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Peach blossom festival nears
(eastday.com)
Updated: 2005-03-14 09:45  Tens of thousands of local residents are expected to travel to Nanhui
District in late March and early April to enjoy the annual Shanghai Peach
Blossom Festival.
The festival is scheduled to open on March 25 and wrap
up on April 12, but mother nature will play a key role in determining when the
star attractions are ready.
"If we don't have too much rain or a dramatic
decline in temperatures, the peach blossoms will be open earlier and more
visitors are expected to come," said Liang Ming, vice director of the Shanghai
Peach Blossom Festival Committee Office.
Nanhui, which is home to 2,667
hectares of peach groves, has hosted the event since 1991. Last year, more than
60,000 local residents made their way to the district, which is an hour-long
drive from downtown, to take a peak at the blossoming trees.
"In addition
to the beauty of the flowers, peach blossoms can bring people good luck in
love," smiled Liang.
An old Chinese saying suggests that anyone who meets
his or her loved one under a blossoming peach tree will enjoy a lucky
relationship.
The festival has added several events and other attractions
over the years, since few will return year after year simply to look at peach
trees.
Last year, many people were attracted to the event to watch a
large fireworks show that lit up the district's dark sky.
This year,
organizers have set up a 28-hectare tulip park with more than 3.2 million
flowers.
Besides walking among the suburban peach trees, tourists will
also have the opportunity to view the delicately cultivated tulips.
When
completed, the tulip garden will also include windmills, and other typical
architecture from Holland, a country closely associated with the cultivation of
tulips.
If tulips and peaches aren't enough to attract you to Nanhui,
perhaps the chance to walk along the district's beach and ports will draw you to
the area.
City dwellers can also stop into the homes of many of the
district's residents and enjoy some local delicacies, such as sanhuang chicken
and big bowls or potherbs.
Last year, many downtown residents swarmed
into the rural homes to enjoy the strange foods and play with farming
tools.
Fruit and vegetable vendors in the area enjoy high sales during
the festival, as tourists from urban parts of the city enjoy freshly picked
produce. Some local farmers can earn more than 10,000 yuan (US$1,204) during the
event.
"The blossom festival is just a byproduct of Nanhui's peaches,
whose sweet taste is famous throughout the city," said Liang.
Time: March
25 to April 12
Venue: Huinanzhen Town, Luchao Town, Xinchang Town in Nanhui
District
Tickets: 30 to 40 yuan
Traffic: Hunan Line, starting on Dongchang
Road, Pudong; Tourist Line Two, near Shanghai Stadium
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