A Day Trip to Fengxian Four Seasons Ecological Park and Shanghai Fish Park

Posted on 2020-06-28 16:49 The COVID-19 pandemic has been troubling people worldwide, but China has [...]

Posted on 2020-06-28 16:49
The COVID-19 pandemic has been troubling people worldwide, but China has managed it well, and Shanghai has done an excellent job in preventing imported cases with no mass infection events. It is still possible to go out and enjoy the fresh air by wearing masks. Having been confined by the pandemic for too long, I was eager to go out and breathe in the fresh air.

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On June 19th, upon waking up to a sunny and clear day, my mood was extremely pleasant. Originally, I had planned with a photography-loving colleague to visit the Xianyuan Park (Fengpu Four Seasons Ecological Park) in Fengxian, Shanghai, but the trip was postponed due to rain. Now, it was finally time to go.

The Fengpu Four Seasons Ecological Park, planned and designed by the Shanghai Modern Design Institute, has a green coverage rate of over 70% and features exotic scenery. The park is planted with arboreal trees, mid-layer colored leaves, flowering small trees, and apricot trees as the park’s characteristic species, complemented by various other flowering plants, creating a scene where one flower stands out while hundreds compete for beauty. The park includes various buildings such as cultural corridors, Islamic gardens, European castles, and French architecture, which complement the castles and villa areas outside the park, earning it the nickname ‘Shanghai’s Downton Abbey’.

Duration: 1 day
Time: June
Cost per person: 20 yuan
Companions: Friends
Activities: Photography, Free Travel, Budget Travel
The author visited these places: Shanghai Fengpu Four Seasons Ecological Park

The park is located at No. 515 Hanyi Road, Fengxian. I embarked on my journey at 7 am, taking the subway and transferring several times. Eventually, I boarded Line 5 from Xinzhuang to Huancheng East Road Station, exiting from Exit 1. There, I met up with my companions and walked more than 200 meters to the east. We arrived at Xianyuan Park after a total of 2 hours, entering without needing a ticket.

The sky was a stunning shade of blue, even more so when viewed through the lens of my phone camera. Let’s tour through the pictures. Reservations were not required, and the park wasn’t crowded, with only a temperature check at the entrance.

From the Si Xian Yin at the park entrance to the Song Xian Wall and the Yan Zi statue, the park follows a timeline that showcases the gradual evolution and development of ‘Xian Culture’ throughout the long history of Fengxian. This allows visitors to progressively learn and understand ‘Xian Culture’ as they walk through different scenes. Interestingly, Xianyuan was named by Emperor Yongzheng of the Qing Dynasty; a fact I was previously unaware of.

First, I visited the water garden, strolling by the pond surrounded by lush greenery and lotus flowers in full bloom. It was a scene that epitomized the phrase ‘the endless green lotus leaves touch the sky, and the lotus flowers in the sunlight are uniquely red.’ The European castle bell tower was reflected in the lake, with willows swaying by the shore, and walking in the shade of the trees was extremely comfortable.

However, photography enthusiasts who love capturing beauty were in their element, starting their shooting mode and posing in various forms under the hot sun, capturing shots with abandon.

—Serious photography enthusiasts set their focus and self-timer modes, capturing a group photo that turned out quite well. After waking up early, I felt a bit hungry and decided to eat the dry food and drinks I had brought with me. This not only lightened my load but also made me feel more relaxed. Following a short rest, I ventured into the French garden, which boasted European castles, bridges, sculptures, and lawns.

I continued my walk through the Islamic garden, but unfortunately, it was not open due to the danger of falling bricks and tiles from the top. This meant I couldn’t enter and see the true face of it. The pastoral scenery, featuring Dutch windmills to the north, was followed by a group of garden villas. As the weather turned cloudy in the afternoon, with clouds growing thicker, we began to leave and continued our journey on Line 5 to Jinhai Lake Station. From there, we walked to Shanghai Fish Year Feng Park, primarily to enjoy the lakeside scenery. The sunflowers were not in view, and the park was not connected to the Bubble Park and the museum; one had to exit from the entrance.

By the time we left, it was past 2 pm, and the place to take photos of sunflowers was two stops away. In fact, there is a more convenient route: taking the Fengxian Line 21 from Line 5, which is only three stops away and brings you right there. However, Bus No. 21 is infrequent, so we decided to walk. Along the way, we passed Kaiser Wedding Hotel, which had a very pleasant environment at the entrance, prompting us to stop and take pictures. Not far from the hotel lies the shooting location for Gesang flowers and sunflowers. Across Hupan Road, you’ll find the field of verbena.After walking two stops, we finally arrived. Forgetting the foot pain, we quickly took pictures. As an old man, I am a bit tired. I won’t take many pictures of verbena. Let’s take a break first.

After having a good rest, we came to the concentric knot and took a group photo again. We started to return at more than 4 o’clock, taking Bus No. 21 to the subway station of Line 5. We took the subway at 5 o’clock. When we got home, it was already 7 o’clock.

A whole day with 20,000 steps, I got tanned and exhausted, but I am very happy.

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