It is a part of Shanghai, off the beaten track. The roads are dusty and you have a definite feel of having left the metropolis. A short taxi journey from Jiangwan Town (Zhen) station - the end of the Pearl Line - and you pinch yourself to make sure you really are in Shanghai.

The Gongqing Forest Park covers an area of 131 hectares. The woods are lovely, dark and deep, and full of bright spring colours-purple flowers mixed with tiny blue Forget-me-nots and a few crocuses. The daffodils all round lead to poetic inspirations: "For oft when on my couch I lie, in a vacant or in pensive mood. They flash upon that inward eye which is the bliss of solitude. And then my heart with pleasure fills and dances with the daffodils."

A stroll through the park and you glimpse the busy harbour. The park itself used to be Huang Pu River marshland, but way back in 1956 the area was turned into a tree nursery. In 1958 fruit trees and various plants were planted and Gongqing Nursery was born. In 1982 the northern part of the nursery was transformed into a forest park, enabling public access.

Why does this place stand out from the others? Well, you do not need to walk on the laid out path. You can lie down on the grass and have a long, quiet nap. You can set up a picnic anywhere. You can find a little corner where no one will find you. You can fly a kite over a lake. You can ride horses through a forest. Yes, you can canter and trot; and if you believe you need your jodhpurs and boots (and hat!), well you need to bring these with you. It is riding Mongolian style here. And there are tandem cycles, and a roller coaster of sorts...

Also, Gongqing Forest Park has birds in the trees - free and chirping away, singing "Spring is in the air". If you really like the park and want to make a weekend of it, there are even bungalows you can rent for *400 a night, while sustenance needs can be taken care of in the barbeque area (complete with shop to buy the necessary meats).

You are in the countryside, with pastures and forests, and with the definitive feeling of being in China as you gaze on pagodas that let the sun stream through. Pinch yourself again, it is real and it is here in Shanghai. Yes, you are still in Puxi!

Contact the author on
shguide@cityweekend.com.cn

Website: www.gqsl.com
Contact: 6532-8194
Entrance: *15 per adult
Park times: 6am till 5pm
Bungalow: *400 per night (6am till 12pm the following day)
Contact: Shanghai Hongsen Forest Park Hotel at 6532-1296 (say you want a
bungalow)
Easiest Route: Pearl Line to Jiangwan Town (Zhen) station, then taxi (approx
*20)