Peak day warning for visitors
About 100,000 people are expected to flock to the Gucun Park on peak days during the festival. The park is expecting more visitors in early April when most of the cherry flowers will be in bloom.
The park can handle 120,000 visitors at a time, but its entry will be limited to 96,000 people, or 80 percent of its maximum capacity, to ensure safety.
More subway trains will be pressed into service to clear the park if the number of tourists surpasses the park’s maximum capacity of 120,000, said Qin Weixu, deputy director with Baoshan District’s transport commission. Ten shuttle buses will be on standby to transport large numbers of visitors to the nearest stations of Metro Line 1, 3 and 7.
Authorities have this year allocated 2,000 extra parking spaces. A total of 5,400 cars can be parked at one time.
More shared bikes will be dispatched around the park to encourage visitors to take green transport to the nearest Metro or bus stations. Staff will patrol the parking areas for shared bikes to prevent them from blocking roads or pedestrian ways.
To ensure the security and order during peak days, the district police will assign around 1,200 police officers, armed police and security guards to the park, Zhang Yi, a senior officer with the Baoshan police, said.
The police will also guide the large stream of people to nearby Metro stations. More traffic signs will be added to guide drivers to park at less crowded parking lots. Officers will patrol across the popular sites within the park to crack down on theft.
Last year, a record of 182,966 visitors visited the park on April 3 during the Qingming Festival holiday.
Tickets for this year’s event costs 20 yuan (US$3) for adults and 10 yuan for students. A 4-yuan discount is offered to people between 60 and 64 years old on production of a valid identity card or passport. Visitors over 65 years old can enjoy free admission.
Women inspired to get active
Apart from cultural and tourism promotions, the Baoshan District government also aims to encourage women to take a more active part in sports and develop a healthier lifestyle.
Over 3,000 women took part in a 10- kilometer jogging event on March 11. The runners, in pink T-shirts, jogged through the cherry blossom forest.
Former athletes including Cao Yanhua, a former table tennis world champion, and Zhu Yunying, former national volleyball team player, led the runners. Six “elite female” groups, composed of female doctors, professors, entrepreneurs and government officials, ran ahead of other runners to encourage more women to take part in sports activities, the Baoshan sports authority said.
“Though I may not be able to finish the whole race, I want to showcase my positive attitude to life,” said Zhou, an accountant with a Baoshan-based company.
The annual running event, which was launched last year, is part of the government’s efforts to develop Baoshan, a former industrial base, into the city’s “sports town.”
“More such public sports events will be held regularly to attract more residents to participate,” said Chen Taifeng, director of the Baoshan District Sports Center.
Currently, the district hosts some 1,200 sports events and competitions every year, with more than 900,000 Baoshan residents — or nearly half of its population — taking part, according to the district’s sports bureau.
