Shanghai Botanical Garden　上海植物园

Shanghai Botanical Garden was renovated and transformed from the original Longhua Garden. It is not only the special plant garden with the most beautiful scenery and best ecological environment, but also the largest urban botanical garden in China. Covering an area of 81.8 hectares, the garden boasts more than 3500 kinds of plants of over 6000 species, which are separately exhibited in some ten sections. In 2001, the largest exhibition greenhouse was built. The greenhouse, 5000 m² in size and 32 m in height, is of alloy-and-glass structure. Highest of its kind in China, it presents the ecological environment of a primitive rainforest under the control of the automatic environment control system. In two theme sections, Tropical Rainforest and Four-season Flower Garden, over 3500 kinds of tropical plants from various parts of the world are on display. In the Palm Tree Garden, there are two Gebang palm trees with large fan-shaped leaves, as long as 3 m, and in its whole lifespan the Gebang palm tree blossoms only once and dies immediately after it bears fruits. In ancient India, the Buddhist sutra would be written only on the leaves of Gebang palm trees, thus the Gebang-leaf sutra. In the Tropical Rainforest section, there is a huge fig tree, as heavy as about 8 tons. It bears resemblance to the Elephant Nose Mountain, a miraculous scenic spot in Guilin, Yunnan Province. Besides, there is an orchid exhibition with over 600 orchids of more than 30 species. The orchid that won championship at the 16th World Exhibition of Orchids in Vancouver, Canada was displayed at a very conspicuous place. This type of orchid has a long flowering time, up to 50 days, a strong aroma, and an exceptional yellow color. Exhibited in the Four-season Flower Garden, there are over 40 types of tropical fruit trees, such as the coffee tree, the cocoa tree, the jackfruit tree, the longan tree, the lychee tree, the pomelo tree, etc. There is a kind of tree that bears so-called mysterious fruits. Any food would taste sweet after eating the red berries, no matter it is actaully bitter, sour, or spicy. In the Peony Garden, which covers an area of 36,000 m², there are ten thousand peonies and Chinese peonies. In early spring, the whole garden is filled with red and purple flowers. And the Peony Exhibition is held here annually. In the Bamboo Garden there are over 80 species of bamboo. On the evenings when the full moon is bright in the sky, the bamboos sway from side to side and their leaves rustle in the soft breeze. In the Osmanthus Garden, the profuse osmanthus flowers look like stars and emit intoxicating fragrance in the mid-autumn. In addition, there are also gardens of azalea, multiflora rose, Yulan magnolia, pine and cypress, fern, potted plants, Chinese medicinal herbs, etc. In the Plant Building, the popular-science exhibitions of the Origin of Life and the Evolution of Plants are open to the public all the year round, and the second floor is often used for large-scale gardening conventions. On March 8, 2008, the Shanghai 2008 Flower Exhibition with the theme of Beautifying Shanghai to Welcome Expo was held here. More than 70 well-known gardening, botanical gardens, and flower institutions were present. There are 51 scenic spots, displaying over 3,000 rare and exotic species with more than 4.6 million flowers. Amidst the flowers, Fuwa, Haibao, and Expo emblems can be seen everywhere. Right at the beginning of 2009, the botanical garden made use of high technological means to make such flowers as peony, tulip, and azalea blossom ahead of the usual time, thus competing with plum and Japanese allspice. In February, the garden hosted a flower exhibition to welcome the Spring Festival, and there were wonderful lamp flowers, including cape gooseberries, electric lamp flowers and dangling Chinese hibiscuses, producing very attracting effects. In April, the Peony King in the Peony Garden burst into full blossom, the diameter of the largest peony reaching 27 cm.

In the Botanical Garden there is the Memorial Hall of Huang Daopo, with an inscription by Zhao Puchu, which consists of the Ancestral Temple of the Huangs, a cultural relic under municipal protection in Shanghai, the showroom, and the exhibition gallery. Huang Daopo (1245-?) was born in Wunijing of Songjiang District in the Yuan Dynasty, which is now the Huajing Town of Xuhui District. She renovated the textile instruments, improving and spreading the weaving skills, thus benefiting the fellow country people. After her death, a temple was built to enshrine and worship her. Huang Daopo is reputed as the Pioneer of the Textile Industry.

Address: No.1100, Longwu Road

Tel.: 021-54363369

Open Hours: 8:30 - 17:00