Jing An Kerry Centre Launches “Axis for Sparks” Culture Season, Igniting City Creative Energy in the Heart of the City
In partnership with Monocle, JAKC is curating diverse cultural experiences at the forefront of today’s urban lifestyle
SHANGHAI, May 6, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — JingAn Kerry Centre (JAKC) has officially launched its 2026 cultural season, titled “Axis for Sparks”. Marking the occasion, JAKC has partnered with globally renowned lifestyle publication MONOCLE to present a series of inaugural cultural and artistic events, including China’s first MONOCLE pop-up store & café and the world’s first MONOCLE “The Entrepreneurs Live” forum. Concurrently, JAKC has collaborated with MAO Space to invite Zhang Xiaodong, a national intangible cultural heritage bearer of the “Dragon-scale Binding” technique, to present “Read and Reconstruct — Zhang Xiaodong’s Dragon-scale Binding and Contemporary Practice” at 57 & 65 An Yi Road. In addition, JAKC has teamed up with “Gr8 One”, a publication brand under China National Publications Import & Export (Group) Corporation (CNPIEC), to launch a street-corner newsstand on L1 of the North Retail, featuring a curated selection of MONOCLE titles and CNPIEC publications.
Running through June 30, 2026, the cultural season weaves diverse content into a cohesive urban narrative through spatial storytelling. Extending from the mall to the historic buildings on An Yi Road, the program organically integrates international and local elements, as well as commerce and culture, guiding the public on a journey from perception to immersive experience. By embedding cultural depth into commercial spaces and daily urban life, this season not only enriches the “First in Shanghai 4.0” initiative, but also establishes JAKC as an urban cultural axis where diverse ideas meet, interact, and spark inspiration.
A First in Global Vision – JAKC Joins Forces with MONOCLE to Activate Cultural Dialogue in Commercial Spaces
Since April 25, JAKC has engaged in an in-depth cross-border collaboration with MONOCLE, creating both a physical retail experience and a platform for intellectual exchange that fosters meaningful dialogue between international brands and urban culture.
China’s first MONOCLE pop-up store & café has opened in the L1 atrium of the North Retail. The space reflects MONOCLE’s signature minimalist aesthetic, evoking the warm, enveloping atmosphere of a neighborhood retail street. Featuring over 200 hand-picked products spanning publications, apparel, stationery, fragrances, and lifestyle items, the pop-up also offers Shanghai-exclusive products that integrate MONOCLE’s international sensibility into the local cultural fabric. The café, making its China debut, uses specialty coffee as a medium to elevate the pop-up into a resting space where retail, social interaction, and cultural experiences converge, inviting the public to embrace a more refined, quality-driven urban lifestyle.
Additionally, the world’s first MONOCLE “The Entrepreneurs Live” forum was successfully held on April 29 at Calypso Restaurant & Lounge, JingAn Shangri-La Hotel. Originating from MONOCLE’s annual business publication The Entrepreneurs, which focuses on business models and urban entrepreneurial ecosystems, the forum brought together nearly 20 industry leaders and over 100 entrepreneurs from around the world. Through in-depth discussions on global market insights, brand development trends, industry opportunities, and innovative practices, the event injected forward-looking international perspectives into the local business ecosystem.
From an innovative physical retail space to high-level dialogues on business thinking, the successful introduction of these two MONOCLE firsts underscores JAKC’s strong appeal as a premier destination for international resources. Throughout the “Axis for Sparks” season, JAKC continues to enhance its spatial experience and content richness, linking global business vision with Shanghai’s urban spirit, offering consumers a unique first-in experience that spans ideas and lifestyle, and consistently infusing the city with internationally concentrated cultural vitality.
Contemporary Echoes in Historic Architecture – The “Dragon-scale Binding” Art Exhibition Revitalizes Urban Memory
JAKC has also extended the boundaries of its cultural season from commercial space into the city’s historic fabric. On April 21, The “Read and Reconstruct — Zhang Xiaodong’s Dragon-scale Binding and Contemporary Practice” exhibition opened. The exhibition showcases sixteen years of artistic practice by Zhang Xiaodong, the sole bearer of the national intangible cultural heritage “Dragon-scale Binding”. This nearly lost bookbinding art form has been reinterpreted through a contemporary lens by the artist. Within a century-old building that carries Shanghai’s urban memory, the exhibition initiates a deep dialogue on reading, time, and heritage.
The exhibition is curated around the dialogue between heritage and contemporaneity, featuring core works that showcase Zhang Xiaodong’s profound research and innovative reinterpretation of Dragon-scale Binding. Through the deconstruction of books’ physical forms and spatial symbolism, the exhibition transforms reading into a multi-sensory journey that merges the visual and the intellectual, attracting art enthusiasts, cultural scholars, and the general public.
Notably situated at 57 & 65 An Yi Road, this exhibition breathes new life into a century-old Shikumen heritage building nestled among modern office towers. Transforming from a conventional historical display into a vibrant venue for contemporary art, the space now serves as a dynamic stage where culture interacts with the present. This initiative provides an inspiring example of how heritage buildings can be revitalized through the integration of commerce and culture.
Deep Integration of Culture, Tourism, and Commerce – “Axis for Sparks” Forges an Urban Cultural and Creative Hub
Against the backdrop of the continuous upgrading of “First in Shanghai” and the sustained efforts of Jing’an District, JAKC has systematically curated content and created spatial experiences to build a premier platform in Jing’an and Shanghai for global culture, art, and lifestyle content, exploring an innovative paradigm for the deep integration of culture, tourism, and commerce.
From the 2024 debut of visual artist Andy Rementer’s first commercial exhibition “Ignite Your Passion”, to 2025’s highly anticipated mainland China debut of “100% DORAEMON & FRIENDS” Tour, and the East China debut of “THE MONSTERS” Wacky Mart Series, JAKC consistently leverages rare, exclusive cultural content to create differentiated experiential spaces. On the brand debut front, numerous international brands – including Sporty & Rich, Topologie, GRVRGROVE, and Bienaime – have chosen JAKC as their first stop in China. Additionally, high-profile IP pop-ups such as KAWS: HOLIDAY and Jellycat CAFÉ have generated phenomenal offline experiences here.
This year, JAKC further solidifies its position as the gateway of choice for overseas lifestyle brands entering China: California-based golf lifestyle brand Malbon opened its first China store here in March; American active lifestyle brand Vuori, which opened its first China store at JAKC last year, recently returned with the limited-time “DreamKnit™ Escape” space on April 27 featuring its proprietary fabric; and British premium women’s activewear brand Sweaty Betty has joined this brand debut lineup with a concept pop-up.
By consistently introducing leading, rare, and exclusive content and brands, JAKC continues to strengthen its positioning as an urban cultural axis. Each debut is not merely a commercial launch but a cultural dialogue, a collision of ideas, and a guide to a new lifestyle – truly embodying the core essence of “Axis for Sparks”: gathering creative inspiration for the city.
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SOURCE JingAn Kerry Centre
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