Shoppers enjoy dinning at the newly opened restaurant in The Splendors in Tianjin. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The grand shopping mall, The Splendors, opened on Friday morning in the municipality of Tianjin, luring a number of local residents in.

Located in Hedong district and covering a construction area of 159,500 square meters, the shop was transformed from the Tianjin Heat and Power Plant, which was built in the 1930s and stopped its services in 2011.

"Visitors feel nostalgia because the plant has witnessed the city's vicissitude , and the local government has pinned high hopes for the area's further development," said Zhou Bo, director of Hedong district.

He expects that the landmark building will become an "instagrammable area" and prime shopping destination for local residents after the government revised the prevention measures of the COVID-19 pandemic and businesses are resuming fast in recent months.

Sun Jiannan, director of the Tianjin Commerce Bureau, said, "Amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic this year, Tianjin has opened more than 10 shopping malls and in 2023, 12 are in the pipeline, with a total area of 1.3 million sq m."

Since this week, Tianjin has begun a grand shopping festival to boost the New Year atmosphere, in a bid to achieve its ambitious target to become an international shopping center.