Many indoor and outdoor activities in the neighborhood for future stays

Stay tourism is becoming a mainstream trend as small, sporadic outbreaks of COVID-19 cases in China make pandemic prevention a priority and inter-regional tourism that can cause the spread of the virus is discouraged. Minhang District delights its tourists with the opening of a renovated park and a brand new park, an intangible cultural heritage study center, an exhibition of cultural relics and winter ice sports.

Minhang Aquatic Plant Garden

The Minhang Aquatic Plant Garden inside the Minhang Development Zone reopened to the public on Jan. 1 after a 7-month closed-door renovation.

The 3.5 square kilometer garden, now featuring LED lights decorated on gate pillars, landscaped walls, cherry trees, Chinese roses and hydrangeas waiting to bloom in spring, is also an eco-friendly garden that promotes low carbon dioxide emissions.

The renovation of the garden included the removal of some 220 kilovolts of ultra high voltage towers and a facelift of areas affected by a 110 kilovolt underground tube project. Two phases of renovation projects covering 2,600 square meters and 29,400 square meters were completed in July and November 2021 respectively.

The floor paved with cement and pebbles was replaced by quartz bricks. Pergolas and pavilions were preserved, and a total of 72 early and late flowering cherry tree seedlings were planted. The garden also planted 4,000 hydrangeas in five categories and around 300 Chinese roses.

“We have encouraged the lowest carbon dioxide emissions during the renovation of the garden. The lighting installations in the meadow and the courtyard are powered by solar energy.

Billboards, seating, pergolas and sidewalks have been renovated, and now the garden has become a dream green and leisure space for nearby residents and development area staff,” said a service center manager from Minhang Development Zone.

Address: 3366 Dongchuan Road

How to get there: Minhang Development Zone Station, Subway Line 5

Espace Culturel Sachet de Parfum (opening soon to be announced)

A perfume sachet cultural space, an intangible cultural heritage base in Xinhong subdistrict, was completed in late December.

The Sachet Space, located inside the Xinhong Cultural Center, covers 210 square meters and its ceiling is a wavy art installation. Decorated in a new Chinese style, its coloring is a mixture of log, gray and white.

Visitors can attend a sachet exhibition, learn how to make a sachet and attend a seminar on sachet culture. They are encouraged to smell and wear a sachet, to use the medical functions of a sachet to benefit their health, and to convey their feelings to a delicately crafted sachet.

Sachet making in Minhang District was listed in the first batch of the National Intangible Cultural Heritage Extended List in 2008. For more than a decade, Xinhong Subdistrict has been promoting it through exhibitions and training activities.

Address: 1122 Ninghong Road

How to get there: Take Subway Line 2 to Hongqiao Airport Terminal 2 Station, then take the Hongqiao Business Zone No.1 Bus to Ninghong Road and Shenbin Road Station.

Sword and Celadon Exhibition

An exhibition of Longquan swords and celadons is on display at the Minhang Museum until February 28. Longquan, a city in neighboring Zhejiang province, is famous for its craftsmanship in sword-making and celadon, both listed as intangible cultural heritage items.

The sword exhibit includes a total of 42 Longquan swords, as well as illustrations and explanations of casting processes and legends.

It is said that Ou Zhizi and Gan Jiang, two famous ancient gunsmiths, cast China’s first iron sword about 2,600 years ago. Sword casting in Longquan has developed throughout history, and in 2006 it was listed as the first group of China’s national intangible cultural heritage items.

In the celadon display area, 60 delicate Longquan celadons are displayed.

Longquan kilns are historically famous in China. They originated in the Three Kingdoms era (220-280 AD) and the Jin Dynasty (266-420 AD), developed in the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127), and reached their peak in the Southern Song (1127-1279) and Yuan (1271-1368) dynasties. Although in decline since the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), the tradition of making celadons in Longquan has survived until today. In 2009, the making of Longquan celadon was listed as an item of human intangible cultural heritage in the world.

Address: 1538 Xinzhen Road

How to get there: Take subway line 10 to Hangzhong Road station

Winter sports

As the 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympics will be held in Beijing from February 2 to 20, winter sports are gaining popularity in Shanghai. In the Wuzhong Road branch of the MIXC mall in Minhang District, people of different ages and from different countries skied and skated at the mall’s Century Star ice rink and the Snow 51 urban skiing experience center. Shanghai may not be a traditional winter sports city, more than a decade of hosting international sporting events has allowed winter sports to develop rapidly in the region.

Address: Ground floor and fourth floor of Shanghai MIXC, 1599 Wuzhong Rd

How to get there: Take subway line 10 to Ziteng Road station

Gumei Park

The highly anticipated Gumei Park, a butterfly-shaped swamp park that covers approximately 100,000 square meters, recently opened to the public.

Located in Wanyuan Block A, the park is surrounded by Gudai Road to the south, Pingji Road to the north, Hechuan Road to the west, and Wanyuan Road to the east. Of its 100,000 square meter area, 30,844 square meters are water. Construction of the park began in March 2019.

Divided into six sections, including wetland preservation, forest, cultural exhibition and sports areas, the park features wetland plants and its huge water area in the center has attracted birds like egrets, mandarin ducks and wild ducks.

The park caters to people of different age groups with different interests. Prior to construction, landscape architects referred to Xujiahui Park, Jing’an Park, Minhang Sports Park and Greenland Lujiazui to ensure that Gumei Park would be a sustainable public space.

The park is also suitable for disabled people in wheelchairs.

The largest park in Gumei Road sub-district, the park serves its surrounding 100,000 residents and has a capacity of approximately 2,500 to 4,000 people.

Address: Block A, Wanyuan Road

How to get there: Gudai Road Station, Subway Line 12