Jing'an and Qingpu districts will run their own tourist festivities during the 2004 Shanghai Tourism Festival, which opens tonight, as well as during the National Day holiday.
Visitors to Jing'an District, especially those from abroad, will be able to look closely at the daily life of local ordinary  residents, by traveling through the traditional Nongtangs - alleyways connecting old-style shikumen houses - visiting families there, and making dumplings and wontons by themselves.
"The host families are mostly highly educated people who maintain many age-old customs and can tell stories about the city's past," said Tang Enhua, an official with the Jing'an District Tourism Administrative Bureau.
The other highlights, he said, include the Shanghai Zhongkai International Rock Climbing Competition, which attracts 120 participants from about 30 countries and regions; package tours to the historic sites linked to the Communist Party of China; as well as displays of famous scenic spots in nearby districts. Local parents can take their children to the Oriental Green Boat, a camping site in Qingpu District.
A new health and physical fitness testing center, which has no parallel in the country, will open to the public on October 1, according to Huang Jin, general manager of the Oriental Green Boat.
"Visitors can test their strength, speed, stamina and balance by climbing man-made rocks, walking over single-log bridge and trudging through lakes," he said.