up at 7 pm on Saturday, crowds cheered to celebrate the official opening of the eastern extension of China's top commercial street-Nanjing Road Pedestrian Mall in Shanghai.

The extension of the pedestrian street also marked the start of this year's Shanghai Tourism Festival, which will last through the end of this month and be filled with various promotion events and ticket discounts at tourist sites around the city.

Nanjing Road starts at People's Square in the city center and ends at The Bund, on the western bank of the Huangpu River. It was known as Park Lane when it was first built in the 1850s and received its current name in 1865.

The road became home to the city's first shopping street after several broadening projects and the opening of big department stores. It has seen many firsts in the city's modern history: the first electric lamppost in 1882, the first tram line in 1908 and the first escalator in a department store in 1936.

The 500-meter eastern extension, from its intersection with Middle Henan Road to The Bund, was the biggest upgrade of the road since the 1-kilometer western part of it became a pedestrian street in 1999.

From its western starting point, the nonstop stream of people and neon-light billboards against the backdrop of buildings such as the Oriental Pearl Tower is an iconic scene and has been featured in many movies.

The eastern extension is part of the city's plan to build a world-class shopping city and boost its status as an international tourist destination. The project started in 2019 and includes new pavement, the planting of shade trees, the installation of benches and the renovation of stores.

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Zhao Jun, a retiree who lives in the area, was among the first to check out the new pedestrian section on Saturday morning.

"The eastern part of the road was not as busy as the western part. There were mostly small stores on this side. But now many big brands have built their flagship stores here, making it more attractive to visitors," she said.

I always looked at Nanjing Road as one of the most incredible thoroughfares in a great city like Shanghai, and now with the opening of this stretch, it is the optimum. 

George Wee, general manager of Fairmont Peace

On Saturday morning, people waited for the opening of the Kakao Friends store to see toys and souvenirs featuring the popular Korean characters.

Along the side of the Shanghai New World Daimuru shopping mall, a red-carpet fashion show was organized to celebrate the extension. On the other side of the street, customers filled Huawei's three-story flagship store, its largest anywhere, which opened in June.

Residents lined up at the new branch of time-honored food store Taikang to buy its popular Shanghai-style meat mooncake.

Chen Hua, a guide leading a group of 40 people from Jiangsu province, said the new extension has brought safety and convenience to tourists.

"Previously, we had to walk on the narrow sidewalk of the street, and I had to keep an eye on the traffic for my guests," he said. "Now, I just let them stroll along the street, taking pictures or shopping, before we hit the next stop-The Bund."

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Many stopped to take pictures beside the Peace Hotel in Sassoon House, which was built in 1929 at the eastern end of Nanjing Road.

"I always looked at Nanjing Road as one of the most incredible thoroughfares in a great city like Shanghai, and now with the opening of this stretch, it is the optimum," said George Wee, general manager of Fairmont Peace, which operates the hotel.

"It allows people to fully explore in complete safety. I see this new pedestrian walkway transforming Nanjing Road to even surpass New York's Fifth Avenue and Times Square combined."

Contact the writer at xingyi@chinadaily.com.cn