{"id":27980,"date":"2026-08-05T01:45:53","date_gmt":"2026-08-04T20:45:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=27980"},"modified":"2026-08-05T01:45:53","modified_gmt":"2026-08-04T20:45:53","slug":"china-visa-free-policy-drives-surge-of-international-shoppers-in-shanghai","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=27980","title":{"rendered":"China: Visa-free policy drives surge of international shoppers in Shanghai."},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<br \/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ic-cdn.flipboard.com\/flipboard.com\/c238facae8540c45cebe79456271226e0f8e8fc8\/_xlarge.jpeg\" \/><\/p>\n<div>\n<style data-emotion=\"css y7d1rl\"><![CDATA[.css-y7d1rl img{vertical-align:baseline;}]]><\/style>\n<address class=\"post-attribution__source\">\n<style data-emotion=\"css jmzj3k\"><![CDATA[.css-jmzj3k{display:-webkit-box;display:-webkit-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;-webkit-align-items:center;-webkit-box-align:center;-ms-flex-align:center;align-items:center;}.css-jmzj3k .post-attribution__link{display:-webkit-box;display:-webkit-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;}]]><\/style>\n<\/address>\n<p class=\"post__excerpt\" data-test-id=\"excerpt-text\">From bustling shopping malls in Shanghai to trending feeds on social media, a new wave of international tourists is reshaping China&#8217;s retail landscape. China&#8217;s relaxed visa regulations are turning international sightseers into serious shoppers, giving local consumer spending a significant boost. Armed with digital shopping lists and empty suitcases, visitors are flocking to Shanghai&#8217;s premier 2.2-kilometer shopping stretch on Huaihai Road in search of hard-to-find brands. Many international shoppers are finding these Chinese brands on their phones, sometimes from half a world away. Shanghai&#8217;s Huaihai Road shopping area is lined with trees and historic facades. Some of the buildings are among Shanghai&#8217;s most iconic. The street, which has long been one of Shanghai&#8217;s best-known commercial streets, is now home to a growing number of local designer brands, alongside major modern shopping centers including iAPM, Shanghai K11 and Hong Kong Plaza, and one of the newest of them, TX Huaihai. These places are where fashion lovers from abroad are coming to get their fix. A new generation of fashion lovers is discovering that a real statement piece doesn&#8217;t necessarily come from Paris or Milan. It can be found right there in Shanghai, and Huaihai Road can be one of the best places to find it. The shoppers repeatedly mentioned the same appeal \u2014 distinctive designs that can be hard to find at home. At some stores, managers said international shoppers can account for nearly half of the customer traffic during their busiest periods. According to the managers, international customer numbers began climbing in the second half of last year and accelerated this year, boosted by China&#8217;s expanded visa-free and transit visa-free policies. Not long ago, the global shopping dream was centered mainly on the West. But on Huaihai Road, Shanghai is claiming a place on that map, not simply because of price or proximity, but because visitors are finding designs, brands and retail experiences they cannot easily find at home. Shotlist: Shanghai, China &#8211; Recent: 1. Various of people on shopping street; 2. SOUNDBITE (English) shopper from Untied States (partially overlaid with shots 3-4): &#8220;[I buy] sunglasses, purses and accessories. I actually found [the bag] on TikTok and then I ordered one when I was in New York. I waited a while and now I&#8217;m in Shanghai and I said, why not check it out? I think it&#8217;s more, you know, like a modern and sleek looking. So I just like that it&#8217;s not everywhere in \u2026<\/p>\n<ul class=\"topic-tags\">\n<style data-emotion=\"css 1lj9r9i\"><![CDATA[.css-1lj9r9i{display:inline-block;margin-right:8px;}.css-1lj9r9i .topic-tag{padding-left:0;}]]><\/style>\n<li class=\"css-1lj9r9i e1s3f8is0\">\n<style data-emotion=\"css 1kj8vsf\"><![CDATA[.css-1kj8vsf{display:inline-block;padding:4px 8px;font-family:'FaktCondensed',AvenirNextCondensed-Medium,'Segoe UI',sans-serif;font-weight:600;font-size:12px;text-transform:uppercase;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;border:none;color:#f52828;}.css-1kj8vsf::before{content:\"#\";display:inline-block;}.css-1kj8vsf:hover,.css-1kj8vsf:focus{color:#f52828;background-color:transparent;-webkit-filter:brightness(0.9);filter:brightness(0.9);}]]><\/style>\n<style data-emotion=\"css 104acy3\"><![CDATA[.css-104acy3{word-break:break-word;display:inline-block;padding:4px 8px;font-family:'FaktCondensed',AvenirNextCondensed-Medium,'Segoe UI',sans-serif;font-weight:600;font-size:12px;text-transform:uppercase;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;border:none;color:#f52828;}.css-104acy3::before{content:\"#\";display:inline-block;}.css-104acy3:hover,.css-104acy3:focus{color:#f52828;background-color:transparent;-webkit-filter:brightness(0.9);filter:brightness(0.9);}]]><\/style>\n<p><a class=\"topic-tag topic-tag--text e10wimgv1 css-104acy3 e1b1wk0r0 internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/flipboard.com\/topic\/c:video\" data-vars-anchor-link=\"https:\/\/flipboard.com\/topic\/c:video\" role=\"link\">Videos<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"css-1lj9r9i e1s3f8is0\"><a class=\"topic-tag topic-tag--text e10wimgv1 css-104acy3 e1b1wk0r0 internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/flipboard.com\/topic\/shanghai\" data-vars-anchor-link=\"https:\/\/flipboard.com\/topic\/shanghai\" role=\"link\">Shanghai<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"css-1lj9r9i e1s3f8is0\"><a class=\"topic-tag topic-tag--text e10wimgv1 css-104acy3 e1b1wk0r0 internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/flipboard.com\/topic\/china\" data-vars-anchor-link=\"https:\/\/flipboard.com\/topic\/china\" role=\"link\">China<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"css-1lj9r9i e1s3f8is0\"><a class=\"topic-tag topic-tag--text e10wimgv1 css-104acy3 e1b1wk0r0 internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/flipboard.com\/topic\/eastchina\" data-vars-anchor-link=\"https:\/\/flipboard.com\/topic\/eastchina\" role=\"link\">East China<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"css-1lj9r9i e1s3f8is0\"><a class=\"topic-tag topic-tag--text e10wimgv1 css-104acy3 e1b1wk0r0 internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/flipboard.com\/topic\/trend\" data-vars-anchor-link=\"https:\/\/flipboard.com\/topic\/trend\" role=\"link\">Trends<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>From bustling shopping malls in Shanghai to trending feeds on social media, a new wave of international tourists is reshaping China&#8217;s retail landscape. China&#8217;s relaxed visa regulations are turning international sightseers into serious shoppers, giving local consumer spending a significant boost. Armed with digital shopping lists and empty suitcases, visitors are flocking to Shanghai&#8217;s premier&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":27981,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/ic-cdn.flipboard.com\/flipboard.com\/c238facae8540c45cebe79456271226e0f8e8fc8\/_medium.jpeg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27980","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-real-trending-viral-news"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27980","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=27980"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27980\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/27981"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=27980"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=27980"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=27980"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}