Expats in Shanghai were invited to Shanghai Chenshan Botanical Garden, a large garden in Shanghai’s suburban Songjiang district, to appreciate the natural beauty and listen to a symphony concert in this early summer.

A botanical garden with strong scientific content and beautiful garden landscapes, the garden is now striving to combine more cultural elements into its natural scenery. The Chenshan Lawn Music Festival is one of the special cultural programs the garden has been creating and it has been the largest outdoor classical music festival in China since the first Chenshan Lawn Concert was held 10 years ago.

Performed by the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, the concert was conducted by Yu Long, the same conductor as ten years ago, who led the musicians in presenting popular songs like Cello Concerto No. 1 in A Minor, Carmen Suite and Bolero. At the end, three encore works were performed amid the continuous applause of the audience.

As a grand classical music event among nature, the music festival provides a relaxed weekend of music and nature for people living in the hectic city. For many expats, this was the first time they had come to the garden and also had listened to a grassland concert in China.

Daimon Kazuto, legal representative and general manager of YKK (China) Investment, was one of the visitors. The scenery of the garden and the lawn concert left a deep impression on him. In his words, this event allowed him to see that Shanghai and Songjiang have not only developed rapidly in industry, but have also focused on cultural exchanges to showcase their growing charm.

“I have enjoyed great orchestral music, and the concert’s selection is good. I believe it is a musical feast for both Chinese and foreign audiences. It’s the first time I have experienced cultural exchanges like this. My colleagues will also be very interested. YKK attaches great importance to cultural exchanges with China. We hold a dumpling festival in Japan every year, and we also sponsor the dragon boat race at Lujiazui’s Dragon Boat Festival," said Kazuto. He believes that besides enterprises, more exchange students will be attracted to come to Songjiang.

Upadhyaya Nagendra Rijal, from Nepal, has been living in Shanghai for 16 years and can speak fluent Chinese. He said happily that this was his first visit to Chenshan Botanical Garden and the first time he had listened to a Chinese concert. He planned to share this wonderful experience on WeChat Moments. He was planning to visit the garden again with his wife to savor the natural and cultural beauty of the place.