From Saturday, Shanghai started a weeklong campaign to boost the quality of life as part of its efforts to support sustainable growth in consumption, which was affected by the novel coronavirus pandemic.

By focusing on the potential of quality life, or a cultured way of life, Quality Life Week injects a fresh element into the ongoing Double Five Shopping Festival. The shopping event was launched early this month to promote the city as a “magnet” for international shopping through such features as discounts and design contests. The three-month promotion runs through the end of this month to overlap with such festivals as Children’s Day (today) and the Dragon Boat Festival (June 25).

Quality Life Week will create more value for customers than just discounted commodities or services.

I am not particularly worried about temporary declines in consumption. So long as there are mouths to be fed and minds to be cultivated, there will be demand for goods and services.

COVID-19 may have changed our consumption patterns, but we will continue to consume one way or another.

The Double Five Shopping Festival has been doing well since its inception in releasing consumers’ spending power.

Hua Yuan, head of the municipal commission of commerce, said online retail sales passed 40 billion yuan (US$5.7 billion) in the first 10 days of May on the back of the gala.

Quality Life Week will likely paint a more precise picture of how a cultured way of life helps cut a better path of consumption. Shanghai has a lot to offer in cultivating a cultured way of life, and the weeklong event allows people to try as many options as possible.

If you are bored wearing standardized work uniforms, you might try qipao, or cheongsam, cut to fit your figure. If you like something of an archaic nature, you could visit a marketplace for handicrafts made in line with intangible cultural heritage.

Such is Shanghai, with a pace of life both slow and fast, and a living space both high and low. Keep an eye on Quality Life Week and be a smarter consumer contributing to more sustainable consumption in your own way.