Shanghai Daily news

Shanghai Shenlong Ecology Park, located in the northern Fengxian District, is just the ideal place for urban dwellers who want to escape the tedium of office life and get close to nature.
Covering 785.37 hectares, the park is a combination of man-made forest, homes for farmers and recreational facilities, with green space occupying almost 70 percent of the total area.
Over 100-year-old ginkgo trees dot both sides of a road leading to the park's recreation area. Here, fresh wind will fill people's lungs and their eyes will rest on sparkling lakes, green trees, flowing streams, and fragrant flowers.
While enjoying the tranquil hours in the warm sunlight, fishing enthusiasts will be able to spend hours casting their lines into the giant lake.
For them, fishing is more than just a sport - it's a way of putting food on the table. A dazzling array of fresh fish is available in the park's restaurants.
Small powerboats are also available for rent for those looking to putter around the lake.
However, fishing and boating are not the only entertainment - a few orchards are another highlight. The 26.67 hectares of land providing delicious strawberries, apples, peaches, grapes and pears that can be picked by visitors at the peak of perfection.
"An increasing number of the city's overworked crowds and families flock to our park for its clean air and simple life," said Zhang Renliang, deputy general manager of the park. He says more than 4,000 people visit every day.
Zhang said the park is particularly attractive for bird lovers.
In the center of the area is Swan Lake. The crown jewels of the emerald lake are the magnificent black swans, white swans and mandarin ducks. Under the sunshine, they ripple through the water, perch on rock ledges, and sometimes hover overhead.
However, Swan Lake is a mere appetizer for bird watchers and admires. Outside the recreation area lies a bird park which contains some 28 species of birds, numbering around 300 in total.
Visitors stroll through the park along a maze of paved walkways - amidst a profusion of greenery, refreshing air, pleasant thrills, coos and whistles of signing birds.
The park will welcome another 20 breeds of the feathered beauties at the beginning of next month. Bird lovers can get close to a group of precious breeds, including hornbills, parrots, white storks, pelicans and hill mynas.
While some are allowed to fly freely, the incompatible and precious birds are confined in specially designed open exhibits. The park offers visitors the chance to feed and take pictures with those friendly creatures.
At the time, the park will also house four precious pandas from the country's Sichuan Province.
"Our park is a feast of many flavors," said Zhang Wenhua, the park's administrative office director. The 'nongjiale' program, which means "happy village life" in Chinese, will be launched on May 1.
The tourist package will allow visitors to eat traditional village-style dishes while living in a farmer's house.
To let city dwellers know more about the traditional village life, a farm tool exhibition hall will be set up in the near future.
Exhibits on display will include traditional farm tools and utensils used by locals, such as water carts and millstones, which will provide a look at traditional lifestyle in the late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).
Travelers may also test their skills on a traditional water carts, spinning wheels and looms which were abandoned for modern production equipment several decades ago.
"Although the park is in its initial stage, our future plans are ambitious," said the deputy general manager. "About 1,998 families scattered in the park will be relocated to make room for the park's future plans by 2006."
Two farmer villa zones covering 84.4 hectares have been built for the area's residents to relocate, with a total investment of some 250 million (US$30.12 million).

Venue: Shanghai Shenlong Ecology Park
Address: Zhujiang Village of Qingcun Town
Traffic: Huhai Line
Tel: 5759-3275