WITH the weather heating up, many Shanghai residents are looking to head to the suburbs for weekend outings. And what better way to escape the city bustle than spending a day relaxing and picking fruit and berries, then returning home laden with succulent goodies.

For young lovers looking to spend a sweet afternoon picking fruit and berries and falling in love - plus less romantically inclined fruit fans - loquats, pipa in Chinese, waxberries, known as yangmei, and blueberries, lanmei, are tasty options.

Here are some recommendations of places in and around Shanghai to have fun picking fruit and berries.

Waxberries

With their reddish purple color, juicy taste and sweet flavor, this month is the best time to bite into waxberries. But you'd better hurry as fresh waxberries don't last for long. The best way to enjoy a waxberry is simply to pick it from the tree, give it a wash and pop it directly into your mouth.

Here are some top spots for picking waxberries.

Changshu, Jiangsu Province

Famous not just for peonies but also waxberries, Changshu hosts a festival dedicated to the berry this month.

How to get there: Hujia Expressway - Jiajin Expressway - Zhuqiao Exit - Yanjiang Expressway - Changshu Exit



Xiandu, Hangzhou City, Zhejiang Province

The annual waxberry festival at Xiandu - which boasts famous picking spots at Ren'an Dongkui and Waimache - gets under way. Heitan and Dongkui waxberry varieties from Xiandu are renowned for their color, sweet flavor and thick flesh.

How to get there: Shanghai-Hangzhou Expressway - Hangzhou Raocheng Expressway - Xiandu (about 10 kilometers drive)



Xianju, Ningbo City, Zhejiang Province

Over the past 10 years, Xianju has established a reputation as "Waxberry Town" and is one of the main production areas and famous picking spots in China.

There are four main areas for picking berries: Xilu, Kantou, Tongqiao and Zhaoqiao.

How to get there: Shanghai-Hangzhou Expressway - Hangyong Expressway- Shangsan Expressway - Tiantai Exit - 104 National Expressway - Xianju



Majian, Lanxi City, Zhejiang Province

Majian boasts more than 25 square kilometers of waxberry trees, making it a berry picker's paradise.

How to get there: Shanghai-Hangzhou Expressway - Hangjinqu Expressway - Pujiang Exit - S314 Expressway - Majian



Yuyao, Ningbo, Zhejiang Province

Yuyao has a long history of waxberry growing, said to date back 7,000 years, and is often the first place people mention when talking about waxberries. It costs 30 yuan to 50 yuan per person for waxberry picking.

How to get there: Shanghai-Hangzhou Expressway - Hangzhou Raocheng Expressway - Hangyong Expressway - Yuyao Exit

Blueberries

For blueberry lovers, Pujiang Blueberry Garden in Xuku Village is a great place to visit.

Ticket: 100 yuan per person (maximum 100 people a day)

Booking in advance: 138-1762-9939

Loquats

Loquats are round or pear-shaped yellow fruit about 3 to 5 centimeters in length that grow in clusters. Ripening in early summer, they have a sweet flavor and smooth taste, a mix of peach, mango and citrus. Hangzhou's Tangqi Town, Suzhou's Xishan are some popular places to sample fresh loquat.


? Tourism Australia
The latest phase of Tourism Australia's global marketing campaign, "There's Nothing Like Australia," was launched on Wednesday in China - Australia's fastest growing and most valuable overseas tourism market.
Tourism Australia will spend approximately A$180 million (US$179 million) over the next three years rolling out the evolving campaign in its key international markets and in Australia. It expects to achieve a total investment of A$250 million by securing up to A$70 million in additional funding from industry partners to support joint marketing activities, aimed at promoting Australia with a clear and consistent voice.
In addition to a new broadcast ad and print executions, the campaign boasts a strong digital and social media focus. Other elements include a new, interactive tablet app and hub on www.australia.com, to take customers further into the stories played out in the ad and provide more information on the locations.
Tourism Australia Managing director Andrew McEvoy said the latest iteration of the campaign builds on an already successful and established platform by highlighting some of Australia's best tourism attractions, experiences and products that showcase why there is nothing quite like Australia.
He added that China presented an opportunity to deliver around 900,000 annual visitors worth up to A$9 billion a year for Australia by decade's end.
The soundtrack for the ad, "It's like Love," is co-written and performed by Australian singer-songwriter, Dewayne Everettsmith, and American viola player, Jasmine Beams.

? Emirates
Emirates, which recently launched its new global brand platform Hello Tomorrow, is aiming to strike a chord with music fans around its network by asking them to help create the ultimate musical mash up.
The airline's Harmony campaign invites participants to interact with a specially commissioned musical composition, which has been recorded by professional musicians playing traditional instruments from around the world, such as the harp, taiko drum, bass guitar, saxophone, shekere and Indian flute.
Visitors to the Harmony site at www.emiratesharmony.com can browse the various instrumental arrangements and mash them up to create different versions of the score. The overall arrangement of the composition has been designed to ensure that all possible instrumental combinations sound perfect together.
Harmony fans can also add their own talents to the mix by recording themselves performing the score on a webcam or microphone and uploading the video or audio files to the Harmony Gallery. Submissions which impress the Emirates judges will be uploaded on to the airline's dedicated YouTube channel.


? Stampede Karting
Address: Section C, Basement, 1288 Zhenguang Rd, near Meichuan Rd
Tel: 6139-5095

? Orden Bowling Center
Address: 10 Hengshan Road, near Gao'an Rd
Tel: 6474-6666

? Shanghai Swimming Pool
Address: 1300 Zhongshan Rd S2, near Tianyaoqiao Rd
Tel: 6438-2372

? Shanghai Badminton Club
Address: East China Normal University, 3663 Zhongshan Rd N., near Jinshajiang Rd
Tel: 6223-3602

? Sheshan Golf Estate Country Club
Address: Sheshan National Tourism Resort, 288 Linyin Rd, near Jiasong Rd S.
Tel: 5779-8088

? Shanghai International Tennis Center
Address: 516 Hengshan Rd, near Wuxing Rd
Tel: 6415-5588

? Active Kidz Shanghai
Address: 3333 Hongmei Rd, near Yan'an Rd W.
Tel: 6406-6757

? Isis Belly Dance Club
Address: Bldg 6, 69 Ruijin No. 2 Rd, near Nanchang Rd
Tel: 5382-7238

? Shanghai Century Star Skating Club
Address: B2/F, Mercedes-Benz Arena, 1200 Expo Ave, Pudong
Tel: 6833-6786

? Dino Beach
Address: 78 Xinzhen Rd, near Gudai Rd
Tel: 64783-3333