Expats enjoy strawberry and blossom festivals
Shot by Jiang Xiaowei. Edited by Jiang Xiaowei. Subtitles by Hu Min.
There is no better time than now to sink your teeth into sweet and succulent strawberries, and some expatriates enjoyed a dual feast over the weekend.
A strawberry and blossom festival in the Jiading Industrial Zone opened at Lijiang Ecological Park amid pleasant spring weather on Saturday.
Learning local folk dance.
A fun orienteering championship attracted about 100 attendees from home and abroad. And the district's intangible cultural heritage items such as Chadan dance, a local folk dance with hundred year of history, ceramics making and Loutang food triggered the interest of expats, who experienced the unique charm of traditional Chinese culture.
They also enjoyed picking strawberries.
Hunting for ripe berries.
Scott Stockton from the United States said he experienced eight different activities.
"This is my first time here and it's very interesting," he said. "Some of the activities were very fun. Some were physical competitions, and some of them were more cultural. I ate some delicious snacks, and strawberries were my favorite.
"It was very sweet and reminds me of the taste of spring," said Stockton. "I were having a lot of fun with my friends, and this is a really excellent day."
A university teacher, it is his second year in Shanghai. He lives in Jiading.
"Jiading is very nice, and there are a lot of very interesting parks," he said. "The lifestyle in Jiading is more comfortable and more relaxing."
Expats try their hands at making snacks.
Alisa Ashley from Arizona, the United States, had just arrived in Shanghai on Tuesday.
"It is my first time to China, and I really like Shanghai," she said. "Today was beautiful. We had so much fun, playing the games, picking strawberries, just getting out in nature, and everybody is so friendly and helpful.
"I have been to a lot of large cities, and for a large city, it's the cleanest I have been in, and the most friendly," she said when talking about her impression of Shanghai.
"The strawberries are delicious, and I think it's the best strawberry I have ever tasted," she said with a grin.
A race around the yard.
As two traditional festivals of the industrial zone, it is the first time that the strawberry festival in its 7th version and the flower festival have been held together.
The festivals aim to boost rural revitalization and empower the industrial development of the zone, officials said.
Dengta Village where the festival is held is known as the "hometown of strawberry" with planting space amounting to 1,065 mu.
Frisbee throwing is fun.
At Lijiang Ecological Park, peach blossoms of early varieties have flowered, and pear and canola flowers are expected to blossom soon. Moreover, the park has planted about 10 cherry blossom trees this year, offering a blossoming visual feast.
People are invited to taste various local delicacies such as handmade rice cakes, Lijiang steamed cakes, Lijiang Meishan zongzi, or sticky rice dumplings, caotoubing (a cake made of toothed burclover), and Loutang tabing (pancakes). They can also experience diversified rural activities such as making steamed cakes, zongzi, vegetable picking, camping and barbecue, milking cows and digging spring bamboo shoots during the festival.
The blossom festival will run through May 12.
Twirling a hoop.
If you go:
Venue: Jiading Industrial Zone
Address: 5088 Shuangzhu Highway, Jiading District 嘉定区霜竹公路5088号
Ripe strawberries are delicious.
