Walking in a winter wonderland

A farmer with tasty strawberries at Dengta Village, which is famous for not using pesticides and chemical fertilizers.

Zi Sha

Winter doesn’t mean that there is nothing to do in Jiading District. Enjoying picturesque countryside scenery, admiring wintersweets, visiting ancient gardens and even picking strawberries are all good choices for you.

Delicious strawberries

Strawberries grown in Dengta Village in Jiading District mature before the Spring Festival.

Dengta Village’s strawberries are famous because farmers don’t use agricultural pesticides and chemical fertilizers. The berries are big, sweet and smell wonderful. Visitors can pick strawberries until their hearts are content.

Potted strawberry plants are sold for 20 yuan (US$3.2) for those who want to grown their own. Some farmers also offer visitors a chance to dine in their homes.

Address: Dengta Village, Jiading

Industrial Zone

(Driver’s guide: Drive northward along Chengbei Road from Jiading Town and turn left to Shuangzhu Road, Dengta Village is at the end of Shuangzhu Road.)

Cost: 40 yuan per kilo of strawberries

Fragrant wintersweet

Wintersweet in Waigang Wintersweet Garden are now in full bloom. The flowers, which look like a golden bell, are exquisite and have a wonderful aroma.

Wintersweet has inspired many Chinese poets through the centuries including Su Dongpo, one of the Chinese greatest poets in the Song Dynasty (960-1279). Visitors can also buy a winstersweet bonsai tree.

The garden’s wintersweet flowers are big and fragrant with dense petals. The wintersweet of this garden, together with the narcissus flowers in Chongming County and the white willow flowers in Fengxian District are known as Shanghai’s three treasured objects in winter.

Address: 2700 Moyu Rd N.,

Waigang Town

Cost: 80-500 yuan

Flower show

Guyi Garden plans to offer a variety of activities to celebrate the Spring Festival which starts from February 10 this year. A flower exhibition featuring wintersweet, narcissus and orchid blooms will offer a colorful scene to visitors and photographers will likely find many wonderful scenes to capture.

The garden has teamed with Jiading Waigang Wintersweet Research Institute to display 10 rare wintersweet products including bonsai trees, combinatorial potting and traditional flower arrangement.

Narcissus flowers from Chongming County will be displayed at this year’s fair, too. The garden has cooperated with the Shi family whose members have cultivated the flower for more than 100 years.

Address: 218 Huyi Rd, Nanxiang Town

Cost: 12 yuan

(Translated by Catherine Hong)