SHANGHAI, June 7, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- On June of early summer, Shanghai ROCKBUND presented a comprehensive and diverse cultural program, offering a cherished "Urban Hangout" for the weekends of Shanghai residents and tourists on holiday. Events such as the Yayoi Kusama exhibition, Silent Disco, and the Rockbund Art Museum exhibitions are ongoing. The century-old architectural complex, Shanghai ROCKBUND, stimulated a vibrant and diverse community life of events in Shanghai.

Nowadays in Shanghai, young people prefer the smart choice to spend their leisure time by visiting a place within the city that encourages them to explore something fresh with a vibe and without leaving the city. My definition of urban hangout means inspiring New Ways of Seeing, and I am so delighted to have found ROCKBUND in Shanghai at the Huangpu River and Suzhou Creek converge, where is exactly the origin of the Bund.  

ROCKBUND is a mix of historical and modern buildings with pocket plazas and inner lanes in between, alluring you to explore the art institutions, galleries, cafes, and bars there, which provide you either special offers or drinks claimed to be No.1 in Shanghai. Even each of the restaurant at ROCKBUND has its own story, qualifying themselves as destinations on their own. A very romantic moment I've encountered there was an evening in this April when my friend and I were walking through the Museum Plaza right after an open speech delivered by a famous photographer. Out of the blue, I heard music coming from two men who were playing the violin and walking around from the lane to the plaza. The crowd was definitely thrilled, and we were fully enlightened! Isn't this exactly what we expect from traveling? To fall into an unfamiliar space and time. I found this moment at ROCKBUND without taking long flights or journeys, just in Shanghai, the city that I've been living for years. Amazing, isn't it?

Discovering the History in Architecture

ROCKBUND could be named a design center, as in the 1920s and 1930s, many legendary architects stationed their master pieces here, like Laszlo Hudec, Charles Henry Gonda, and Poy Gum Lee. Eleven historic buildings, including the Y.W.C.A. Building (Young Women's Christian Association), the Royal Asiatic Society Building, the Somekh Building, the Lyceum Building, and the China Baptist Publication Building, were renovated by David Chipperfield, the Pritzker Architecture Prize winner of 2023. It is said that this took him 20 years to complete all the renovation work. A hundred years ago, this area led as the pioneer of publication, arts, and cultural activities in the city, just as ROCKBUND is doing now.

Public Space

ROCKBUND is a hidden treasure on the bustling Bund of Shanghai. Its public space is carefully designed and open 24 hours for the public, featuring lovely pocket plazas named Museum Plaza, Associate Plaza, and Aharon Plaza, connected by inner lanes and staircases where people can sit or recline. It is essential for an urban hangout to have real public spaces that can be enjoyed by any citizen at any time. Here, people can talk with each other and engage in inspiring activities like singing and dancing together, reflecting the vibrant community of creators in Shanghai.

Art Institutions and Galleries

If you are looking for vibrant events in Shanghai, I would like to share my art experiences at ROCKBUND: At the top of my list is Rockbund Art Museum, which stands out among hundreds of art museums in Shanghai for its independent research and curation. Its exhibitions always bring me an overwhelming visiting experience because of the artworks and the well-renovated historical buildings. I also recommend the galleries of OTA, Sohe, naive Bookstore, and ROCKBUND Library, which host events and activities you can enjoy on weekends. What impressed me most was the RAM Assembles last year. It was a remarkable cultural festival that received highly positive comments from my friends. The HAO Art Bazaar also left a very nice memory for me.

Lifestyle at ROCKBUND that Celebrates Your Five Senses

With immersive art and inspiration, the appeal of ROCKBUND also comes from real life. Most of the stores in ROCKBUND are exclusively designed, either as the first launching store or the flagship store, aiming to be on the cutting edge in Shanghai.

You can see a lot of lifestyle objects beautifully displayed at UNiTN, or go to MOIN, the music studio, to experience professional stereophonic sound. If you like sports, you can join a yoga group or a city ride trip. There are several fragrance stores like To Summer and Aesop, providing both oriental and western scents. Tea at BASAO, coffee at the author's room of naive Bookstore, desert at TANG SUO, and dinner at La bourriche133 or Rongji 95, will comfort your body and mind.

The historical buildings and lanes, the public pocket plazas, various optional activities, as well as the celebration of our real life, all contribute to a place where you can escape daily life without leaving the city, whether for a weekend for the locals, or a half-day trip for tourists. Through the ROCKBUND's official WeChat account, I've discovered some interesting events in Shanghai at ROCKBUND for you, and of course, you can also share what you have found at ROCKBUND:

• OTA Fine Arts Shanghai: Yayoi Kusama: Every Day I Pray for Love

Duration: June 1^st – July 13^th, 2024 

Opening Hours: Tue. to Sat. 10:00 – 18:00, Closed on Sun., Mon., and Public Holidays

Address: Unit QL106, 1st Floor, No. 78, Huqiu Road, ROCKBUND, Huangpu District, Shanghai, China 200232

Ota Fine Arts Shanghai presents now Every Day I Pray for Love, an exhibition of new and recent works by Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama. The exhibition, Kusama's first at Ota Fine Arts Shanghai's ROCKBUND location, will feature 56 paintings from the series "Every Day I Pray for Love" which Kusama has been actively working on since 2021, and several new drawings. "Texts" are added to Yayoi Kusama's common painting language with repeating dots, circles and lines, on which the desire of life and perception of death are vibrating from the patterns that the artist created with her brush touches and even the flow of her breath.

• Silent Disco @ROCKBUND

Duration: June 21^th – July 14^th, 2024, Every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday

Address: Museum Plaza at ROCKBUND, Yuanmingyuan Road, Huangpu District, Shanghai, China 200232

Start from the 1990s of Europe, a bunch of Disco lovers applied the silent form of party in order to not disturbing the animals in the forest. This electronic music party, which swept through the city streets and was filled with rhythm and movement. It has been rated as a five-star outdoor performance at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival for six consecutive years and has received consistent praise from global media outlets such as BBC Radio, The Times, and The Guardian.

The ROCKBUND version is inviting you to put on your headphones and follow the music and the movements of the Chinese and foreign SGs (Silent Guides) to embark on an immersive sensory adventure. Navigate through the century-old historical district, and every street corner can become a carnival hub. Release your stress and dance wildly, weaving into a shared spiritual realm.

• Shanghai Rockbund Art Museum: Semi-Permanent Occupy Initiative,

There Was No Up, There Was No Down, There Was No Side To Side

Duration: Starting May 24^th, 2024 -

Address: Royal Art Society Building, No. 20, Huqiu Road, ROCKBUND, Huangpu District, Shanghai, China 200232

The Semi-Permanent Occupy Initiative, launched by Shanghai Rockbund Art Museum, invites the most creative minds of our time to offer alternative definitions of museum spaces traditionally seen as marginal. The museum commissioned a mural from Swiss artist Claudia Comte titled There Was No Up, There Was No Down, There Was No Side To Side (2024), occupying the wall of the whole staircase of the museum from the first to the fifth floor, and eventually stretching its body into the west hall on the first and second floor. This endeavor focuses on the museum's most iconic and visually captivating spiral staircase.

Media Contact

Company Name: SHANGHAI BUND DE ROCKEFELLER GROUP MASTER DEVELOPMENT CO.,LTD
Contact Person: KK Zhang
Email: marketing@rockbund.com 
Country: China
City：Shanghai
Website: www.rockbund.com