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Shanghai in autumn: Community, celebration and the housing question

Frans Vandenbosch 方腾波 12/10/2026

^{Shanghai Library East at Hehuan Road 300 (合欢路300号), by Yingchun Road (迎春路), Pudong New Area.
Exhibition: Reading the Renaissance: Western books and manuscripts from the 10th to the 17th Century.}

Autumn in Shanghai means plane trees, national flags and crowded light shows, whilst also offering a glimpse of how the city organises community life and housing. This piece moves from a neighbourhood hub on Fuxing West Road to National Day celebrations, then on to public-housing rent notices and the commercial property market. Taken together, these scenes reveal a Shanghai that is proud, well organised and still negotiating what home really means.

Neighbourhood Hub at Fuxing West Road

This building is the Hunan Street Party-Masses Service Center · Fu 8 Neighbourhood Hub at Fuxing West Road No. 8, Xuhui District, Shanghai. It operates as a comprehensive community hub offering one-stop services for residents, party members, and the public. Its functions include government affairs processing, party building activities, a community canteen, and a traditional Chinese medicine clinic. The exterior “00” sign and red star emblem reflect its role as a grassroots party-building and community service centre.

National holiday

No sooner have the Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations ended than the week-long National Day holiday begins, running from Thursday 1 October to Wednesday 7 October.

The Chinese are rightly very proud of their country. We have never before seen such exceptionally rapid economic progress in the history of the world.

Light show

During the October holidays, light shows were held all over the city. They were really impressive. Strict crowd control was implemented to manage the massive, concentrated surge of spectators by limiting density, directing the flow of people, and keeping emergency routes clear to prevent stampedes.

Light show at Shanghai Suhewan MixC:

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There’s music all over the city:

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Houses are for living in, not for speculation

At the Central Economic Work Conference held in December 2016, Xi Jinping stated:
“Houses are for living in, not for speculation“
The rent here in this building is 47 to 197 RMB (6 to 26 EUR) per month for apartments 30 to 50 m2.

In case you want to rent a big commercial space:

武夷路 422 号，一楼商铺出租，
First-floor (ground floor) commercial space for rent at Wuyi Road No. 422
建筑面积：485 平方 Gross floor area: 485 sqm
租金：5 万每月 Rent: 50,000 RMB (6600 €) per month.
大房东签合同，适合超市，美容美发，茶室，中医中药。
Contract signed directly with the primary landlord.
Suitable for supermarket, beauty salon/hairdressing, tea house, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) or clinic /pharmacy.

Or buy a large detached villa ?

乌鲁木齐南路洋房
Villa, Western-style house, on Urumqi South Road (Wulumuqi South Road)
建筑面积：367.8 m² Gross floor area: 367.8 sqm
占地面积：634 m² Land area: 634 sqm
花园面积：450 m²。 Garden area: 450 sqm.
房屋明细：沿街独栋，四面临空，大四开间朝南
Property details: Historic, street-front detached villa, surrounded by open space on all four sides (no shared walls), large four-bay layout facing south.

In Shanghai this autumn, I greatly enjoy the freedom and real democracy I experience here in China. The city’s community centres, National Day celebrations and public music-making reveal a society that is proud, well organised and confident in its own collective life. I leave with a deeper appreciation of how China combines order, belonging and a strong sense of home.