Gongqing Forest Park is considered the second largest in Shanghai, right after central Century Park. The area dedicated to the park is more then 300 acres of lush greenery and water space that has visitors sighing in sweet relief as smog free air fills their lungs and their worries are replaced by awe at nature’s bounty.
Situated in Yangpu district, the park is accessible by metro line 8 getting off at the stations Shiguang Lu or Xiangyin Road. At the former, visitors may have to take a taxi because it is a bit of a walk to the park. And at the latter, bus 102 will take you directly to the gate of the park. However, it is better recommended to get a taxi all the way, which may cost more, but will definitely take less time than an hour. Entrance fee is nominal at RMB15 with children charged at half price i.e. RMB7.5. There are rides and activities within the park, all of which are reasonably charged at around RMB20 to RMB40. Toilets are scattered all over the area and are well maintained. The park opens at 05:00 in summers and at 06:00 in winter months. It is advised to go as early as possible to enjoy the park in all its amazing splendor. Weekends and public holidays are naturally more crowded but the park has ample capacity (though rides and facilities do get long lines). There are not many food vendors within the premises though, so parkgoers may want to bring their own spread of ready-made or half done (in case of barbeque) ingredients to enjoy.
The park is divided into the northern and southern side, with the northern being the larger region and offering activities like roller coasters, paintball, rocking climbing, a train that makes its round about the fun fair area, go-karting and even a roller-skating rink. There are guides and trained horses available for those wanting to indulge in horse-riding. The barbeque area with seating and grills is in the northern section as well. Although to reserve a grill, one has to reach the park early or risk having these taken up by other guests.
The southern region has a small lake area where boating options are provided to visitors. There is even a zipline over the water where guests can get a bird’s eye view of the wonderful green expanse as they whiz past from start to finish. Cycling and jogging are other leisure activities to keep citizens engaged and happy.
But if relaxation is really what is sought here, there are hundreds of varieties of flowers and about thousands of bamboo and other trees planted throughout the location which delight nature enthusiasts indefinitely. At the end of the year (26 October 2020 to 26 November this year) there is a chrysanthemum exhibition held which paints the park in all colors of the rainbow. The management really goes all out and the public in turn shows up in massive hoards to appreciate the efforts.