Shanghai Daily news

Situated on the southwest coast of Chongming Island, Luhua Township is a place where life is enhanced by the natural beauty and leisure activities that abound in the town.
For city residents who dream of the tranquility of the nature, the great charm of Luhua is that it is dotted with forests and wetlands, meandering rivers and lakes, as well as lush green fields with bright two-story farmhouses, with green space occupying more than 60 percent of the town.
The land was originally virgin territory with reed marshes stretching into the horizon. In 1970, the town gradually began to take shape and it currently hosts around 9,000 residents.
The town is now a major producer of high-quality oranges, which meet strict environmental and health standards. Oranges draw a lot of interest and serve as a unique alternative crop for the island's farmers.
The industry has created a lot of revenue for the town, and not just for the growers. The tourism industry is now enjoying a boost from the sector.
"In October, a lot of people from downtown Shanghai will show up to see the orchards, enjoy the delicious fruit, and help pick just to be a part of the experience," said Yang Yousheng, the township's director.
As Chongming Island has made ecological tourism one of its target projects, the nongjiale program, which means "happy village life" in Chinese, was launched in 2002.
Luhua is one of the three places in Chongming to launch this tourist program, according to Yang.
The tourist package gives participants the opportunity to live the life of a farmer by living in a farmer's house, eating farm food, picking oranges, going fishing, catching crabs and watching cricket fights.
According to Yang, the program does not only provide fun for tourists but also helps farmers increase their incomes.
This year, the number of households licensed to offer accommodation to visitors will increase to 25. The traditional two-story houses are fitted with modern facilities such as air conditioning and color TVs. One bed costs around 100 yuan (US$12) a night.
Yang said a distinctive feature of the township is the tradition of cricket fights. The crickets in Luhua come from fields growing watermelon and green soy beans, thus the insects have a hot temper and amazing strength.
With more than 2,000 years of history, cricket fighting is a popular pastime in China.
According to historical records, cricket fighting flourished during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), when the imperial family, city residents, village people and scholars all feverishly collected crickets every summer.
Most cricket fans were experienced in the specifics of collecting, rearing, caring for, and fighting the crickets.
The national cricket competition has been held in Luhua for two years and a cricket-fighting center was set up there this decade.
A collection of various kinds of cricket cages and other utensils will be displayed in the center to show off the Chinese cricket culture.
Luhua, consisting of abundant green space, lakes, wetlands and farmlands, is a showcase of the island's ecological environment.
In the southeast of the town lies Mingzhu Lake, or Bright Pearl Lake, which is one of largest lakes on the island.
Like a shining pearl inlaid on the vast land of Chongming, locals praise the area around the lake as a land of intoxicating beauty.
Not far from the lake is a 60-hectare wetland park, which exemplifies the county's natural diversity. According to Yang, the park provides a habitat for various species of birds, where an abundance of food is available.
"As it is one of a few places where one can get close to the Yangtze River, we are planning to build a long wooden bridge which will zigzag through the marsh reeds to pavilions which have the best views of the calmly flowing river," said Yang.