The west region of Qingpu District, Qingxi, boasts a supreme ecological environment. Lianhu Village of Jinze Town was crowned “model village of beautiful countryside” in 2015 and a “national ecological cultural village” in 2018. It has also been listed in the first batch of “model village of rural vitalization” in Shanghai.

Located inside the Qingxi Countryside Park, houses in the village feature white walls and black tiles with an antique flavor.

Lianhu Village get its name from Dalian (big lotus) Lake. The Qingxi Countryside Park has diversified landscapes such as a lake, wetland, forest and farm land.

It also has a large number of animal species such as toad, spot-billed duck, whiskered tern and white wagtail. They fly amid rice fields and brooks and take leisurely wetland strolls. The most commonly seen is egret, which makes nests in the conifer forest and twitter joyfully.

The park has a wide range of plants such as lotus, water lily, reed and water chestnut.

The conifer forest, planted in the 1970s, presents an enchanting water forest view and its winding wooden paths enable visitors to get close to nature.

“A stroll in the park relieves my pressure from work and offers a pleasant ambience and a getaway from the concrete jungle of the city and urban treadmill,” said Li Nan, a Shanghai office worker who visited the park during the National Day holiday in early October.

The history of Lianhu Village dates back to the Song Dynasty (960-1279) and it flourished during the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties.

The village’s picturesque landscape was depicted in a poem by Qingpu poet Tang Beigui of the Qing Dynasty, who enjoyed a boat trip on the Dalian Lake.

The pink-and-white lotus, boundless paddy fields, green lotus leaves and egrets flying amid the lotus add a splash of color to the area and present the picturesque Jiangnan watertown scenery.

In the center of the lake lies a big artwork “Dream Lotus” by famous artist Chen Yiming, and its white petals look like doves of peace ready to fly high.

Most village residents are middle-aged and seniors. The west region of Qingpu boasts many intangible cultural heritages such as dragon boat, Lianxiang dance and tianshange (folk songs sung in the field by farmers).

The region’s traditional specialty products such as blueberry, rice and lotus root are now well known to both Shanghai residents and tourists.

Lianhu Village’s jiaobai (wild rice shoots) leaf weaving technique, which dates back 200 to 300 years, is an intangible cultural heritage of the suburban district.

Zhang Xing in her 30s has been dedicated to the protection and promotion of the traditional technique. She established a workshop and led nearly 40 villagers to improve their weaving technique through training.

Their products have now been made more practical, becoming bags, storage baskets and meal plates.

Confronted with aging handicraft artisans, Zhang called on women sitting idle at home to learn the weaving techniques.

With nimble figures, they turn jiaobai leaves into exquisite works like pendants, cup mats, bags and various baskets.

“I am happy to return to my hometown and make my own contribution to its development,” said Zhang. “I am confident that we will pass the heritage from generation to generation.”

Jinze, Zhujiajiao and Liantang are the three watertown pearls.

The town of Jinze may not be as famous as Zhujiajiao, but it is certainly worth a visit for its tranquility and unique charm.

Jinze, a 3A national tourist attraction, is known for its old bridges. It features seven different styles dating back to the Song, Yuan (1271-1368), Ming and Qing dynasties, earning it the title of “the No. 1 bridge town in Jiangnan.”

During its peak in the Song Dynasty, there were 42 bridges across rivers in the town.

The oldest and biggest, Wan’an Bridge, was built around 1260 with two Buddha temples that are nowhere to be found today.

Wan’an means “all people live a good life.” The tradition of worshipping the Buddha has remained as niches are placed near the bridge.

Unlike Zhujiajiao, there has been limited commercialization in Jinze.

Instead of large numbers of tour groups or people posing for photographs on bridges, what you can see here are cobblestone streets with mottled or sometimes shabby walls.

It has a laid-back atmosphere. People may encounter a stray cat fleeing from your feet and seniors taking a nap in the sun.

“I have visited other watertowns in Shanghai such as Qibao and Zhujiajiao, but Jinze is different,” said Lynn Wu, 38, an eSports industry employee, who attended a recent matchmaking event in the town. “It is tranquil and has its own flavor.”

Liantang, a Jiangnan-style watertown, is known for its jiaobai and has an annual yield of around 52,000 tons.

Featureing idyllic landscape and tranquil ambience, the town is home to a memorial to Chen Yun (1905-95), an early leader of the Communist Party of China who served as a chief post-war economic planner.

Zhangma Village in Zhujiajiao is gaining in popularity thanks to a rural revitalization project.

The village’s rivers are crystal clear, and its traditional Jiangnan-style residences and lush greenery make it a popular getaway and have earned it the crown of “the nation’s most beautiful rural village.”

The village is flush with lavender and also has a blueberry garden. Pick-your-own flower option is available.

The region’s supreme ecological environment also brings in business opportunities.

The Huawei Research and Development Center project covering about 1.6 square kilometers of land has landed in Jinze Town.

With an investment of more than 10 billion yuan (US$1.49 billion), it will conduct research and development in areas such as terminal chips and Internet of Things, gathering about 30,000 science and technology R&D professionals.

“We were curious about Huawei’s choice in picking the west area of Qingpu instead of the east which is more developed, and then we realized that the area’s development advantage lies in its ecological strength,” said Zhao Huiqin, the district’s Party secretary. “Huawei opted for a world-class environment.”

The center is located in an area with seven diversified natural lakes and they look like “big and small pearls falling into a jade plate” when a bird’s-eye view is taken, forming a beautiful “blue pearl necklace.”

Reed marshes sway in the breeze, egrets fly and fish jump from crystal clear water.

The “blue pearl necklace” landscape belt is among the 29 key projects listed in the tourism blueprint of the district between 2018 and 2035.

Seizing on the opportunity of landing the Huawei project, a batch of innovation companies will be cultivated in the west region of Qingpu and an emerging industry cluster with global competitiveness will be created.

A financing town is also on the agenda. In the future, the “blue pearl necklace” will boast an industrial structure featuring financing and science and technology innovation as the key, and culture, tourism and health as support, injecting new vitality into the area.