Activities galore as Shanghai gears up for Chinese New Year festivities
From exhibitions and concerts to temple fairs and light shows, Shanghai is laying out a warm welcome for tourists to experience authentic Chinese Lunar New Year flavors and celebrate the Spring Festival, which falls on February 10, with about 200 activities rolled out across the city.
The activities range from exhibitions and performances to delicacies and exploration events, enriching the holiday experience of both tourists and residents, it was revealed at a press conference on Thursday.
During the eight-day holiday, more than 200 museums, art galleries and cultural venues across the city will host over 70 exhibitions, some of whose durations would extend beyond the holiday.
As 2024 marks the Year of the Dragon, Shanghai will host an array of dragon-themed activities at main shopping circles and tourist attractions, which is estimated to attract 10 million visits, the press conference heard.
At some popular attractions such as the Shanghai Disney Resort, Oriental Pearl TV Tower and Shanghai Happy Valley, Spring Festival bazaars will be held.
The city's culture and tourism authorities have released English-version chunlian, or Spring Festival couplets, and vlogs featuring "Shanghai International Tourism Ambassadors" celebrating Spring Festival in Shanghai, inviting foreign friends to join in the celebration.
The city has prepared 30 performances catering to foreigners such as immersive Broadway musical "Natasha, Pierre and The Great Comet of 1812" at the Shanghai Grand Theater.
About 800 local public sports facilities will be open during the holiday.
Between February 3 and 29, 10 parks will host 12 Spring Festival activities and five lectures.
The Shanghai Botanical Garden will put on display about 80 varieties of plants related to the Chinese zodiac and 50 varieties of nianxiao flowers (Spring Festival flowers).
Beautiful melodies will resound at Xujiahui Park in collaboration with the Shanghai Conservatory of Music.
An exhibition featuring spring flowers such as peony and azalea is ongoing at the Shanghai Chenshan Botanical Garden.
Some highlighted activities and exhibitions:
"Who is Leonardo da Vinci?"
As one of the series of "A Dialogue with the World Exhibition Series of Arts and Cultural Relics" at the Shanghai Museum, it is the most exhaustive exhibition of Leonardo da Vinci's masterpieces in China.
It is the first time the museum is presenting an original exhibition of the dialogue between Eastern and Western art, as well as the most vivid representation of Da Vinci's (1452-1519) original works ever shown in China.
If you go:
Date: through April 14
Venue: Shanghai Museum 上海博物馆
Address: 201 People's Avenue, Huangpu District 黄浦区人民大道201号
A poster of the "Who is Leonardo da Vinci?" exhibition
Stars Over China: The Ancient Shu Civilization of Sanxingdui and Jinsha
The exhibition displays 363 heavyweight artifacts and is the largest display of ancient Shu civilization relics unearthed outside Sichuan Province. Some exhibits will make their debut following repairs.
The exhibition lifts the mysterious veil on the ancient Shu civilization with three display themes.
Date: February 2-May 20
Venue: Shanghai Museum's East Branch 上海博物馆东馆
Address: 1952 Century Avenue, Pudong New Area 浦东新区世纪大道1952号
A poster of the "Stars Over China: The Ancient Shu Civilization ofSanxingdui and Jinsha" exhibition
Meet Vassal King (Haihunhou) – Exhibition of relices unearthed from the tomb of Liu He
This features 110 exquisite relics unearthed from the tomb of Liu He (92–59 BC), who was emperor for 27 days during the Han Dynasty (202 BC–AD 220) before being overthrown by powerful ministers. After being exiled to Haihun, now Nanchang, in today's Jiangxi Province, Liu became its Vassal King (Haihunhou). The wealth of burial artifacts in Liu's tomb demonstrates that, despite his unsuccessful rule, he lived a lavish lifestyle in Haihun.
If you go:
Date: through May 19
Venue: Minhang Museum 闵行区博物馆
Address: 1538 Xinzhen Road, Minhang District 闵行区新镇路1538号
A poster of the Meet Vassal King (Haihunhou) exhibition at Minhang District Museum
Space art exhibition
Lantern exhibitions, music concerts and folk culture workshops are among the Spring Festival celebration activities at The INLET, a shopping and cultural complex in Shanghai's downtown Hongkou District. It has invited nine sets of artists to tailor dragon-themed lanterns and installations for the century-old alley.
Visitors can scan the information board beside each installation to know the story behind each dragon, and take part in an interactive game to win prizes before finding all the nine dragons in the shikumen (stone-gate house) lanes.
If you go:
Date: through March 17
Venue: The INLET 今潮8弄
Address: Intersection of Sichuan Rd N and Wujin Rd, Hongkou District 虹口区四川北路武进路口
A poster of celebration at The INLET
Temple fair and light show
Shanghai Film Park will replicate the Spring Festival celebration scenes in the city from the 1930s and 1940s. There will be temple fairs and dragon light shows. A nianhuo (New Year goods) bazaar will serve authentic Shanghai delicacies and people will be invited to make jiaozi, or dumplings, and tangyuan (glutinous rice balls with sweet or salty fillings) and enjoy lion and dragon dances.
If you go:
Date: February 4-24
Venue: Shanghai Film Park 上海影视乐园
Address: 211 Cheting Highway, Songjiang District 松江区车亭公路211号
Marking the Year of the Dragon
