Looking back again: over a decade ago China literally seemed to close down for a week during Spring Festival. A city such as Nanjing with its high population that came from elsewhere was like ghost town. While it is still incredibly quiet, today it is different. Retail comes surging back after just one day, and with it comes the bargain hunting crowd. Many more businesses reopen within a week. Compare this to one small family owned bakery in Zhujiang Lu. Throughout the year, they work 7 days a week from before dawn until nearly midnight. Spring Festival gives them the break they need, closing from before New Years Eve, and remaining shut for about 3 weeks.
Something different this year? A change in government policy means that some buildings have ceased to be commercially available. Remaining retail tenants who closed before the Festival have not reopened. One Shanghai Lu building is completely vacant. Businesses have been evicted, regardless of their leases. Ah, the vagaries of business in our city!
