Yangtze River’s First Beach: Shanghai 3-Day Trip (1)

Posted on 2020-12-24 16:30 Duration: 3 days Time: July With whom: Family How: Photography, Self-driv[...]

Posted on 2020-12-24 16:30
Duration: 3 days
Time: July
With whom: Family
How: Photography, Self-driving, Freestyle travel, Hiking, Budget travel, Weekend getaway
Places visited: Shanghai Changxing Island and Chongming Island
Travel location: Shanghai Changxing Island, Yangtze River’s First Beach
Originally, our itinerary did not include Changxing Island. Likely due to the immense fame of Chongming Island, we subconsciously overlooked this second-largest island of Shanghai. However, the roads here are somewhat confusing, and without much attention, we found ourselves in a tunnel, crossing the Yangtze River and arriving at Changxing Island. Adhering to the traditional Chinese philosophy of embracing the situation when you’re already there, we decided to stay and explore. With a relaxed three-day schedule, we decided to spend half a day on this island. Changxing Island is the closest island to Shanghai among the three islands of Chongming, known as the ‘Hometown of Oranges’ and ‘Hometown of Longevity’.
Due to the navigation system persistently instructing me to turn around, I exited the highway and took a right at the next opportunity, knowing that I would eventually reach the coast. After all, the most beautiful scenery of an island is typically along the coast and rivers. Although my hometown is located on the banks of the Yangtze River, viewing the river from a different perspective was a bit intriguing. ‘Yangtze River’s First Beach’? I finally found this scenic spot on the map and was somewhat puzzled: ‘This is the first beach of the Yangtze River, quite a bold claim.The claim is bold, and so is the popularity. Due to the pandemic, only one entrance to the first beach was kept open, which required us to walk quite a distance to find it. Despite this inconvenience, many people still came to the island for a weekend getaway.

The scenic area features a platform from which one can overlook the Yangtze River. Descending the stairs, you’ll find the large stone carving of ‘Yangtze River’s First Beach’ situated on the platform, quite imposing.

The name ‘First Beach’ does not imply that the river beach here is particularly vast. Rather, it is because Changxing Island is located at the mouth of the Yangtze River, adjacent to the East China Sea, hence the name. It’s not necessarily an act of arrogance.

This place was originally called Maozhu Wei, which seemed to be known for its bamboo. However, there are no bamboo forests visible now. In 2020, it was enclosed and became land. According to the water affairs flood control plan, it was necessary to build a flood embankment capable of withstanding a once-in-200-years flood.

In 2013, an investment of 320 million yuan was made to build an ecological green space that is 1800 meters long and 50-70 meters wide. This green space meets flood control requirements and provides Shanghai residents with a place to watch the river view up close.

Despite the convenience of air and land transportation, the Yangtze River remains the main channel for river transport. In the wide Yangtze River, large and small ships are busy moving forward, all carrying cargo. Perhaps living by the Yangtze River for too long, the scenery that others rave about does not impress me as much.To be perfectly honest, claiming to be the first beach doesn’t hold a significant advantage over the beach in Jiangyin. The river breeze is somewhat strong today, and with the overcast weather, there is no sense of heat at all. Walking along the riverside plank road, the gentle river wind blows, lifting long hair, truly making it a comfortable summer day.

In addition to the navigating vessels, there are also some large ships used as props. Indeed, without these ships, the vast Yangtze River would undoubtedly lose some of its charm. Along the Yangtze River is Jiangtan Park, which is elongated in shape. Similar to common parks, it consists of small bridges, flowing water, green plants, along with chairs and pavilions, which are the standard configurations for a park. However, the most enchanting aspect of this park is the ability to walk to the river’s edge at any time.

Beside the artificial mountains and streams, the greenery is lush, but the summer flowers are rather ordinary, and it seems that Jiangtan Park did not aim to create a world of blooming flowers. Occasionally seen plants like water lilies are also very common aquatic plants. The park also has areas suitable for children to play, such as a sand beach, which is not adjacent to the river but is a part of Jiangtan Park, of course, it is man-made. The real river beach cannot be accessed here.

Outside the river beach, the opposite side has not yet been completed, presumably to be developed into a resort.On the low hills, vast fields of verbena stretch out. If given another two years, the sea of flowers here will become quite substantial. A poem to remember:

“In search of peace on diverging roads,
The first beach of the vast Yangtze River.
Casting aside worries and swaying in the green shadows,
Adding laughter while leaning on the railing alone.”