Word on the street is true love runs smooth
Print Edition
AGRAFFITI wall has been unveiled on the city’s popular “sweet love road” in north downtown to encourage the romantic outpourings of the city’s Romeos and Juliets.
Tian’ai Road in Hongkou District, which translates as “Sweet Love,” has long attracted couples thanks to its name, and also led many to draw their loved one’s initials, as well as hearts, arrows, and general declarations of eternal love on walls and buildings.
The designated “graffiti wall” was erected in the middle of the 600-meter-long road on Qixi Festival, or Chinese Valentine’s Day, last Wednesday.
There is also a “wall of love” featuring multilingual expressions of “Ilove you,” as well as a “wall of hearts” with a heart-shape lamp for couples to pose in front of.
The graffiti wall aims to keep the road a popular destination for local love birds while stymieing scribbled declarations of love that once plagued it, according to the Sichuan Road N. Subdistrict. Red-color pens have been placed beside the wall.
The road has also been adorned with 28 marble plaques of verses by famous poets both in Chinese and English.
More attractions are planned. They include a love museum which will display marriage certificates, wedding photos and traditional dowries from all ages, as well as romantic tales and stories which occurred on the road.
The road is also known for its unusual mailbox. Letters and postcards dropped in the box are sent with a unique heart shape postage stamp.
Many young couples braved the scorching weather on Wednesday to pose in front of the newly unveiled attractions.
Li Chunxiao and Xi Huijun, who met and fell in love on the road, became one of the first couples to pose in front of the wall of love.
“We have witnessed the development of the road, and the road has also witnessed our feelings to each other,” said Li.
Shanghai residents have a long tradition of celebrating Qixi Festival, dating back to the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), said Xue Liyong, a senior researcher at Shanghai History Museum.
In one of the traditions, women would pray to the Zhinu and Qianniu stars, known as the “stars in love” and then wear a needle and thread under moonlight, Xue said.
Local families also made Qiao cake, or fried dough, to celebrate the festival, he added.
It is also known as the Magpie Festival as in another tradition, on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month magpies form a bridge to unite banished lovers.
The street is nicknamed “the sacred land of love,” mostly because Tian’ai literally means “sweet love.” Abelief has arisen that young lovers walking down the street hand in hand can keep their love fresh for life.
In the past, people from all over the city would come to the road to scribble or carve messages on the bricks.
The notes ranged from expressions of hopes and feelings, such as finding true love, confessing to unrequited adoration, mending a broken relationship or cursing ex-lovers. Many tourists also came to walk along the street, reading messages that conjured up all sorts of emotions, both sweet and bitter.
However, the graffiti became so prevalent it was unsightly and the district government stationed security guards as well as volunteers along its length to deter would-be scribes — to no avail.
So it decided to install the official wall. Artists have also been invited to create paintings on it to encourage citizens to write their messages there, rather than disfigure the street.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
