What's happening in Minhang District in January
Lantern show fires up new year fervor
The 2023 Xinzhuang Lantern Show has kicked off, dazzling the district's Chunsheng Lake, Humin and Qixin roads, and major commercial malls like Xinzhuang VIVO InCity, CapitaLand Minhang Plaza and Skymall. At the opening ceremony on Wednesday night, a folk culture fair welcomed visitors with rabbit lanterns, Chinese sachets, Xinzhuang crochet decorations, sugar figures and Chinese calligraphy works for blessings. The lantern show, being held from 6pm to 9pm every night, will run through February 6.
Spring Festival flowers bloom
In the flower market on Jinhui Road, lilies, tulips, peonies, waxflowers and butterfly orchids are prominently displayed for sale to welcome the Year of the Rabbit. The average prices of freshly cut flowers has risen by about 50 percent over last year. Butterfly orchid, the best-selling Spring Festival flower in the market, is priced at around 35 yuan (US$5.2) a stalk, and 60-70 yuan in a pot. The market is open through the Spring Festival, with the usual daily business hours. The Lunar Chinese New Year starts on Sunday.
News in brief:
Metro line extension
Construction of Metro Line 12's western extension started on December 16. The extension line, stretching for 17.27 kilometers in Minhang and Songjiang districts, will have six stations. Passengers can transit to Metro Line 9 at Dongjing Station. The extension line will relieve traffic pressure on Line 9 while supporting the development of the Yangtze River Delta G60 High-tech Corridor.
Ecological farm listing
Fangyuan Ecological Agriculture Co, a Minhang-based agricultural cooperative, was listed as a 2022 China national-level ecological farm recently. The 22.7-hectare cooperative has planted more than 20 types of fruits, including loquat, nectarine, pear, grape, Hami melon and yellow peach. Chemical fertilizer usage in the farm has dropped by 10 percent annually for three consecutive years. Insect screens, bird repellent devices and scarecrows are used as eco-friendly ways to scare away birds and animals for good.
Circor's APAC strategy
Circor International recently set up its Asia-Pacific management and trading headquarters in the Hongqiao International CBD. The company – Saikong Kai (Shanghai) Trading Co – has a planned investment of 15 million yuan (US$2.2 million). Founded in 1999, Circor International is a world-leading United States-based flow control solutions provider. Its more than 40 brands cover sectors like control valve, pump, automatic re-circulation valve and regulating valve.
Maqiao recycles straws
Maqiao Town is promoting its low-carbon agricultural transformation through recycling straws. Acres of rice straws are collected, and then transported into a cooperative which uses its biological fermentation technology to produce nutritious bio-genesis soil conditioner.
Shopping street renewal
Wujing Town has spent 10 million yuan (US$1.48 million) in renovating its Guangnan Road commercial street. When completed, it will feature a cavern cafe, a camping-style canteen and some themed hotels. It is expected to welcome visitors with a fresh appearance this summer.
Smart market trial
A Fashion Park Smart Market started trial operation at 569 Yunle Road in Huacao Town. It has a wet market, a supermarket for imported food and some eateries. Each of its vendor booths is equipped with a smart electronic scale. Residents can trace information about the food through the receipt printed from the balance. At a specialized testing room, workers take samples of fresh vegetables, fruits, eggs and meat, and project the results on a digital screen.
Overpass elevators
Six pedestrian overpasses in Minhang have been newly equipped with elevators. The facilities will make traveling easier for people with disabilities and mobility impairments, and seniors in an aging society.
Old housing renovation
With the renewal of the second and third batches of old houses in Jiangchuan Road Subdistrict, Minhang has fully implemented its 50,000-square-meter old housing renovation project for 2022. Starting from 2019, Minhang launched its four-year housing renovation on its 26 old neighborhoods, 203 old residential buildings and 20 urban villages, with a total construction area of 720,000 square meters. By the end of last year, more than 8,000 households had benefited from the project, and the district had greatly improved its urban village environment.
Minhang Weibo:
A Song Dynasty (960-1279) folk kiln porcelain exhibition is on display at Meibo Art Museum in Li'an Park. More than 100 pieces of selected porcelain items from three ancient China folk kilns – Cizhou, Jizhou and Yaozhou – are on view. The venue is closed on Mondays and entrance is charged at 50 yuan (US$7.4) per person.
Thirty-four neighborhood miniature parks are slated to be completed before the Spring Festival, which starts on January 22. The miniature parks, mostly renovated from greenery spaces, will cover 14 subdistricts, towns and industrial zones in Minhang.
Two homestay service venues – the Yue Township Residents Accommodation in Gexin Village and the Yumm Chateau inside Pujiang Country Park – are included in Minhang's first batch of B&B model sites. The former is noted for its 20-hectare farmland for fruit-picking and specialty cuisine, whereas the latter offers tourists multiple outdoor entertainments.
Minhang Culture:
Qibao Tutoring Temple
Emperor Zhenzong of the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127) granted the name to the Qibao Tutoring Temple in 1008. The temple, located to the north of the Puhuitang River and to the west of the Hengli River, was destroyed during a bandit raid in the late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). Yet some of the remains, such as a bronze bell, a scripture and a corridor architecture, have been well preserved today. The surrounding area of the former site of the temple has been developed into the Qibao Ancient Town.
