Dimension Density Creation + Emotional Value Offering, Hangzhou Joy City Becomes Younger!

In the book “Seeing Emotional Value”, it is mentioned that everyone has emotions, but not everyone can provide effective emotional value. With the changes in consumer demand and lifestyle, the importance of emotional value—worth its weight in gold—has become increasingly evident. The realization of emotional value by consumers has expanded from social interactions to paying for what they love, from self-awareness to expressing and leveraging external elements, in order to uphold their ideal self and pursue their spiritual world. It’s about resonance from multiple perspectives, focusing on the balance of quality-price ratio and emotional value ratio.In terms of business operations, creating a “undefinable” vibrant pilgrimage destination will be one of the goals of revitalizing existing stock and reshaping value. By integrating elements such as dimensional economy, fan culture, celebrity endorsements, and first-time market launches, businesses can evolve from simple space operations to collaborative scene creation and ecological synergy. This will continuously amplify the role of emotional value provision and social recognition interactions, thus building a new “buff” for business operations in the new cycle.In this context, the China Shopping Center Association observed that at the end of last year, Hangzhou Joy City launched a brand-new immersive dimensional hub—B1 Dimension District, which combines food, drinks, entertainment, and shopping to create a robust ecosystem, sparking the burgeoning secondary dimension market in Hangzhou.

In April of this year, the Detective Conan 30th Anniversary Exhibition quickly became a hot topic on Xiaohongshu (Little Red Book) and various major media outlets.Following that, several other major events unfolded, including the Arknights pop-up, the ROY6 city debut, Zhejiang Satellite TV’s well-known variety show IP “Running Man” slow pop-up, the Langlang Mountain Little Monster city debut, the Dimension Animation Carnival, craft beer festival, Dimension Music Festival, and puppet music parties. Each of these major events resonated deeply with young people. By understanding and staying committed to youth culture, Hangzhou Joy City actively responded to consumer emotional demands.Exceeding Dimension Density & Igniting Cross-Dimensional Frenzy.In recent years, the “secondary dimension” wave has grown rapidly, leveraging the “pain culture” effect to provide emotional value and a sense of belonging for young people. This has become one of the most popular fields among the youth today. Data shows that by 2025, China’s pan-secondary dimension user base has reached 580 million, with over 120 million core users. The market for secondary dimension-related products is expected to reach 652.1 billion yuan, growing by about 85% from 2024. The vast market vitality and consumer potential have provided a new direction for business operations.

By analyzing the current development of secondary dimension business in mainstream cities and learning from the successful experiences of sister projects in the new dimension commercial ecosystem, Hangzhou Joy City uses “emotional value” as a crucial lever to focus on building city-level interest communities. The city’s first-ever “B1 Super Underground Pain City” was launched, along with a series of dimension-themed creative activities, immersive dimension experience scenes, and various food brand establishments, all of which created a vibrant and exciting atmosphere. This effort attracted large numbers of young consumers, establishing a new benchmark for the commercialization of Hangzhou’s secondary dimension culture.The “Super Underground Pain City” has already gained recognition for its high-dimensional density, and its brand-new experience has captivated the youth. By cultivating “secondary dimension”, “youth energy”, and “fashion trends”, Hangzhou Joy City actively revitalizes existing unique spaces, with a focus on creating interesting, dynamic scenes with dimension labels.The newly launched B1 Dimension District, for example, is a newly developed “guzi ecosystem” gathering area based on an understanding of the latest youth cultural trends. The district introduces over 60+ unique shops, with nearly 40 shops dedicated to “guzi” culture, including popular IP toy stores, Chinese and Japanese animation, celebrity merchandise, IP-themed restaurants, and trendy toy stores.

The main stage area in the center of the district features a COSER makeup space, dimension support areas, free dance practice zones, and stamp collection walls, creating a “deeper and richer” dimension atmosphere.It’s worth noting that the dimension stage event area, a key feature of the district, has become a prime location for various dimension-themed events. It has hosted a series of IP pop-up events including Erha and His White Cat Master, Tomb Raider Notes, Haikyuu!!, and many more. In addition, Pokémon, Identity V, Honor of Kings, dimension music festivals, puppet music parties, and various other trendy activities have been continuously introduced.In just eight months since its opening, Hangzhou Joy City’s Dimension District has hosted over 60 dimension-themed events, attracting countless fans to engage in their passions. During the summer, the district saw an average of over 50,000 visitors per day. It was even selected for the 2025 July Popular Shopping Center Rankings, securing its position as one of Hangzhou’s “Top-Tier Secondary Dimension Projects.”Focus on IP Pop-Ups and Activate the Pan-Dimension Economy.As a pioneer in commercial marketing, Joy City has always been a preferred partner for high-energy IP pop-ups and first-time exhibitions. Leveraging its powerful resource integration capabilities and innovative operational thinking, each Joy City can further amplify the value and influence of IP pop-up exhibitions, achieving co-creation, symbiosis, and win-win scenarios, significantly enhancing mutual market presence.

It has become a “top player” in the cross-industry IP field.Regarding the value exploration of IP pop-ups, Hangzhou Joy City remains at the forefront. Since 2025, it has increasingly focused on the discovery and co-creation of leading pan-dimensional IPs. The mall has adhered to the principle of “everything is dimensionable”, breaking through new social circles, new customer groups, and new content.”After 7 years, Hangzhou Joy City has become more vibrant and youthful,” said many recent visitors. The NEWMASUS East China debut, Langlang Mountain Little Monster city debut, PIIDIDI national debut, Art Museum POP-UP debut, Puppet Dimension Music Festival, Identity V, and Pokémon Card Tournament were just a few of the events staged this summer. Hangzhou Joy City completely revamped the traditional anniversary celebration format by hosting seven IP pop-ups for its 7th anniversary celebration season, marking another successful surge in visitor traffic, with summer foot traffic increasing by more than 35% year-on-year.Talking about this year’s Hangzhou Joy City, it’s definitely a bit different—from the unexpected rise of the dimensional economy to the continuous upward momentum of the project, and the wave of first-time events, the industry hotspots are constantly emerging and the city’s popularity remains high. In April this year, the Detective Conan 30th Anniversary Exhibition, hosted at Hangzhou Joy City, caused a city-wide sensation and quickly became a hot topic on Xiaohongshu (Little Red Book) and other major media outlets.

Following that, a series of high-profile events including the “World Outside” Official Birthday Fan Support, Arknights Hangzhou Dream Fantasy Conference, Chimeric Wave Anniversary City Trend Celebration pop-up, and more, continued to attract attention.Just one month after the initial wave of first-time events, Hangzhou Joy City launched even more exciting events: ENHYPERN POP-UP Zhejiang debut, JOGUMAN Hangzhou debut, Honor of Kings Hangzhou Selection, Pokémon Masters Tournament Hangzhou Station, Identity V ONLY Exhibition, and the Hangzhou Doll Salon, all keeping the excitement alive. What sets this year apart is the way traditional cultural IPs are being integrated in new, creative ways, and the fun of combining these with the dimension theme. For example, Hangzhou Joy City partnered with People’s Education Press to bring the debut pop-up of the People’s Edition textbooks to Hangzhou for the first time, instantly unlocking memories of student life. Items like middle school textbooks, Li Lei and Han Meimei, and “Tree House” cultural merchandise became fresh objects of interest, attracting many young customers to visit.This National Day, Hangzhou Joy City will also collaborate with the Gansu Museum to create the first-ever “Black Horse Pop-Up” event. In addition to these city-first events, Hangzhou Joy City is also actively exploring self-curated, original IP events. The mall has successfully hosted two editions of the Animation Dimension Carnival, featuring themed IP pop-ups, COSER signings, Gu Mei Market, and random home dance performances.

On the external front, the mall continues to leverage pan-dimensional circle resources, constantly co-creating with secondary dimension fan communities to deepen Hangzhou’s dimension culture influence.As the project manager stated: “Long-term commitment and continuous output of quality content are the key to ensuring that young people not only like to visit, but are willing to return again and again.”Strengthening Fan Culture Co-Creation and Opening the “Emotional Socialization” Portal.In addition to the secondary dimension culture, fan culture is another powerful social currency connecting businesses with young consumers. Leveraging Hangzhou’s youthful customer base and spatial advantages, Hangzhou Joy City has successfully integrated fan culture and the dimensional economy, creating a multifaceted matrix system of pan-dimensional and pan-entertainment experiences. This approach allows the mall to accurately reach the Gen Z demographic, engaging with the latest IPs and trendy interactive experiences.Centered on fan culture, Joy City has enhanced co-creation and opened up opportunities for emotional connection. In recent years, the concert scene in Hangzhou has been booming, and many malls are eager to capitalize on this trend. As one of Hangzhou’s most popular shopping destinations, Hangzhou Joy City has become a key player in supporting live events. In July this year, the ROY6 Convenience Store pop-up event at Hangzhou Joy City set a new record: 2,000 appointment spots were filled in seconds, with single-day sales exceeding a million yuan, and over 20,000 fans attended during the pop-up event.

In August, Hangzhou Joy City also partnered with Zhejiang Satellite TV to launch the first-ever offline “Running Man Tribe Slow Pop-Up Store”. The immersive 130㎡ space allowed fans to interact in both online and offline experiences, with photo walls, spring-loaded chairs, iconic scenes, and exclusive merchandise, creating a one-of-a-kind “Running Man” experience.To date, the Running Man Tribe Slow Pop-Up Store has attracted over 1 million fans, with over 3,000 mentions on Xiaohongshu and over 80 million media impressions. The collaboration with Running Man’s immense popularity has facilitated a leap from spatial offerings to emotional excitement, forming a new platform with both “communication power” and “marketing power”—a truly game-changing ecosystem.Expanding the “Fan Support” Value to Build Youth Identity.Since its opening, Hangzhou Joy City has continually invested in the fan support economy, creating both online and offline “fan support bases”. This year, the mall has further leveraged its space and positioning by organizing regular fan events, capitalizing on various concerts to attract fans to the store. These include fan support events for Wang Yuan’s Hangzhou Olympic Stadium concert, Zhou Shen’s debut anniversary, and Lin Junjie’s fan music concert, which have all significantly boosted the sense of “recognition” and “belonging” among consumers.

Creating Joyful New Life Experiences through Diverse Emotional Value Creation.Aside from focusing on the dimensional economy and fan culture, Hangzhou Joy City has continuously addressed specific consumer needs. By offering a variety of experiences, such as artistic check-ins, city fireworks, pet therapy, and relaxing nightlife, the mall aims to encourage a lifestyle full of attitude.It has become a place where young people can unlock a variety of experiences in art, socializing, leisure, and entertainment, all contributing to emotional healing.This summer, Hangzhou Joy City introduced the NEWMASUS Conceptual Personal Art Exhibition for the first time. The exhibition centered around the theme of love, resonating deeply with visitors as it showcased moments from everyday interactions. Since its opening, the exhibition quickly went viral on social media, with over 13,000 Xiaohongshu posts, and a single TikTok post garnering more than 12 million views. Over 20,000 people visited the exhibition, optimizing the structure of the young audience and attracting high-quality new customers.Brand Revitalization and New Life Trends from a Young Perspective.Having been operational for seven years, Hangzhou Joy City has not only reshaped cultural circles and created exciting new spaces, but it has also focused heavily on “youth trends in lifestyle” and “youth culture labels”. The mall has accelerated its efforts in revitalizing trendy youth brands.As of now, in 2025, Hangzhou Joy City has introduced 132 new brands, including 1 national flagship store, 6 Zhejiang debuts, 10 Hangzhou debuts, and over 32 first-entry brands.

These span multiple categories, including trendy retail, entertainment experiences, lifestyle, and popular dining brands.To cater to the young consumer market, Hangzhou Joy City has renovated flagship stores for brands such as Xiaomi and POPMART, and introduced trend-driven IP stores like X11 and KKV. The mall has also brought in several popular entertainment brands such as bb boom Indoor Games, Escape Planet, and Pure Play World to enhance its entertainment offerings. Additionally, it has introduced new food brands such as Kusunoki Village BBQ, Jiuse Yun Wild Mushroom Hotpot, Gold Master Sushi, and Ruyi Seafood Beef Hotpot, catering to the young crowd looking for fresh culinary experiences.Conclusion: Urban Development through Commercial Innovation.Commercial spaces are not only cultural inheritors but also witnesses to urban development. With its top-tier dimension experiences for a young audience, Hangzhou Joy City continues to explore new growth channels and maintain its momentum. In the new cycle of business development, Hangzhou Joy City remains committed to long-term investment in youth culture, responding to emerging consumer trends and continuously reshaping its core value and positioning. The future promises even more innovation, bringing new experiences to consumers, brands, and the city itself, further strengthening its “youth”, “dimension”, and “trend” labels.