An 18-meter-high Freedom Gundam statue is awaiting visitors at the LaLaport mall in the Pudong New Area.

As a highlight of Pudong’s ongoing Double Five Shopping Festival, stairs have been installed beside the statue – the first of its kind outside Japan – for visitors to climb and meet the popular Japanese anime character “face to face.”

Another 130-plus commercial, cultural, and sports events will be launched in Pudong during the festival, such as the Shanghai International Coffee Culture Festival, Shanghai-Taizhou Food Fair, Shanghai Lavender Festival, Archery World Cup, and the Longines Global Champions Tour.

Some “first stores” will also make their debuts, such as the first Houdini store on the Chinese mainland.

In the first three months of this year, Pudong has fetched 94.6 billion yuan (US$13 billion) in total retail sales of consumer goods, and introduced 54 “first stores” in China or Shanghai.