Festive fun at city parks and attractions

Traditional and cultural activities will be held at parks and other tourism venues in Shanghai to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival falling on Monday this year.

At the Guilin Park in Xuhui District, traditional rituals to worship the moon will be represented on the nights of Sunday and Monday. People wearing Hanfu, the ancient Chinese dress, will perform the rituals accompanied by ancient music.

Traditional Chinese operas like Kunqu and Yueju will be staged at the park. Visitors will also have tea and experience tea ceremonies amid guqin (Chinese zither) music.

Following traditional customs dating back 2,000 years, people will be invited to write down their wish and hang it on trees.

Poems related with the festival will be read and Mid-Autumn Festival handicrafts will be made.

The park built in 1929 is known for its dense woods of 1,000 osmanthus trees, making it best to appreciate the sweet blossoms in Shanghai. It is now full of the aroma of osmanthus in the air.

At the Fengjing Water Town in Jinshan District, visitors will be invited to make mooncakes, a traditional delicacy for the festival. Traditional Chinese operas will be performed on ancient stages.

The Guyi Garden in Jiading District where a fun folk custom festival will host a guzheng (Chinese zither) concert on Monday. An exhibition of China's intangible cultural heritage featuring ancient ornament, jewelry, lacquerware, bamboo carving and egg carving works is also held at the garden.

The Zuibaichi Park in Songjiang District will showcase traditional Chinese culture via calligraphy and painting exhibition and traditional operas, while the Donglin Temple in Jinshan will invite visitors to taste Zen tea and vegetarian mooncakes to celebrate the festival.