From Shanghai Daily:
THE annual Peach Blossom Festival in Nanhui District began today, as peach blossoms bloomed three days later than last year due to heavy snow during the Spring Festival and a longer than expected period of low temperatures.
Most of the peach blossoms were still buds and experts from a local peach research institution said it was better to appreciate them at the beginning of next month (from April 2 to April 10). Some scenic sites, however, will still have peach blossoms in full bloom later this month.
The opening ceremony today also launched the mascot of the festival — the peach like "TaoTao" with big eyes and a pink face. Tourists can buy TaoTao at each peach flower spots during the festival.
This year's festival will have nine major events including a cooking skill competition and a golf tournament. As well, The Date on Saturday, the city most popular dating TV show, will have some of its episodes produced here.
First held in 1991, the festival usually attracts 500,000 fans each year. Visitors will also have the chance to buy local watermelons and chickens, said the festival host.
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..."In addition to the beauty of the flowers, peach blossoms can bring people good luck in love," smiled Liang.
An old Chinese saying suggests that anyone who meets his or her loved one under a blossoming peach tree will enjoy a lucky relationship.
The festival has added several events and other attractions over the years, since few will return year after year simply to look at peach trees.
Last year, many people were attracted to the event to watch a large fireworks show that lit up the district's dark sky.
This year, organizers have set up a 28-hectare tulip park with more than 3.2 million flowers.
Besides walking among the suburban peach trees, tourists will also have the opportunity to view the delicately cultivated tulips.
When completed, the tulip garden will also include windmills, and other typical architecture from Holland, a country closely associated with the cultivation of tulips.
If tulips and peaches aren't enough to attract you to Nanhui, perhaps the chance to walk along the district's beach and ports will draw you to the area.
City dwellers can also stop into the homes of many of the district's residents and enjoy some local delicacies, such as sanhuang chicken and big bowls or potherbs.
Last year, many downtown residents swarmed into the rural homes to enjoy the strange foods and play with farming tools.
Fruit and vegetable vendors in the area enjoy high sales during the festival, as tourists from urban parts of the city enjoy freshly picked produce. Some local farmers can earn more than 10,000 yuan (US$1,204) during the event.
"The blossom festival is just a byproduct of Nanhui's peaches, whose sweet taste is famous throughout the city," said Liang.
As the days get warmer day by day we're heading into the middle of Spring and it's blossom time! The exact dates of their flowering season is hard to gauge is it depends on weather patterns and location. It is usually around late March or early-mid April. Now, everybody knows about the famous cherry blossom (sakura さくら) season in Japan. But did you know there is blossom viewing in China, Korea and Taiwan as well, and in other parts of world?
But what got me thinking was... how many types of fruity blossoms are there, and what is actually the difference anyway (appearance wise)?
Cherry blossom (Sakura (櫻/桜))
Plum blossom (Ume (梅))
Peach blossom (Momo (桃))
Apple blossom
Pear blossom
Apricot blossom
Lime blossom
Blueberry blossom
Blackberry blossom
Orange blossom
Mandarin blossom
Quince blossom
I'll just focus on the top three.. but even then I'm having a bit of trouble finding this info online. Where is a good old-fashioned encyclopedia when you need one, huh? ;)
It seems the cherry blossom has heart shaped petals (a bit like a cleft palate) and the plum blossom has oval shaped petals. But even then there are hundreds of varieties of cherry blossoms alone! As for the peach blossom, I think it's similar to the plum blossom.
Since I wasn't successful in finding enough useful info about these blossoms.. now I'll try to rack my brains to somehow translate the information I found online about the festival. Actually it's taking too long so some of it may not make sense as I used an online translator. Disclaimer: I take no responsiblity for mishaps due to my bad translation ;)
Nanhui District, a district of Shanghai, is over 600 square kilometres in size and covers 25 towns. From the end of March to mid-April, tourists and locals come to the Nanhui peach orchards to appreciate the beauty of the flowers and the surrounding scenic area. This year the Nanhui peach blossom festival will be held from March 25 to April 13.
The festival highlights a cultural significance. Many activities are designed on the basis of rural life. Chinese people have a special love for peaches and the peach blossom. The peach blossom, with its pleasant flowers, symbolizes life, growth and prosperity. It is regarded as the most auspicious of all plants. The peach, in Chinese culture, is a symbol of long life and one of the strongest defenses against evil.
Since 1991, Nanhui District has organized this annual peach blossom festival. This festival signifies a combination of peach blossom appreciation and chinese folk culture presentations and has won much applause from visitors. Set up in Huinan town, the Chengbei folk peach orchard is the main meeting-place of the peach blossom festival that is held when the peach blossom blooms luxuriantly every year.
As a thriving port area, Nanhui District is seeking more attractions for tourists. The Chengbei folk peach orchard was set up last year as a scenic spot for tourists from across the world.
Featuring a mixed architectural style in both Chinese ancient garden and the Chinese country, the village offers picturesque scenery to visitors. Peach leaves dance elegantly with the tender breeze. The village is a place to be surprised, and enjoy sweet pleasures. You can taste some local delicacies, delicate craft works, beautiful scenic sights, and the fruitful ancient peach trees that add to the charm of Nanhui.
1 Big group of peach gardens 大团桃园
Activities: Go for a walk in the countryside during the qingming festival (tomb sweeping 清明節), view/appreciate the flowers, look at farmers' art, watch the animal feeding, look at the open country development, use nets to catch fish, do farming activities
Admission Ticket price: 30 Yuan
Business hours: 8: 00-17: 00
Address: Big group town - 888 Zhao Qiaocun 大团镇赵桥村888号
Mass transit: Long Daxian 龙大线
2 The garden of peaches 新场桃源 (this is the place where part of the film "Lust, Caution" was filmed)
Activities: Appreciate/view the flowers, watch a play, 品春盘八簋? (something about 8 dishes of food), go to the matchmaker hall? and prayer desk and wish for a happy marriage (or to find someone to marry),
Admission Ticket price: 30 Yuan
Business hours: 9: 00-16: 00
Address: 南汇区新场镇果园村
Mass transit: Shanghai southern line 沪南线、Longping 龙平芦线、Longda 龙大线
3 Nanhui peach blossom village (national agriculture traveling
demonstration)
Activities: Goes for a walk in the countryside at the qingming festival, view the flowers, the Olympic Games root carving handicraft tour unfolds, east the Pakistan small pig games, upper air steel wire Xiu, the stilts top grade performance, the happy small fine time passage, bakes the picnic, the fish pond fishes
Admission Ticket price: 53 Yuan
Business hours: 8: 00-17: 00
Address: 南汇区惠南镇北门路289号
Mass transit: 公共交通：沪南线、周南线、南新专线、张南线
4 Binhai haven
Activities: Goes for a walk in the countryside at the qingming festival views the flowers, happy in the peasant family,
the Chinese folk unique skill performance, ascends the tower view
Haimen
Admission Ticket price: 36 Yuan
Business hours: 8: 00-16: 30
Address: Nanhui area Binhai travels the vacation area to pass the source road 3 南汇区东海农场振东路南首
Mass transit: Dragon 滨线 龙东专线、南三线
5 Shanghai fresh flower port (national agriculture traveling demonstration)
Activities: Tulip flowers and plants new product demonstration
Admission Ticket price: 80 Yuan
Business hours: 8: 00-17: 00 (March 28 only)
Address: Nanhui area East China Sea farm inspires south the east road 南汇区东海农场振东路南首
Mass transit: East dragon special line, south three 龙东专线、南三线
Transportation Guide:
Venue: Huinanzhen Town, Luchao Town, Xinchang Town in Nanhui District
Transport: Hunan Line, starting on Dongchang Road, Pudong; Tourist Line Two, near Shanghai Stadium
The Shanghai southern line (Dongchnag road ferry spot) -- the new field (new field haven, the new field Guzhen) □□the Nanhui motor station (Nanhui peach blossom village, Nanhui museum, bold Booth card 名品 village)
Long Pinglu the line (subway two lines Long Yanglu stands) -- the new field (new field haven, the new field Guzhen) -- the week southern line (south wharf ferry spot) -- the Nanhui motor station (Nanhui peach blossom village, Nanhui museum, bold Booth card 名品 village)
south the new special line (the Shanghai train station) -- the skill extreme brings peace and order
to the nation the cultural art center -- Shanghai wild zoo -- east gate (the Nanhui peach blossom village The Nanhui museum, the bold Booth card 名品 village)
a southern line (subway two lines Zhang Jiangzhan) -- the beautiful Tess nation prestige -- skill extreme brings peace and order to the nation the cultural art center -- Shanghai wild zoo -- Nanhui motor station (Nanhui peach blossom village, Nanhui museum) □□the people's east road (bold Booth card 名品 village)
Tthe morning Nanhui peach blossom village goes for a walk in the countryside at the qingming festival enjoys the peach blossom, the peasant family food; Afternoon the wild zoo view rare and precious animal, watches the large-scale animal performance. □the morning new field haven goes for a walk in the countryside at the qingming festival enjoys the peach blossom, the peasant family food; Afternoon tours the new field Guzhen. □the morning big group peach garden goes for a walk in the countryside at the qingming festival enjoys the peach blossom, the peasant family food; Afternoon visits the multi-advantages agriculture ecology garden, tours the East China Sea bridge, the ocean mountain deepwater port, the water drop lake.
The morning Binhai haven goes for a walk in the countryside at the qingming festival enjoys the peach blossom, watches the folk unique skill, the peasant family food; Afternoon You Lingang new town water drop lake, Nanhui mouth view sea park, East China Sea bridge.
morning Shanghai fresh flower port view tulip, academy others peasant family food; Afternoon tours the East China Sea bridge, the ocean mountain deepwater port, the water drop lake.
If you are quite lazy, you may go to the Shanghai traveling collection center registration participation "the Nanhui peach blossom village on first tour" on March 25 to start, token ticket price: 80 Yuan/people (contain ticket, scenic spot admission ticket) are back and forth detailed may click on end of the examination article the traveling collection center link.
If you can read Chinese go here and read the information. Heck, maybe you could translate it for me! ;)
I'll edit this more later.. it has taken WAY too long
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