Shanghai's Changning district ranks among the world's 40 coolest neighborhoods

There are numerous universities, restaurants, and urban green lungs such as the historic Zhongshan Park, creating a comfortable atmosphere for strolling, eating, playing, and resting in the neighborhood.

The magazine arranged a "perfect day" in Changning. "Newly hot Park Dimanche is where we'd choose to while away an entire day: this cute indie hub is made up of creative studios, restaurants and lifestyle stores. Start at Kainos or Polly for cake and coffee, register for a reformer Pilates workshop with Pilactive, then browse the shelves at Little Forrest Bookstore."

"Spend the late afternoon learning to tango with Tango Cool, and stop at Den-Q for Taiwan fare. Carry the evening on at new nightlife destination C-Park: come weekends, you can dip in and out of different spaces and sample diverse music styles, from psytrance and punk rock to Hokkien hardcore and deep house," Sammi Sowerby, an English editor of Time Out, said.

From spring to winter, Changning district is always launching new activities. This autumn, the district unveiled a bunch of events, including the autumn session of the Premier Hongqiao Carnival, the Changning session of the third Shanghai International Light Festival, and a series of consumption-boosting events such as Panda Lifestyle Week.