Shenyang offers slew of entertainment events

Residents can enjoy numerous summer festivals, cultural events and art exhibits

This summer does not disappoint residents in Shenyang, capital of northeastern Liaoning province, as the city offers diverse activities for locals to enjoy nightlife.

A nightlife culture festival was launched for the second time at the Shenyang MIXC shopping mall in Heping district on June 12.

The district ranks first in Northeast China among top 100 happiest districts in the country, as evaluated by the city economy research center of CCID Consulting based on 2020 data.

In addition to the 22 feature activities involved in the past year's session, this summer's festival highlights culture and creates several consumption scenes. It considers both prevention and control of the COVID-19 pandemic and aims to boost the regional economy.

Noted dance troupe VKG showed off street dancing while a singer-songwriter performed rap customized for a night market. The special musical acts were launched along with the festival. The market covers an area of more than 1,000 square meters, gathering four bars, nine pop-up stores and more than 70 stalls related to online celebrities.

The festival also provided a piano concert alongside the Hunhe River, a market full of commodities restoring ancient traditions in Changbaidao Forest Park, French music festival Fete de la Musique in the K11 shopping and art center and an intangible cultural heritage exhibition in the Laobeishi scenic area.

Several other activities were held later at sites such as Xita Street, Zhongshan Road, Wen'an Road and the Xihua food street.

Shenhe district launched a night economy event and a neighborhood festival on June 11. The district's thriving night economy has helped demonstrate the city's charm, spur the local economy and stimulate residents' consumption needs in recent years.

It has also emphasized local culture and made the event an important symbol for the district to develop into a regionally cultural creativity center.

The district has mainly upgraded two night markets, including Caita, into cultural venues, and planned another pair of night scenes based on history and culture. It also increased two scenes featuring trendy cultural items, Henglong and Bailian.

The Xiema Night Market, where the event is held, is an important sign of Shenhe district's night economy. Resident representatives from Wulihe and Binhe subdistricts sang and danced at the event's launch ceremony.

The district wanted to combine the event with the neighborhood festival to foster night economy-featured blocks and enhance neighborhood relationships.

Performance groups from different subdistricts in Shenhe and professional performers celebrated the events on stages of the Xiema Night Market each day of the Dragon Boat Festival holiday, held from June 12 to 14.

Tiexi district also recently launched a night market. Spectators enjoyed song and dance with local features at the market's opening ceremony and later became the first visitors to the market.

The market covers an area of 20,000 sq m and comprises both indoor and outdoor spaces. A man surnamed Song said the market is near the Shenyang Tiexi MIXONE shopping mall and it is easy for him to find facilities for rest.

A woman surnamed Zhang said the market also offers photographic and art exhibitions where she can learn about culture and history.

Xinghua Street, where the market is seated, has long been the busiest strip in Tiexi. It witnessed the district's transformation from an old industrial center into a modern and livable area over the past seven decades.

Li Wei, deputy general-manager of Shenyang Tiexi MIXONE, said the market runs from 5 pm to 9 pm on Friday and weekends from June 19 to Aug 29.

It is appropriate for urban people to bring families and friends to have a rest, Li said. The market houses more than 200 shops, offering food, liquor, trendy items and interesting venues where visitors can take photos and short videos.