GUCUN Park's second annual Cherry Blossom Festival is about to bloom. Organizers say they have learned from last year's experience and as a result, visitors can expect fewer hassles and much more convenience this spring. Fei Lai reports.

Spring is in the air. It is high time to enjoy a romantic walk under the cherry blossoms.

No need to visit Japan to celebrate this cherry blossom season, Gucun Park at Baoshan District has it all.

The Cherry Blossom Festival will kick off on March 30 and run through April 28, with a ticket price of 20 yuan (US$3.16), the same as last year. It is the second straight year the district has held the event.

The cherry blossoms will bloom later this year due to the rainy winter and high humidity. According to the organizer, the best dates to visit the park will be from April 10 to 15.

Event highlights

This year, more than 20 hectares of cherry trees have been added, making the grove more than 33.33 hectares this year.

The largest forest park in the city has 28 cherry tree species and 6,500 trees. The blossoms range in color from pink, purple, white and more.

At present, most flowers are still buds.

Cherry trees are mainly in the Sakura Forest and Sakura Zone. The forest features more than 6,000 cherry trees and 28 species. Sakura Zone covers more than 25,000 square meters. It features around 500 cherry trees.

It is a tradition for many Chinese to enjoy the blossoms in springtime.

There's also a saying that people will meet their true love after walking under the blooms. As such, the "Matchmaking of Cherry Blossom" event is for singles on April 8.

"Appreciation of Cherry Blossom" is a beauty contest that will be held on April 7. Visitors can select the 10 most beautiful cherry trees from a shortened list. Participants can also enter a lucky draw on April 20 and win one of five prizes.

The five prizes will be tickets to the park, tickets to Baoshan International Folk Museum, coupons to the park's gym, dining coupons at Hengshan Beijiao Hotel and tickets to the 4D cinema.

"Beauty of Cherry Blossom" is a photography contest. From March 28 to April 22, visitors can take pictures of the blossoms and submit their works.

"Show of Cherry Blossom" features weekly shows by performers from universities and communities.

"Charm of Cherry Blossom" includes traditional opera performances and cultural lectures. Artists will be on hand to paint and write calligraphy at the cherry tree grove while tea experts will give tea-making performances. It will be held on April 8.

Improved management

Last year, the Cherry Blossom Festival attracted more than 700,000 people, far exceeding the district government's estimate.

Since it was the first festival and it coincided with Tomb Sweeping Day, the local government faced great challenges handling the large numbers of visitors.

Many park visitors climbed onto the fragile cherry trees, picked flowers or branches and left garbage everywhere.

Some people even made wreaths with the branches they picked from the trees, placed it on their head and took pictures "as if they were ancient Greek goddesses."

There were long lines of people waiting to buy tickets and long queues outside the limited number of toilets.

This year, district authorities will add 200 volunteers to help maintain order, add more toilets, parking berths and ticket stalls.

Fei Fugen, chief operator of the festival, said the park can now serve some 150,000 visitors per day, with the peak expected on April 10.

The festival is expected to attract 1 million visitors this year, said Yan Lilun, director of the Baoshan District Tourism Administration.

"We're fully prepared," Yan said. "We did a lot of work to resolve the problems we had last year so people will find the experience more enjoyable this year.

"Visitors can buy tickets on the site within minutes. Plus, 200 temporary litter bins and 12 portable toilets have been added."

Officials promised no traffic jams like those of last year, when tens of thousands of people visited during the Qingming break. The parking lots now have 4,000 spaces, up by 1,100.

Fei said the situation is expected to be better this year as the best blossoming period will occur after the Qingming Festival.


It's nice to take a stroll under cherry blossoms, boating on the lake and cycling around the park.
With a lovely display of white and pink cherry blossoms, it's no surprise the biggest suburban ecological park in Shanghai is regarded as one of the most romantic places in the city during spring.
With a planned area of 430 hectares, the park is designed to be the "green lung" of Shanghai, containing plenty of trees, shrubs and a habitat for wild animals and birds.
Since Gucun Park is at least twice the size of Century Park, there is plenty to do and see.

Folk museum
Baoshan International Folk Museum, a key project of intangible cultural heritage in Shanghai, promotes local cultural heritage and attaches a great emphasis on exchanges with international folk artists.
During the cherry blossom festival, the seventh Baoshan International Folk Arts Festival and a photo exhibition will be held here.
Located at the junction of Hutai Road and the outer ring road, the museum is within the park.
The design concept of the entire complex comes from the shape of a Chinese knot decoration, which is also an auspicious folk symbol.
Being one of the landmarks of Baoshan, the two-floor building is eye-catching. Its first floor features eight exhibition halls. Here, visitors can learn about intangible cultural heritages and folk culture from Shanghai and around the world.

Entertaining
The park provides a variety of entertainment for kids. From carousels to little trains, from a pirate ship to dodgems, the site offers parents and children a chance to relax and having fun.
In the chocolate creative zone, children can see how chocolate is made from scratch. A new 4D cinema will be open before the cherry blossom festival.

Sporting
Those who love sports can play soccer, tennis, basketball or table tennis. During the cherry blossom festival, they can also enter yoga and belly dance workshops during weekends.

Ticket
Last year, the first day of the cherry blossom festival welcomed 18,000 tourists. The second and the third day saw more than 100,000 people turn up.
This year, Baoshan government is prepared for a peak of 100,000 to 150,000 visitors per day. There will be 30 ticket stalls, including 16 fixed wickets.
Huang Aihua, an official from ecological specialized projects department of Baoshan District, said it will likely to take a maximum of eight minutes to buy a ticket this year.

Dining
Many tourists found the lack of food the biggest problem last year.
However, this year, the local authority has promised that 50,000 to 60,000 visitors can have lunch at one time.
Hengshan Beijiao Hotel, a barbecue grill house beside the river and several other restaurants in the hotel have recently opened. Besides, a food street has opened in the center of Sakura Forest, where snacks such as stinky tofu, fried noodles and dumplings will be available.
Restaurants outside the park will also compete for business.

Toilets
A lack of toilets last year meant many children had to pee on the ground. Twelve portable toilets have been added this year and the local authority believes this will be sufficient.