Further diversification in Shanghai's night economy, with its first 24-hour park library opening

Some people claim that there is no nightlife in Yangtze River Delta regions of Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shanghai. However, First Financial’s 2021 stastics, the number of nighttime travellers in Shanghai reached approximately 3.38 million person-times, significantly higher than other major cities in China. This corresponds to Shanghai's thriving night economy. Not counting McDonald's, KFC and Haidilao, there are more than 5,000 convenience stores in Shanghai that operate 24 hours a day.

Shanghai’s nighttime economy is diverse. Images from RED.

In the end of April this year, Shanghai’s nighttime economy became more diverse, welcoming its first 24-hour open park library, "He Ping Library." Located in a corner of He Ping Park, the library consists of a themed hall, an art gallery, and a central reading green space. The comprehensive hall on the ground floor is open 24 hours a day.

Day and night of Shanghai's He Ping Library's comprehensive hall. Images are from RED

From 9:30pm to 12:30am, the comprehensive hall sees a steady stream of readers. Not only are there young people and white-collar workers who work at night, but also middle-aged and elderly people who sleep less and come to read books.

The He Ping Library remains a hive of activity through the night. Images are from Huxiu.com

To cater for the library visitors, supporting facilities offer a wide range of coffee, desserts, and beverages, available daily until midnight.

Eat, drink and be merry into the wee hours of the night at the He Ping Library. Images are from RED

Late night readers had already been able to get their fix with the urban reading rooms of the Huangpu District Library in Shanghai officially opening 24 hours a day on World Book Day in April 2023, but the scale is much smaller than the He Ping book house.

We can expect to see more such initiatives: "Adding 30 urban parks to be open 24 hours" has been listed as a practical project for the people by the Shanghai municipal government in 2024, involving at least 9 districts in Shanghai. It is believed that in the near future, Shanghai's night economy will become more diversified, accompanying more citizens through their nights.

The urban reading room at Shanghai’s Huangpu District Library has been open 24-hours for over a year, but only has around 20 seats.