Magnolias brighten park opening
By Fei Lai |
March 30, 2013, Saturday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
AH, springtime! And what better place to enjoy its beauty than Minhang Cultural Park, where magnolias - the official flower of Shanghai - are in full bloom now.
The park, which includes a research institute and showroom, offers one of the city's largest displays of up to 30 varieties of magnolias.
On March 21, just about the time of the vernal equinox, the park completed its first phase of construction and opened it to the public.
It's a brand new vista for flower lovers and for those who enjoy a quiet stroll in the warmth of early spring.
The park has been delicately landscaped so that even artificial features seem to blend naturally into the environment.
Minhang Cultural Park, located in Qibao Town, is the only park in urban Shanghai undergoing extensive construction. The aim is to create an ecological oasis amid urban concrete and give residents a place to enjoy nature.
The first of four phases of reconstruction at the park covers 20 hectares. The entire project is due to be completed and open to the public by 2015.
Its grand design plan calls for museums, art galleries and music theaters to be added to the park.
The local landscaping authority said the site will no doubt be listed as a five-star park in the city. But what's more important is how local residents feel about it.
"The ecological environment here is really unbelievable," said Li Xufang, a local resident who said she will spend some of her leisure time in the park.
"It is a nice place to be appreciated and to have fun."
Only about half of the "magnolia island" in the center of Minhang Cultural Park is open now to Li and throngs of other visitors. The north part of the island is ablaze with flowers. Stone bridges link the island with park pathways and another small isle nearby. It's a tranquil strolling area.
Besides the two islands, there is an eco-island with no bridges to it. When water rises, the eco-island will be submerged, creating what park officials call an "aqua forest" view.
The park has been designed with an abundance of water channels and includes a wetland zone.
The combination of waterside walkways, wooden paths and flower shelves gives the area an exhilarating atmosphere some liken to a natural "oxygen bar."
Departing from the traditional park concept of "a blossom in every season," the Minhang Cultural Park features more than just flowers. It encompasses orchards, wet zones, an aqua forest and an aromatic botanical garden.
The design of the park calls for 13 bridges. Six have been completed, all with unique designs taking flowers as their theme.
Wangchun Bridge and Magnolia Bridge were completed in the first phase of reconstruction. The latter is in a design resembling its namesake flower.
With such a big area, the park has taken into consideration the problem of people unable or unwilling to leg it around the whole site on foot. A road system is being installed for mobile transport.
Earthmoving technology has added contour to what is a flat terrain.
Wang Xiang, a visitor from downtown Shanghai, said contours enhance the attractiveness of the park.
"The gateway is not flat," Want said. "Park staff told me the terrain was raised by earthmoving equipment. I think it's a good way to attract passersby who might have had no inkling to enter the park as they passed by."
The park, which includes a research institute and showroom, offers one of the city's largest displays of up to 30 varieties of magnolias.
On March 21, just about the time of the vernal equinox, the park completed its first phase of construction and opened it to the public.
It's a brand new vista for flower lovers and for those who enjoy a quiet stroll in the warmth of early spring.
The park has been delicately landscaped so that even artificial features seem to blend naturally into the environment.
Minhang Cultural Park, located in Qibao Town, is the only park in urban Shanghai undergoing extensive construction. The aim is to create an ecological oasis amid urban concrete and give residents a place to enjoy nature.
The first of four phases of reconstruction at the park covers 20 hectares. The entire project is due to be completed and open to the public by 2015.
Its grand design plan calls for museums, art galleries and music theaters to be added to the park.
The local landscaping authority said the site will no doubt be listed as a five-star park in the city. But what's more important is how local residents feel about it.
"The ecological environment here is really unbelievable," said Li Xufang, a local resident who said she will spend some of her leisure time in the park.
"It is a nice place to be appreciated and to have fun."
Only about half of the "magnolia island" in the center of Minhang Cultural Park is open now to Li and throngs of other visitors. The north part of the island is ablaze with flowers. Stone bridges link the island with park pathways and another small isle nearby. It's a tranquil strolling area.
Besides the two islands, there is an eco-island with no bridges to it. When water rises, the eco-island will be submerged, creating what park officials call an "aqua forest" view.
The park has been designed with an abundance of water channels and includes a wetland zone.
The combination of waterside walkways, wooden paths and flower shelves gives the area an exhilarating atmosphere some liken to a natural "oxygen bar."
Departing from the traditional park concept of "a blossom in every season," the Minhang Cultural Park features more than just flowers. It encompasses orchards, wet zones, an aqua forest and an aromatic botanical garden.
The design of the park calls for 13 bridges. Six have been completed, all with unique designs taking flowers as their theme.
Wangchun Bridge and Magnolia Bridge were completed in the first phase of reconstruction. The latter is in a design resembling its namesake flower.
With such a big area, the park has taken into consideration the problem of people unable or unwilling to leg it around the whole site on foot. A road system is being installed for mobile transport.
Earthmoving technology has added contour to what is a flat terrain.
Wang Xiang, a visitor from downtown Shanghai, said contours enhance the attractiveness of the park.
"The gateway is not flat," Want said. "Park staff told me the terrain was raised by earthmoving equipment. I think it's a good way to attract passersby who might have had no inkling to enter the park as they passed by."
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