Water garden lights up as part of the 'Shanghai Summer' activities
Let there be light
The Hanxiang Water Garden in Minhang District will be lit up as part of the "Shanghai Summer" activities. The garden will be illuminated with 220,000 secure, 24-volt low-voltage LED bulbs, highlighting its ancient trees, rocks and bridges. The garden's operating hours have therefore been extended until 10pm.
News in brief
Neighborhood facelift
A neighborhood renovation project that lasted for seven-and-a-half months in the Gaohua Residential Area has just finished. The Gaohua area, built in the 1950s and boasting a resident number of 2,000 households, is one of the most densely populated large neighborhood in the old Minhang area.
New pocket parks
Twenty new pocket parks will be added to Minhang's afforestation project. Two of them, at the northeast and northwest corners of the intersection of Xiqin Road and G60 Highway, will be formed on previously vacant land. One will promote righteous officialdom through posters of poetry, prose and cultural classics on honesty and integrity. The other, featuring mainly trident maple trees, will appeal to residents with its vibrant colored foliage and flowers. Renovation of the two sites will begin in September and they are expected to open by year-end.
Dream Gala turns 1
Dream Gala, a shopping center noted for its upstairs ocean world in Minhang's Meilong Town is celebrating its first anniversary this summer, attracting families with children to its oceanic wonderland. The Skysea Aquarium, Shanghai's first-ever "sky aquarium," takes up the fifth and sixth floors of Dream Gala. Since the aquarium opened to the public last July, it has had received more than 100,000 visitors.
Commuter bus
The Hongqiao Central Business District North Ring Route bus line, the first customer-tailored bus line in Minhang, started operations on July 29 for people working in the CBD. The commuter bus line, taking less than half an hour even in peak traffic hours, links multiple office complexes such as Zhongjun Plaza, Xiexin Center and Zhengrong Center along its line between Hongqiao West Traffic Center to Boheng Road and Shenchang Road N. Station. Tickets cost 2 yuan (30 US cents) for the service.
Daycare classes
Summer vacation daycare classes launched in Gumei Subdistrict are benefiting more than 400 children. The volunteer services from July to August have been supported by volunteers including primary and secondary school teachers, university students and social corporation office workers. Topics for the classes range from traditional culture, tips for sports and exercises, art education and anti-fraud education.
TCM & Food
Dishes for chushu
Chushu (处暑), or the End of Heat, is the 14th solar term in the Chinese lunar calendar. This year it falls on August 22. Forecasting the approaching autumn in the wake the of summer heat, chushu is a day when people are recommended to maintain hydrated and to be wary of autumnal agitation.
When this health-preserving concept is applied to dining, food which is good for dissolving heat is recommended, such as cucumbers, green beans, balsam pears, pears, grapes, strawberries and celery. Drinks including tea, chrysanthemum tea and honeysuckle tea also help reduce heat and nourish the lungs.
As the range of temperatures between day and night widens and the moisture component drops during chushu, people tend to feel more relaxed and comfortable. As the weather turns drier, they are more likely to feel dryness in their mouth and nasal cavities, irritation on their skin and eyes, sleeplessness, coughing and constipation.
Traditional Chinese medicine suggests people especially care for their lungs, choosing foods such as pears, silvery fungi, artichokes, wolfberry, ginger, jujube, Chinese yams, and sticky rice, and do proper exercises and walking.
One such health-preserving dish is artichoke and lotus seed soup.
Soak the lotus seeds and the artichoke until they swell a little. Remove the pits from jujubes. Then braise all the ingredients in hot water till they are thoroughly cooked. Last, add some rock candy.
The soup helps with preserving lungs and calms our minds.
Yumin Bridge
Minhang Culture
'Six Bridge Father'
Around the end of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), Zhoupu River in the region of today's Minhang District was suspended from its function as a channel for transporting tribute grains to the royal family in Beijing. Hu Zude, a local squire, raised funds to build bridges across the river. In about two decades, he supervised the construction of six bridges, the Dumin, Sumin, Yumin, Limin, Qimin and Shoumin bridges, therefore earning respect and the nickname, the "Six Bridge Father."
