Three Tourist Zones to Be Developed in Shanghai

Southwest Shanghai's Xuhui District will soon have three major tourist zones, Longhua Tourist Zone, Xujiahui Tourist and Shopping Zone, and Caohejing Tourist Exhibition Zone,according to latest issue of Beijing Review.

The Xuhui District Government predicts a growth in tourist revenue from the current 2 billion yuan to 4 billion yuan during the next five years, and in the number of annual visitors, from the current 4 million to 6 million.

The district has plenty of tourist attractions, including the Longhua Pagoda and the Longhua Temple；the tombs of Huang Daopo —a female innovator of textile technique in the Yuan Dynasty （1271-1368）, and Xu Guangqi（1562-1633）—a famous official and scientist in the Ming Dynasty（1368-1644）；a church；an ancient observatory；the former residences of several contemporary celebrities and some well-preserved ancient strutures；the annual Longhua Temple Fair and the Osmanthus Festival；and Hengshan Street, which boasts a modern cosmopolitan lifestyle.

Longhua Tourist Zone will display mainly historical and cultural relics, namely the Longhua Pagoda and the Longhua Temple；the Tomb of Huang Daopo；and the cemetery of revolutionary martyrs.

Xujiahui Shopping and Tourist Zone will be a blend of the traditional and modern, and will feature a financial district and some former residences of contemprerary celebrities on Hengshan Street；the church, an ancient observatory and ancient library in the Xujiahui area；and some memorial arches built during the Ming Dynasty.

Caohejing Tourist and Exhibition Zone,on the other hand, will be home to the Everbright Conference and Exhibition Center；the Longhua Diamond Processing Zone；the Modern Science and Technology Park；and Kongjian and Guilin parks.

Nanchunhua Hall,in the Meilong Town built during the Ming Dynasty, as well as other ancient buildings, will be moved into Xu Guangqi Park, where a history museum displaying audio-visual equipment will be built.

In addition, some traditional Shanghai residences will also be developed into new tourist attractions.

(Xinhua 09/10/2001)