Special lanterns light up Guyi Garden, in celebration of the upcoming Chinese New Year. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
As Spring Festival approaches, scenic spots and shopping malls in Shanghai's Jiading district are rolling out diverse activities to usher in the upcoming Year of the Dragon, which falls on Feb 10 this year.
To mark the most celebrated traditional festival in China, Jiading district will see a variety of celebrations on offer for residents to immerse themselves in the festive atmosphere, including lantern shows, cultural performances, riddle guessing, exhibitions and markets featuring intangible cultural heritages.
Many of the activities will run all the way through to Lantern Festival, an annual milestone event on the 15th day of the first lunar month. It is often regarded as the end of the Chinese New Year celebrations, and falls on Feb 24 this year.
Here are some locations in the district hosting Spring Festival celebrations.
No 1 Anting Old Street
Event date: Jan 1 - Feb 24
Address: Xinyuan Road and Changji Road Crossing, Anting town, Jiading district
Themed "Blessing", the ongoing Chinese New Year celebration at Anting Old Street features the Yongan Pagoda's first appearance after restoration. Running from Jan 1 to Feb 24, the celebration includes colorful activities and installations such as drums, mailboxes and praying cards, along with special coffee, food and creative products being offered.
No 2 Life Hub@Anting
Event date: Jan 1 - Feb 25
Address: At the junction of the Cao'an Highway and South Moyu Road, Anting town, Jiading district
Working with local paper-cutting artist Wang Jianzhong, the Life Hub@Anting has set up paper-cutting decorations featuring dragon elements, which marks the zodiac creature of the upcoming Chinese New Year.
From Jan 13 to Feb 25, the mall is set to offer shopping discounts and present a slew of interactive activities to promote traditional Chinese culture and customs. Notably, it will offer lion and dragon dance performances on Feb 10, with more shows on intangible culture heritages and Valentine's Day to follow.
No 3 Guyi Garden
Event date: Feb 4 - Feb 25
Address: 218 Huyi Highway, Nanxiang town, Jiading district
Starting from Feb 4, the Chinese New Year celebration at Guyi Garden will last till Feb 25. Featuring traditional Chinese culture and intangible cultural heritage elements, the garden will offer visitors a feast of colorful lanterns and festive folk customs.
Taking the 12 Chinese flower goddesses as the main inspiration, the garden integrates Chinese culture, spirit and traditional arts into the lantern and decoration designs, while also embodying blessings for visitors and the nation.
Among the garden's abundant interactive activities are original riddle guessing games; paper-cutting experiences; calligraphy; shadow puppet plays; folk music performances; dragon and lion dances; and special exhibitions on seals, Chinese paintings, Huishan clay figurines and plum bonsai.
No 4 Nanxiang Incity Mega
Event date: Jan 12 - Mar 10
Address: 2299 Chenxiang Highway, Nanxiang town, Jiading district
Collaborating with domestic pop culture and art toy company Pop Mart, Nanxiang Incity Mega is hosting a special exhibition that runs through Mar 10, featuring the company's cute and latest products in limited editions.
In addition to offering favorable shopping coupons, the mall will also organize a slew of interactive activities such as pop-up stores, celebrity appearances and fan meetings during the Chinese New Year celebration.
No 5 Nanxiang Old Street
Event date: Feb 2 - Feb 25
Address: Nanxiang Ancient Town, Jiading district
The celebration at Nanxiang Old Street will run from Feb 2 to 25, featuring lantern shows, a plum exhibition, night markets and traditional Chinese culture performances.
Starting from Feb 1, several clusters of koi-shaped lanterns and sky lanterns have lit up the Jiefang and Renmin streets, which are also decorated with ancient Chinese poem elements. Calligraphers will gather at the Shuangta Square on Feb 6 to write and send out couplets with blessings. Night markets will be organized on Feb 21 to 25 to mark the Lantern Festival, along with flash mobs to be staged on Feb 24.
No 6 Wanda Plaza
Event date: Feb 8 - Feb 18
Address: 426 Shengxin Road, Jiading district
If you fancy some traditional Chinese culture and craftsmanship, you cannot miss the celebration at Wanda Plaza.
From Feb 8 to 18, the plaza will invite four local inheritors of intangible cultural heritage to showcase exquisite craftsmanship and offer interactive experiences. Visitors will be able to get close to and even participate in the making of traditional crafts such as Su embroidery, and Shanghai-style buckle and knot art.
No 7 Jiading Confucius Temple
Event date: Feb 24 4:30 pm - 8:30 pm
Address: 183 Nandajie Street, Jiading district
On Feb 24, this year's Lantern Festival, the Confucius Temple in Jiading district is set to organize a slew of interactive activities to bring visitors close to the district's history and traditional cultures.
The activities include riddle guessing, lantern shows, hanfu experiences, night markets selling festive delicacies, as well as the ancient game of touhu, also known as pitch-pot, which requires players to throw arrows from a distance into a pot.
Special drum, dance and opera performances will be staged during 6 pm to 8 pm to offer visitors an immersive experience of the ancient Lantern Festival.
Collaborating with domestic pop culture and art toy company Pop Mart, Nanxiang Incity Mega is hosting a special exhibition that runs through Mar 10. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]