The number of mega retail destinations opening in town this year will not match last year’s, but there are still lots of new places to check out. Chengdu is globally ranked very high for the new amount of upcoming mixed real estate.
Residents in the southwest, where there used to be a few large department stores but no shopping malls, finally feel like we are catching up to the rest of the city with new cosy places to hang out that offer modern supermarkets, familiar restaurants and clothing shops, and a leisure destination for the community. Besides the five spots mentioned below, there is also a new development called Tian Lai International Plaza （天来国际广场 ) in the western community of Wenjiang, and a new location for Times Outlets in Pixian should be open in time for Spring Festival browsing.
The ONE
Located right on cellphone street, an area most Chengdu residents associate with wholesale priced, DIY and recycled tech, The ONE offers several levels of retail and shopping. The many restaurants with patios make The ONE a nice place to hang out when the weather suits. The mall’s nearness to Wenshu Temple, not to mention all the tech toys in the area, make it an attractive spot for budget conscious younger folks. Developments like the St. Regis Hotel and The ONE are adding a level of comfort and even luxury to the previously gritty area.
Address: No. 80, Taishen Nanlu太升南路80号
龙湖金楠天街
This outer Shuangnan area shopping centre has been open for a couple of months and is continuing to draw bargain hunters to their supermarket with very good food prices; the rest of the mall is also showing some activity though many of the retail spaces are still getting their interiors done. We’re seeing some new international chains represented here with a new-to-Chengdu Korean fried chicken spot, liquid nitrogen ice cream and frozen yogurt, the requisite Starbucks and a few bakeries to bring new flavours to the area.
Address: Instersection of Jinyang lu and Jinji Beilu, Wuhou District 武侯区晋阳路与晋吉北路交汇处
In The City 银泰城
We were impressed by the sheer size of this new shopping centre south of the Global Centre when we dropped in recently, and the retail spaces are filling out nicely. The mix of stores seems to be focused on a younger crowd and young families and the supermarket in the basement is enormous. There are lots of dining options, movies and KTV. The area is surrounded by tech companies and is very car friendly. The interior areas are clean and comfortable, and it’s a good addition to this developing area.
Address: No.1999 Yizhou Dadao 益州大道1999号
Joy City 成都大悦城
Joy City, just inside the third ring on Wuhou Da Dao, is an enormous development that comprises office buildings and a large park as well as shopping including H&M, Uniqlo, MUJI and other a new upscale supermarket from the Ren Ren Le brand. Like Tianfu Square, the design takes its inspiration from Huanglong and Jiuzhaigou. There is a lot in the works for small kids. The mall opened in the last week of December and offers a lot for families and kids, new restaurant concepts and services.
Website: http://cdjoycity.com/
Address: Instersection of Joy Road and Taiping Yuan Zhongsanlu 大悦路与太平园中三路交叉口
上风港时代广场
This is a rather remote area of town near ‘Women’s Shoes World’, where three story high-heeled statues mark the neighbourhood usually associated with multilevel stores filled with locally made shoes, bags and other leather and leather look products. We hopped on the #10 bus to check out this new shopping mall and were quite stunned at the vast swaths of cuqiao that have been levelled or are currently in stages of demolition or construction. Clearly the area is undergoing a major transformation in anticipation of the soon-to-open subway line. The shopping centre, which is enormous, was supposed to open in November, but we didn’t see many signs of life besides construction workers, and the security guards would not give any more specific information than “Soon” when we required about opening times. We plan to check back in a couple of months.
Address: No. 131 Jinfeng Road, Wuhou Dadao 武侯大道金凤街131号
