1: Clusters of culture
The city had twin causes for celebrations this month, with both the Dragon Boat Festival and Cultural and Natural Heritage Day falling in June.
Lei Yun Shang, a traditional Chinese pharmacy with a history dating back about 350 years, was one focus of activities. At street corners and in popular commercial hubs, traditional Chinese medicine pharmacists prepared toxin-fighting Chinese mugwort water and the beverage xionghuang jiu, or realgar wine. Craftsmen displayed how to make xiangnang, the sachets filled with fragrant herbs and medicinal powders that are a traditional accessory of the Dragon Boat Festival.
In the Jing’an Culture Center, instructors, wearing traditional Han Chinese dress taught visitors how to make traditional handicrafts like five-colored bracelets and Chinese circular fans painted with beauty portraits and lines of poetry.
Master tailor Jiao Yigang, from the 80-year-old Longfeng Cheongsam shop, showed visitors how to make cheongsam buttons. Pastry chefs from Kaisiling, the first Chinese-run Western-style restaurant in Shanghai, which opened in 1928, taught children how to make signature cakes.
Local history enthusiasts strolled along the Shaanxi Road N. Built in 1914 under the name Seymour Road, the road today is dotted with more than 20 historical buildings of different architectural styles. They include the traditional shikumen-style Datong Lane, the neoclassical Garden House, the red-brick townhouses of Pacific Garden and the Greek revival style of the Ohel Rachel Synagogue.
2）Infusion of “red” blood
Party education is anything but boring and old-fashioned.
A special Party education class, held in CITIC Square mall, created a sensation. It’s part of the district’s efforts to bring white-collar workers closer to the Party.
It started with a flash mob where workers played guitars, sang patriotic songs and interacted with passers-by. Renowned radio hostess Qin Chang told revolutionary stories of the city from the last 70 years. She also talked with white-collar workers, sharing contemporary hot topics.
The district will hold the event every month in one of its landmarks, including popular malls and “red” revolutionary sites.
3) Yonghe Park reopens
Yonghe Park has reopened with a stylish new look.
The park, at 702 Yuanping Road, was built 30 years ago to ensure residents had access to some green open space. But upgrading was needed to meet modern lifestyles.
Renovation started in January and was completed in April.
The park now is the size of two standard soccer fields. It has a new gate, featuring white walls and black tiles that recreate an elegant Chinese-style garden. Also, it features walking paths that pass through different trees and flowers.
4) Foreigner teaches tai chi
Briton Rose Oliver, who was given the Shanghai Magnolia Award in 2013, recently taught a tai chi class to local senior citizens living in the Daning Road subdistrict. Her performance was widely lauded by local neighbors.
Oliver originally wanted to become a ballerina, but a back injury crushed her dream. The injury led her to tai chi, a traditional Chinese martial art that helps improve health. It helped relieve her back pain and she resolved to dedicate her life to promoting tai chi globally.
5) Children’s charity bazaar
A charity bazaar was held by the Jing’an Children’s Library on the Children’s Day. Local children displayed toys, homemade crafts, books, confectionary and stationery in some 30 stalls outside the library. Revenue from the sales will be used to build libraries for children of migrant workers in Shanghai.
A single purchase
