22 | Friday, September 20, 2019 LIFE CHINA DAILY HONG KONG EDITION
Dancers with the Columbia Amiga troupe perform in a parade to open the Shanghai Tourism Festival on Sept A colorful spectacle 14. PHOTOS BY GAO ERQIANG / CHINA DAILY on Shanghai’s streets
City throws open its doors to welcome visitors from all around the world, He Qi reports.
eaturing a green mountain, the Shimao Quarry Hotel, a telescope, buildings, bicy cles and flowers, the float of Fthe Sheshan National Tourist and Holiday Resort was among the most impressive at the opening parade of More to see and do at the Shanghai Tourism Festival on Sept 14. According to the resort, which this year’s tourism festival was showcasing a float for the first time at the festival, which runs through Oct 6, the decorative plat By HE QI in Shanghai the tourism festival, including a form had to be redesigned multiple performance during the opening times due to safety concerns arising The 2019 Shanghai Tourism ceremony and a folk culture exhi from the number of elements on it. Festival will feature a record bition. “Since Songjiang district has number of activities as partici As part of the festival, the prices launched many landmarks in recent space to create illusion and divert the pants will get to choose from of tickets to 79 scenic spots, muse years, we wanted to integrate and eye. There are also height restrictions more than 100 events related to ums and art galleries in the city promote as many of our resources as and the team does several site walks food, hotel, transportation, shop will be halved through Sept 21. possible,” explains Zhou Yan, deputy to be sure the float will make it safely ping and entertainment. More than 1,900 cultural and cre director of the Sheshan National down the route,” he says. The festival opened on Sept 14 ative products will also be made Tourist and Holiday Resort’s man “With 12 assigned floats attending and will end on Oct 6. available at exclusive shops, pop agement committee. the parade in 1993, more depart As one of the highlights of the up stores and vending machines “We have the highest mountain in ments and enterprises have applied tourism festival, the inaugural during the event. Consumers will Shanghai, the world’s deepest sub to become a part of the event in Shanghai Food Festival kicked off enjoy a 12 percent discount on terranean fivestar hotel, the relics recent years, and we selected the on Sept 13 with the launch of a these items during the festival. of Jiangnan culture, an astronomi floats according to the districts and Shanghai food map that includes Another aspect of the festival cal and seismological observatory, a brands,” said Chen Jian, a represent seven major gastronomical hubs, is the Yangtze River Delta Region botanical garden and many ecotour ative of the organizing committee five featured towns, a local break Culture and Tourism Fair, which ism resorts. We wanted to display office of the Shanghai Tourism Festi fast guide and more than 10 will be attended by hundreds of them all to show that Sheshan is the val. Shanghaistyle dishes such as leisure resorts, theme parks, backyard of Shanghai.” Apart from the growing number sauteed shrimps and smoked fish. homestays and cultural and crea The float parade has been one of of floats, the quality of the decorated Available at scenic spots, hotels tive enterprises from the region. the most anticipated segments of Dancers and a Duffy Express float (top) from the Shanghai Disney platforms has also improved. and tourist sites for free, the map The fair, which aims to provide a the festival since the first float made Resort and members of a Maori art troupe (above) from New Zea “In the past, we found that the features 33 Shanghai restaurants platform for exchange, trade and its way through People’s Square in land participate in the opening parade of the tourism festival. lights used on the floats were not selected through industry recom promotion, will take place on 1993. This year, the parade kicked bright enough and the colors were mendation and evaluations from Saturday and Sunday at the off at the Shanghai Times Square on not diverse enough. Now, the LED experts and consumers. Shanghai International Resort in Huaihai Middle Road. that Shanghai Disney Resort partic the details, combining both Chinese lights we use are brighter and they On the same day, six sister cities Pudong New Area. Themed “70 Years of Glory, Beau ipated in the opening ceremony elements and familiar Disney ico also allow us to adjust the colors and from countries involved in the In addition, The Phoenix Cup ty and Joy”, the parade featured parade of the Shanghai Tourism Fes nography. Some of these elements save on energy,” says Chen. Belt and Road Initiative, includ Shanghai Riding Festival and the 1,500 performers and 25 floats from tival with its Duffy Express float. include the Chinese pattern used as Twentyfive floats will parade ing Chiang Mai and Bangkok in first Yangtze River Delta Cultural 19 countries and regions. “Since this was a night parade, the background for the train’s car through the city’s districts in the Thailand, Budapest in Hungary, Tourism Photography Interactive As the host city, Shanghai brought light played a major role in how we riage, and the Mickeyheadshaped coming days. After the parade, they Phnom Penh in Cambodia, and Exhibition will be held during the out the floats from theme parks, designed the float. The float was cre Chinese knots found throughout the will be parked at the Shanghai Yue Manila in the Philippines, signed festival. The Huangpu River highend resorts and local brands, ated with several light boxes of vary design.” hu Sculpture Park in Songjiang dis a joint agreement on culture and cruise, the lighting fixtures on including Shanghai Haichang ing shapes and sizes,” says Denny Newell adds that the most chal trict from Sept 29 to Oct 6 for tourism with Shanghai to pro both sides of the river, and the Ocean Park, Sheshan National Tour Newell, director, creative and pro lenging aspect of the float was figur tourists to view. mote the bilateral tourism coop cruise tourism festival in Baoshan ist and Holiday Resort and jewelry duction, entertainment, Shanghai ing out how to disguise the truck eration and development. and Hongkou districts have also company Lao Feng Xiang. Disney Resort. that carries the float. Contact the writer at Activities organized by these been upgraded in preparation for This year marked the sixth time “We also paid close attention to “We looked at how to use negative [email protected] countries will also be held during the festival.
From left: Ansai waist drum dance performers from Yan’an, Shaanxi province; carnival band Glunggephoniker from Switzerland; and a float from the Sheshan National Tourist and Holiday Resort at the parade. Merging old facades with virtual tech
By HE QI in Shanghai rities who once occupied the old buildings to the database by the ence a virtual reality tour of 101 residences in the city, and more than end of this year. The six districts in locations within the district. There Visitors to the Hengfu Style and 20,000 archived documents. the city are also aiming to make QR will also be immersive experiences Features Pavilion can now learn The pavilion is working in tandem codes available at 2,180 buildings by at places such as the Site of the Sec more about the stories of historical with the city’s Architecture Reada the first half of next year. ond National Congress of the Com buildings in the city through multi ble Project, which was launched in To welcome the Shanghai Tour munist Party of China, Jing’an media presentations that can be 2018. Copromoted by the Shanghai ism Festival, the Architecture Read Villa, the Ohel Rachel Synagogue, accessed by scanning a QR code or Municipal Administration of Cul able Project has been upgraded to the Shanghai Natural History by clicking an icon on the display ture and Tourism and six district include an English guide, videos and Museum and the Starbucks screen within the pavilion. governments — Xuhui, Hongkou, virtual reality elements. Reserve Roastery. Built in 1930, the architecture in Huangpu, Jing’an, Yangpu and “To promote the development of “Historical buildings are the foun which the pavilion is located is now Changning — the project aims to the tourism industry, we have joint dation and soul of a city. We will fur used as a virtual museum for the his help the public learn more about the ly launched 87 distinctive architec ther expand the reach of readable A bird’seye view from the top of the historic Wukang building at the torical structures located along city’s historic architecture. There are tural citywalk routes that allow buildings and use advanced tech crossing of Huaihai Road and Wukang Road in Shanghai. The area Hengshan Road and Fuxing Road, currently more than 1,000 old build visitors to learn more about Shang nology to infuse life into these struc features a variety of historic architecture. GAO ERQIANG / CHINA DAILY allowing visitors to view iconic ings that people can read about hai,” says Yu Xiufen, the director of tures,” says Liu Xie, deputy governor buildings in augmented reality and thanks to this initiative. These build Shanghai Municipal Administra of Jing’an district. read descriptions about them. ings received 7.65 million visitors in tion of Culture and Tourism. Meanwhile, Xuhui district, which while Changning district has coop guides and develop an online sys The pavilion also has a reference the first half of this year. Each district will have unique has 253 historic buildings, has set up erated with media brand Time Out tem that recommends nearby facili room with an interface that can dis According to the authorities, the offerings during the tourism festi teams to provide interpretation ser and review site Dianping to compile ties, restaurants and cultural play buildings and roads, the celeb city is planning to add another 142 val. In Jing’an, visitors can experi vice for tourists during the festival, highquality Chinese and English experience activities.