Spring Appreciation in Yuyuan Garden

Recently, the 2024 Yuyuan Garden Spring Appreciation event, hosted by the Foreign Affairs Office of Shanghai Municipal People's Government and the Huangpu District Government, and organized by Shanghai Yuyuan Tourist Mart (Group) Co., Ltd., was successfully held. The event invited consular officials from nearly 40 consulates in Shanghai and international friends to visit Yuyuan Tourist Mart, where they enjoyed traditional Chinese music performances, savored famous local delicacies, appreciated traditional Chinese opera and modern sugar art, experiencing the unique charm of Chinese culture, oriental lifestyle aesthetics. Kong Fu'an, Director-general of the Foreign Affairs Office of Shanghai Municipal People's Government, Shen Shanzhou, Deputy Secretary of the CPC Huangpu District Committee and District Head of Huangpu District, Xu Zhi, Member of the CPC Huangpu District Committee and Deputy District Head of Huangpu District, Hu Tingzhou, President of Yuyuan, and more than 100 consular officials and international friends in Shanghai attended the event.

It is worth mentioning that on the same day, the 2024 Yuyuan Garden Spring Appreciation for French Guests was also held, with more than 40 participants including Wang Du, Consul General of France in Shanghai, consular officials, representatives from French companies and friends.

Shen Shanzhou, Deputy Secretary of the CPC Huangpu District Committee and District Head of Huangpu District, warmly welcomed the guests in his speech and reviewed and looked ahead to the close cooperation between the two parties in areas such as business and trade, cultural exchanges, and urban governance. He also expressed his hope that French friends would continue to pay attention to and support Huangpu, working together to take the friendly relations between the two countries to new heights.

Joan Valadou, Consul General of France in Shanghai said that Huangpu District is fully of vitality and serves as a hub for many Sino-French cooperation projects spanning various fields including economy, culture, education, and medicine. He also thanked Huangpu District for the warm reception.

Hu Tingzhou, President of Yuyuan gave a detailed introduction of the development journey and significant achievements of Yuyuan, the "top commercial stock in China", as well as the company's top strategy - oriental lifestyle aesthetics, and highlighted the Grand Yuyuan project, which is about to begin construction. In addition, Hu Tingzhou also shared the successful experience of introducing the Yuyuan Garden Lantern Festival to France with Chinese and overseas guests.

On 15 December 2023, the national intangible cultural heritage project, the Yuyuan Garden Lantern Festival, made its overseas debut in Paris, France. Drawing inspiration from “the Classic of Mountains and Seas”, the Festival Dragons et Lanternes incorporated traditional intangible lantern art with modern light and shadow technology. Accompanied by 350 spectacular performances, it provided overseas visitors with a wonderful lantern viewing experience reminiscent of the ancient Chinese mythological world.

The Festival Dragons et Lanternes was not only an important exploration of Yuyuan's globalization strategy but also an active practice in promoting Chinese culture and spreading the story of China to the world. As of 25 February 2024, the Festival Dragons et Lanternes had attracted nearly 200,000 overseas visitors, generating sales of nearly EUR2 million. On weekends, local French visitors formed long queues that stretch for hundreds of meters, eagerly waiting to enter the park and appreciate the dazzling Chinese lanterns. The festival also showcased China time-honored brands and high-quality Chinese brands including Nanxiang Steamed Bun Restaurant, Shanghai Watch, Seagull Watch, Tong Han Chun Yang, and Tuopai Shede. The booth of the Nanxiang Steamed Bun Restaurant at the Festival Dragons et Lanternes experienced high demand, with a continuous stream of French visitors eager to try Chinese cuisine.

With the successful hosting of the Festival Dragons et Lanternes, how to further promote Chinese culture to the world has become an important topic for the future development of Yuyuan. At the 2024 Yuyuan Garden Spring Appreciation event, Yuyuan once again showcased the charm and vitality of traditional Chinese culture to international friends, including guests from France. By leveraging projects such as the Yuyuan Garden Lantern Festival, Yuyuan hopes to strengthen global exchanges, deepen friendships, share opportunities, seek common development, and jointly create a brighter future.

The event was lively, and the guests were captivated by the ancient garden architecture, unique temple designs, and delightful traditional delicacies. They also experienced the charm of Chinese traditional culture through folk music performances, traditional Chinese opera, and the "Sugar King Exhibition".

The event showcased the profound cultural heritage and vibrant atmosphere hidden beneath modern Huangpu to consular officials from various countries in Shanghai and international friends, introducing Huangpu to more international friends and attracting more people to visit Huangpu.