Enjoy folk culture over the May Day holiday

Fengjing Ancient Town [Photo/IC]

There will be plenty to do in the city over the upcoming four-day May Day holiday with more than 70 activities planned, including folk cultural celebrations, flower shows and exhibitions, the city’s tourism authorities said yesterday.

At Fengjing Ancient Town in Jinshan District, traditional wedding performances and Chinese operas will give visitors an insight into local folk culture and customs, according to the Shanghai Administration of Culture and Tourism.

Guangfulin  Relics Park [Photo/IC]

Guangfulin Relics Park in Songjiang District will organize tai chi performances and traditional Chinese opera appreciation.

Azalea exhibitions are at Fangta Park and Zuibaichi Park in Songjiang, while the latter will host a calligraphy art exhibition, a hanfu (traditional Han Chinese dress) display, as well as Kunqu Opera performances.

Azalea exhibition at Zuibaichi Park [Photo/IC]

Face-changing performances of Sichuan Opera, magic and acrobatics, Suzhou pingtan (a music or oral storytelling genre) and guzheng (Chinese zither) performances will be held at Shanghai Grandview Garden in Qingpu District, the fictional residence of the rich family in the classic “A Dream of Red Mansions,” from May 1 to 3.

The Oriental Pearl TV Tower in the Pudong New Area will invite visitors to light up the tower at night via an interactive installation in a free activity, but which requires reservations.

China Maritime Museum in Pudong will host submarine and pottery-making activities.

Gourmets are invited to Jinjiang Amusement Park in Minhang District where a night market will feature delicacies from Shanghai, Taiwan, Sichuan and Shaanxi.

A free concert at Xujiahui Park in Xuhui District is on May 4, while stories behind the old villas on Wukang Road and in the Hengfu (Hengshan and Fuxing roads) Historical Conservation Zone will be shared at Xuhui District Tourist Service Center on Wukang Road the same day.

An intangible cultural heritage photo exhibition at the Qian Xuesen Library on Huashan Road features the work of 13 photographers of Shanghai’s folk cultural performances and art, and handmade crafts.

Walking tours into Xujiahui, Hengfu and West Bund will be held on May 1.

Laowaijie, or Foreigners Street, on Hongmei Road, will stage a pet event on May 4.

The Songze archeological site museum in Qingpu will host cloth-weaving activities from May 1 to 3.

A fireworks festival will take place at Jinshan City Beach on May 1, lasting around an hour.

The Shanghai International Flower Show is underway at Shanghai Botanical Garden in Xuhui, while there’s a forest flower exhibition at Gongqing Forest Park in Yangpu District.

A camping festival and water-cycling competition will be held at the Oriental Land in Qingpu during the holiday.