Riot of colors in Chongming
Transportation
The venue for the 10th China Flower Expo is situated on Chongming Island, which is connected to Shanghai’s downtown area by a tunnel-bridge on the Yangtze River.
There are three ways to get to the island — car, bus, and ship.
Shanghai Huangpu River Cruise Co will launch a special cruise which will run for 11 days from May 21 to July 2.
The 3.5-hour cruise departs from the port on Qinhuangdao Road on the Shanghai mainland in the morning. The cruise from Chongming Island to the mainland departs at 4 pm.
The ticket for a round trip costs 598 yuan ($93) and comes with a lunch set and a buffet dinner. People will be able to look up the service dates and make bookings through online travel agencies or the company’s WeChat mini app.
The municipal transportation commission will also open 17 bus lines from several transport hubs and major stations in the city to the expo venue, with prices ranging from 16 to 30 yuan.
People need to reserve their bus seats through the municipal government’s public service app Suishenban before 6 pm one day before their trip.
For people who are driving, reservation for parking spaces around the expo venue are required.
Lodging
Two years ago, there were 261 hotels and 395 bed and breakfast guesthouses that had 22,000 beds on Chongming Island.
In anticipation of the tourism boom caused by the expo, 712 new facilities, including new hotels and renovated homes of local residents, have been added to the island over the past few years.
The current accommodation capacity of the island stands at 42,000 beds. Overall lodging quality has improved as well, with guests able to choose from options that range from budget hostels to five-star hotels.
The WeChat mini-app Zhuchongming allows visitors to search and make hotel bookings.
Catering
The organizing committee expects 3 million people to visit the flower expo, and participating companies including Bright Food Group and Liangyou Group have made preparations to feed the masses.
Eighteen food trucks, 20 convenience stores and several restaurants and dining areas will provide nearly 7,000 seats throughout the expo area. Visitors will be able to find a catering service every 200 meters inside the venue.
The classic Shanghai candy brand White Rabbit will launch milk tea products and limited editions of candies for the flower expo.
Iconic flowers grown on Chongming
Saffron was first introduced to China during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) through Tibet. In China, it is commonly known as the “Tibetan red flower”.
The medical properties of saffron have made the spice popular among Chinese consumers. Unknown to many, Chongming Island is a major production base of saffron in China.
Presently, 70 percent of saffron consumed in China is produced on Chongming. Due to largescale planting and processing techniques, the average yield per mu (666 square meters) can reach 1,000 grams.
Chongming also has a long history of planting narcissus, which was chosen as one of the two mascots for the flower expo — the other one is magnolia, the city flower of Shanghai.
In addition to white and yellow, an award-wining iridescent narcissus cultivated by students of Xidu School will be on display at the expo.