Fun in Shanghai
New things to see on a Spring Festival trip along the Huangpu River
While some shops will likely stay shut during the Lunar New Year holiday in Shanghai, the city will nevertheless remain a hive of activity, thanks to the numerous festive events planned. Major shopping and cultural destinations will also remain open throughout the holiday week.
Shanghai, as the most cosmopolitan and modern metropolis in China, is also one of the best places in the country to experience a Lunar New Year that combines modern and traditional elements. The city is also considerably less crowded during this period, which makes traveling more of a breeze.
Here are some of the new attractions to look forward to in Shanghai during the biggest festival of the year.
New lights 1
Famous for its night views, Shanghai was one of the first cities in the world to develop landscape lighting. It had introduced floodlights on its buildings along the Bund as early as 1989.
To welcome the 2018 China International Import Expo and promote the city’s tourism industry, the lighting on both sides of the Huangpu River was improved, with lights installed on nearly 400 important buildings, 16 piers and along the 20-kilometer trail that runs beside the riverside stretch.
While the lighting design on exotic building clusters in Puxi sports a more classical style, that used on the Lujiazui side in Pudong is more contemporary.
The Bund landscape lamps have also been upgraded so that they can operate in three modes to suit occasions such as weekdays, holidays and at night.
Huangpu cruise 2
Cruising on the Huangpu River has always been an experience for tourists in Shanghai as they get to take in the views of the sightseeing spots located on the river’s two banks, including the Bund, the skyscrapers in Lujiazui and several famous bridges. The cruise tour, which was comprehensively upgraded recently, now offers more routes.
“Our 1,000-person Dragon Cruise and 380-person Crystal Princess Cruise will be ready for Spring Festival, and provide both reunion dinner for families as well as Westernstyle buffets,” says Tao Meng, the deputy manager of the marketing department at Shanghai Huangpu River Cruise Co Ltd.
3 Waterfront trail
The riverfronts on both sides of the Huangpu were connected in a scenic 45-km trail and opened to the public last year. The trail has quickly become a new landmark in the city where people can walk, jog, cycle as well as enjoy river views, fresh air and public facilities.
While strolling through the trail, visitors can view the old and new aspects of the city in different sections along the river. The 2.8-km section of the trail in Yangpu district is home to many industrial facilities such as a cotton mill as well as Shanghai’s first water and power plants, all of which have a history of almost 100 years. Meanwhile, the trail in Xuhui district features an array of museums and art galleries showcasing modern art.
“Significant changes have been made during these years, such as the addition of more greenery and public facilities, art galleries and coffee shops. Many more people stop by the trail these days to have a leisurely stroll,” says Zhang Mengli, a 54-year-old resident who lives by the Huangpu in Pudong New Area.
AI double-decker bus 4
Experiencing the local sights and sounds while riding on a sightseeing bus is an easy way to tour the city at a low cost. The artificial intelligence double-decker bus that was recently launched in Shanghai has now made this mode of travel even more attractive.
Instead of having to rely on tickets, tourists can now get on the bus using facial recognition, while hightech devices on the bus provide a variety of services for tourists, including translating multiple languages and answering questions.
The two bus routes available cover most of the city’s sightseeing spots, including the City God Temple, Yu Garden, Shanghai Tower and the Bund. Tourists can buy their one-day passes for the bus for 30 yuan ($4.5) or two-day passes for 50 yuan.
Shanghai Tower 5
The 632-meter-high Shanghai Tower in Lujiazui is the tallest building in China and the secondtallest in the world following the Burj Khalifa in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.
The Shanghai skyscraper also features the world’s highest observation deck and the second-fastest elevator, as well as a green design that has won it a “leadership in energy and environmental design platinum certification” from the US Green Building Council.
According to Cheng Luo, a representative of Shanghai Tower, the building will hold traditional Chinese folk art shows and activities to celebrate Lunar New Year.
Visitors can also check out three other famous buildings — the Oriental Pearl Tower, Jinmao Tower and the Shanghai World Financial Center — in the vicinity that also offer panoramic views of the city.
Botanical garden 6
The plum blossom, a flower that has been grown for more than 3,000 years, usually blooms during winter and the Shanghai Botanical Garden is one of the best places in the city to view it.
Some plum blossom varieties in the garden have already begun to blossom in recent days, about seven to 10 days earlier than last year. More than 80 types of plum blossoms have been collected by the garden.
Experts have predicted that the flower will likely be at its peak during Spring Festival this year as the low temperatures will result in a slow and long blooming process.
Haichang Ocean Park 7 and Disney Resort
Opened in November, the Shanghai Haichang Ocean Park in Shanghai’s Pudong New Area occupies 297,000 square meters, which houses five themed zones, three animal theaters, two hightech cinemas and an oceanthemed resort hotel. The facility is also home to the world’s first 360degree penguin-viewing area.
While the ocean park will hold various shows of marine animals to usher in Spring Festival, the Disney Resort, which is just a 25-minute car ride away, will host a traditional reunion dinner at its Disneyland Hotel that features its classic characters.
Quarry and Smurfs 8
After building the world’s first luxury hotel in an abandoned quarry, Shimao Group, the developer of InterContinental Shanghai Wonderland, has now added an adventure park next to the hotel.
Covering an area of more than 60,000 square meters, the park is situated at the mouth of the 90-meter-deep quarry and is the first theme park in China dedicated to the blue-skinned Smurfs.
Unlike the hotel, which has 16 of its 18 floors underground, the park is located entirely on the ground. However, the location has allowed it to include thrill-seeking facilities such as a glass walkway suspended 88 meters above the bottom of the quarry. There are also giant tree houses decorated with Smurf elements and an “oxygen bar” for visitors to check out.
Yu Garden 9
As Shanghai’s most renowned tourist site, Yu Garden has just completed one of its biggest renovations in history. The 53,000-square-meter garden, which receives upward of 6 million visitors every year, has redesigned its upper space to feature leisure activities such as tea-tasting sessions and has introduced more vendors selling delicacies from East China.
Following the garden’s major renovation, its 118-year-old soup dumpling eatery, Nanxiang Mantou Dian, now sports brighter, modern and more spacious interiors. The food offerings have also been expanded to include new appetizers, desserts and a selection of teas that can be paired with the eatery’s signature dumplings. The management of Yu Garden has also worked with culinary associations from neighboring provinces and cities to design a new 2,000-square-meter food court that is scheduled to open later this year.
Spring Festival 10 art exhibition
It has been a tradition for the Shanghai Museum to be open throughout the Spring Festival holiday. This year will be no different, and visitors are expected to form long lines outside the museum before it opens at 9 am.
There will be two special exhibitions during the Spring Festival holiday this year, with the largest being the Dong Qichang grand show that features calligraphy and paintings from the collections of more than a dozen museums and cultural institutions.
The second exhibition, In a Myriad of Forms, showcases Chinese lacquer art, which has a history of 7,000 years. The last time the museum put on a showcase of lacquer art was in 1979. Most of the artifacts are being shown for the first time as there are strict requirements regarding the exhibition of lacquer relics in China.