Shanghai Daily News

Jingshan District, known for its abundance of natural and cultural heritage attractions, has become a hot tourist destination in East China in recent years.

Situated in the southwest reaches of Shanghai, it was the city's first route to the Yangtze River Delta region, one of three regions around the country which feature clusters of major cities. The others are the Pearl River Delta and around the Gulf of Bohai.

With a 23.3-kilometer coastline and a complicated river network, the district has distinctive waterfront sightseeing areas, such as the 1,500-year-old Fengjing ancient town.

The newly-built Caojing Water Village in its namesake town, opened in June. It was also the key initiative in the district's tourism promotion. Here are some cool places to check out in Jingshan.

Water Recreation

Caojing Water Village is in the district's Shuiku Village. Its name means reservoir in Chinese and it is a good description as this is a place with abundant water resources. It is estimated that there are more than 1,000 rivers in a 416-square-kilometer radius.

The main construction at the water village is around Wunu Lake; its beautiful name, meaning five girls, was taken from a folktale.

The tranquil area features wooden chairs and tables and white beach umbrellas along the lakeside. The atmosphere around the scenic, clean lake with an ever-present soft wind creates a tranquil environment where it is easy to be at peace.

Water entertainment, such as water bicycles and water scooters, will be available from next year.

Price: Free

Address: 2058 Zhucao Road, Caojing Town

Customer Service Center

This multi-functional service center in the heart of the village opened last month. The center, also a hotel, features 21 guest rooms with a lake view and four suites. There are also large meeting halls to meet the requirements of large group functions. Guests will find themselves right at lakeside as soon as they unlock their balcony doors.

A couple of tennis courts at the facility are free for guests.

Price: 380 yuan (US$48) to 580 yuan a single room

Dining

This four-star hotel, which is managed by the Jingjiang International Hotel Group, features five nicely decorated dining halls on the first floor. As it is currently the hairy crab season, visitors can experience for themselves the famed crustacean which comes primarily from Yangcheng Lake in Jiangsu Province. Chinese steak, which is stir fried with a spicy black pepper sauce, is the house speciality.

Price: About 100 yuan per person

Agricultural

Exhibition Area

Duolisheng watermelons, which were awarded a gold medal at the city's agricultural product fair, are native to Caojing. The plastic greenhouses in which they grow, can be seen all around the town. Other fruits and vegetables such as strawberries and green beans, can be picked by tourists, fresh from the source. This harvest-your-own concept was created to give urban residents the chance to experience agriculture firsthand. A plot of land costs 380 yuan annually.

Fishing Base

This dock along Lake Wunu features 70 places for 150 people to fish. To enjoy this happy but addictive experience, fishermen are ferried to the other side of the lake from the customer service center. They can take either a motorboat or more leisurely, a four-seater wooden boat to row across the water themselves. There is also a yearly fishing competition where everyone is welcome.

Price: 10 yuan for four hours

Getting there:

Take the A4 Expressway and exit at Tingwei Road. Turn left on Caolang Road and head south via Zhucao Road.