| This is another section of 东方绿舟 Oriental Green Boat. The last three characters can be seen beneath the water. This may or may not be the "kissing water platform" described in the park's information. The name is a literal translation from Chinese. Even in Chinese it is poetic, not descriptive, but it you've ever stood at the bottom of a waterfall you know it would capture the feeling nicely. The chickens remind us that this is also an amusement park where families bring their kids for a day out, not just for lessons.
In addition to this 922.5 acre park (5,200 mu, 373 hectares) on Dianshan Lake, there is a second park close by that covers a further 190 acres (77 hectares). Méi Yuán2 梅园 or "tree garden" is a cross between an arboretum and a theme park. It has over 5,000 strains of trees of 40 different varieties. It also has a recreation of the garden and buildings from A Dream of Red Mansions (红楼梦 Hóng Lóu Mèng) by Cao Xueqin， a famous Chinese novel. (The link will take you to Project Gutenberg's listing for Cao Xueqin. It is an engaging and readable novel.)
In other sections they have recreated traditional Jiangnan architecture and garden landscaping. In early spring, according to their material, an extraordinary scent floats through the park from the newly opened plum blossoms.
Dianshan Lake is the source of the Huangpu River that runs through Shanghai between the Bund and Pudong areas. The two parks cover 1112.5 acres of land, both parks make use of extensive water resources. In addition to the 922.5 acres of land occupied by the Green Boat, it has rights to a further 329.5 acres (2,000 mu, 133 hectares) of water usage on Dianshan Lake. At least the parks should prevent industrial development on the lake shore, but levels of source waters are critical to the health of a river.
China Index >> History of Shanghai and Suzhou Region >> Jiangnan, Rural Shanghai
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http://hua.umf.maine.edu/China/shanghai3.html
Last update: February 2007
© Marilyn Shea 1996, 1999, 2002, 2007
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