The revival of ‘Made in Shanghai’

Shanghai (CNS) -- The "Shanghai" brand of car that was the pioneering product of the city's early industrial exploration, is likely to resume production after a 20-year hiatus, an event that is stirring up much nostalgia among the public.

Chen Yue of east China's Fujian Province remembers that owning a "Shanghai" watch was definitely something to brag about before foreign brands "intruded" into the national market 30 years ago.

A "Shanghai" wedding car drew the admiration of the whole community, and was a symbol of dignity, recalls an elderly native.

The old favorites don't just live on in glorious memory, but serve novel purposes for the younger generations too.

When Liu got married, he invited a designer to place the Yongjiu bicycle his family had preserved in the corner of their living room, which essentially had become part of the decor.

Xu Yan, born in the 1980s, planed to please her grandmother with the gift of some high-end hand lotion, yet was refused and specifically "assigned" to buying Pehchaolin, a beauty care item that is much cheaper and can be put to more practical uses, and the senior had actually been a loyal and regular purchaser of.

However, nostalgia is unlikely to trump consumer motivation when old brands are reintroduced to a new market rife with fierce competition.

No denying though that local residents still nurse the sincere expectation that dressing them up in some fashionable elements will set in motion the renaissance of a past legend.