Home » Sunday » City Scene
Last hurrah of autumn palette
Print Edition
AFTER a shorter-than-usual autumn, winter has officially arrived in Shanghai, according to meteorological authorities. Though you may have to bundle up, it’s not too late to get out and enjoy the last vestiges of colorful autumn foliage.
The city’s many parks provide excellent venues for viewing vibrant gold and crimson leaves, many swirling in breeze before gently settling on the ground to create crunch underfoot.
Zhu Hongxia, deputy director of the Shanghai Park Management Center, said the parks offer not only stunning seasonal scenery but also a greater variety of wildlife than in the past.
The overall environment of the city’s parks has improved in the past few years, he noted. In larger venues, like Gongqing Forest Park, Binjiang Forest Park, Huaxia Park and Century Park, bird life has proliferated amid plant species relocated from the wild.
In the past decade, Shanghai has definitely become greener, with dozens of new and expanded parklands. But the seasonal palette needed enlarging.
“In spring we have flowers, but in the fall, we mostly had green — evergreens,” Zhu said.
In the mid-1990s, Shanghai began what it called the “spring scenery, fall colors” project. The goal was to add more color to the autumn and winter park landscapes. Trees like Chinese tulip poplars, ginkgos, goldenrain trees and red maple (Acer rubrum) were planted.
The ginkgo copse in front of the Shanghai Concert Hall has become one of the most popular fall foliage viewing spots in Shanghai. The trees, which are indigenous to China, tolerate urban pollution and are resistant to disease, turn golden yellow in the autumn.
But if you are looking for a sea of brilliant red foliage, head to the Jing’an Sculpture Park, where a large number of red maples were planted in the run-up to Shanghai Expo 2010.
“The red maples become more beautiful as the weather cools,” Zhu said. “If you walk among ginkgo and maples, the combination of red and gold is striking. The buttonwood trees are also very beautiful in autumn. I visit this park every year.”
Older venues, like Gongqing Forest Park, are especially scenic now because more mature trees turn color more easily than younger ones.
“Autumn in Shanghai is so much more beautiful than in the past,” Zhu said. “And you don’t necessarily have to go to a park to enjoy it. The city has 18 streets lined with trees that turn color, giving people the opportunity to enjoy the season in their own neighborhoods.”
As leaves fall, late autumn red berries on some shrubs and privets add a splash of color to the drab winter months.
The Shanghai Park Management Center has published five walking routes for those who want to view and photograph the fall landscape at its finest.
The metropolitan route
This journey starts in Shanghai Houtan Park (Expo Area C, Shibo Avenue), a wetland park built on a former industrial site. From there, stroll along Jinxiu Road to the Biyun community to see the London plane trees.
Walk down Keyuan Road. In addition to the plane trees, you will see a goldenrain tree species called Koelreuteria bipinnata Franchet. The journey concludes at Century Park, where forested areas are home to finches and other birds.
The heritage tree and garden route
Set off to the ancient tree garden (230 Taihai Road, Guangming Village) in the Jiading District, where the oldest ginkgo trees in Shanghai survive after more than two centuries. The tree numbered 0001 is the king of the garden. It is more than 24 meters tall, with a crown diameter of 20 meters.
Proceed to Guyi Garden, where you can rest amid ginkgos by the small estuary Ximen Gaotou (西门高头).
The childhood memory route
This nostalgic journey for locals starts at the small forest in Caoyang New Village, where London plane trees are gold and red in this season. Then walk through Yili Road to view golden ginkgos, before arriving at the Gongqing Forest Park.
The Shanghai spirit route
This autumn amble in downtown Shanghai is the most accessible for urban dwellers. Start on People’s Avenue and walk to the Shanghai Concert Hall to see the golden ginkgo, then stroll down Hengshan and Xinghua roads amid the London plane trees before arriving at the Jing’an Sculpture Park to enjoy the vibrant red maples.
The sweet tangerine route
For an autumn outing further afield, go to Hengsha Island, an islet at the mouth of Yangtze River. It’s accessible by ferry.
Start on Xinmeng Road and travel to Xinlian Road for a view of the golden dawn redwood trees, then take some time to enjoy the shoals of the Yangtze River, where water birds abound.
The island is famous for its citrus, and autumn is the tangerine harvest season, so be sure to include the orchards around Dongbin or Mindong roads on the itinerary.
Red maple 红花槭
Scientific name: Acer rubrum
The red maple is a common deciduous tree that originated in eastern North America.
The mature trees grow to a height of around 15 meters. The flowers, petioles, twigs and seeds of the tree are all red.
In autumn, the foliage turns bright scarlet. Red maples are highly adaptable to a range of environments, making them popular trees to plant.
There are numerous cultivars of red maple. In China, the most popular include Red Sunset, October Glory, Autumn Flame, Burgundy Bell and Sun Valley.
- 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.
