Chongming Island

Introduction
Located on the estuary of Yangtze River, Chongming Island is the third largest island in China. Being the largest alluvial island at the estuary of a river and the largest sand island in the world, Chongming Island is also acclaimed as “Door to Yangtze River, Yingzhou Island (a celestial mountain in fairy tales of ancient China) in the East China Sea”. Chongming Island has been in existence for more than 1300 years. Now, it covers an area of 1267 square kilometers (126700 hectares), with a population of 635 thousand. The whole island is flat in terms of terrain, with fertile soil, luxuriant forests and abundant resources. As a result, Chongming Island becomes a famous region where the cultivation of rice and the breeding of fish flourish. East of Chongming Island is the East China Sea, while in the south, Chongming Island faces Pudong new area, Baoshan District in Shanghai and Taicang City in Jiangsu Province across the river. Separated by water, Haimen City and Qidong City of Jiangsu Province are to the north of Chongming Island. Beside Chongming Island, there are another two islands, which are Hengsha Island and Changxing Island. The formation of Chongming Island is closely connected with the evolution of the estuary of Yangtze River.

Legend
The origin of the island comes from a legend. In the last years of East-Jin Dynasty, the peasant uprising of Sunen failed. Some bamboo rafts of the uprising drifted to the mouth of Yangtze River near the East China Sea. The bamboo rafts grounded because of the mud near banks. These rafts stopped the mud flowing to the sea. As the time passed, a sandbank was formed. With the rise and fall of the tide, the sandbank often disappeared under water. It gave people a feeling of mystery. Someone thought it looked like a monster; someone thought it looked like an immortal. Therefore it got the name ‘Suiming’ (Sui meaning furtive, Ming meaning obvious and bright). Afterwards more and more mud piled here, the sandbank became tall and large and totally above the water. It finally could be called an island. The tide could no longer affect it. In order to show respect to the large island, people changed its name into ‘Chongming’ (Chong meaning respect).

What to see in Chongming Island

1?The “Dongping National Forest Park”
This 3.58-square-kilometer park is the largest man-made forest in eastern China, and is a relaxing place to get lost for an afternoon. Dongping National Forest Park is the largest man-made forests on the plain in Eastern China. It is also the largest forest park in Shanghai. It is a national 4A-level tourist attraction and Agricultural Site in China. Bike-friendly paths wind through thick groves of bamboo and pine in the park, and visitors may occasionally spot roaming deer and horses. Rock-climbing walls and zip-lines can be found along the way to tempt any urban dwellers off the trail. The visitor will also be able to find more than 500 species of trees and flowers.

2, The “Chongming Museum”
Chongming Academy is one of the only existing academies in Shanghai. Chongming Academy today is also known as Chongming Museum. It is a city-level heritage conservation unit. There are three parts of the exhibition in the museum, including “Formation and Development of Chongming Island”, “Historic and Cultural Relics in the Museum” and “Natural Museum”. These three parts introduce the long history and rich cultural heritage of Chongming Island systematically. The most distinctive parts in Chongming Academy are the exhibition room of ancient ships and halls of folk-customs in Chongming.

3?The “Qianwei Ecological Village”
Situated in the north-central part of the island, this village was built in 1969 on former reed beds. After a decade of tourism development, Qianwei Ecology Village has proved a fine example of sustainable living in Shanghai. The rustic eco-village offers visitors the chance to push wheelbarrows, ride horses, spin waterwheels, pick fruit and veggies and go fishing. Finish your day with a stroll in the 66,666-square-meter fragrant vanilla garden. With a commitment to clean energy, Qianwei’s electricity is provided by wind, solar, biogas, geothermal, and even straw-power generation. People in Chongming County usually describe Qianwei Village as “a pearl on the island.”

4?the “Dong Tan Migratory Bird Protection Area”
Dong Tan Migratory Bird Protection Area is in the east of Chongming Island. It begins from Tuanjie Sand and Water Gate in the south and stretches to North Baxiao Port in the north. In the west, its boundary is the causeway which was built in 1968 and in the east it reaches 3000 meters out of Wu Song zero-height. In Dong Tan, there are 116 kinds of birds, including some rare birds like anser albifrons, butorides striatus, platalea minor. Apart from theses, the number of the migratory birds resting in Dong Tan on their way of migration is up to 3 million. In the days of appreciating the birds, people can see large groups of birds flying over the sky, like huge clouds, magnificent. The best time to appreciate birds in Dong Tan is in the morning because the sunrise over the East China Sea is another beautiful natural scenery on Chongming Island. Dong Tan on Chongming Island is the most east land in the East China Sea. In the morning, people can appreciated the beautiful sunrise and view all kinds of bird at the same time.

5, The “Yingdong Fishing Village”
Yingdong is the first place to see the sunrise in Chongming and is a paradise for anglers.The lagoon, crisscrossed by wooden boardwalks, is stocked with black carp, green carp, silver carp, American cross-tail fish, and many more.Fishing rods are available for rent, and after you make a catch, the locals can grill it up for you on the spot.The best time to come here is in the winter, because that is when the fish taste the best. 

6 , The “Xisha Wetland Park”
On the far southwestern tip of island and closest to the sea, this serene wetland is more affected by the tidal cycles than any other spots in Shanghai. As the core of Chongming National Geological Park, the three-square-kilometer marshland is also the best free attraction on the whole island. The hottest tourist activity here is to go crabbing. Bamboo sticks are available with a piece of meat on the end, which are used to rake up the crabs. Local crab catcher Ni Wenliang (???), 43, says his preferred recipe is to put them in a jug of baijiu for one month, and then cook them up on the grill. 

Transportation

Shen-Chong Line 1 
Start Time: 6am – 7pm (every 15 mins) Route: The line starts from Shanghai North Long Distance Bus Station which is also served by Shanghai Metro Line 1, crossing a tunnel underneath River Huangpu to Pudong, and then through Expressway A30 and Shanghai-Chongming Tunnel Bridge system to Nanmen Town, which is the town of administration for Chongming County.
Bus Fare:CNY 12 

Shen-Chong Line 2 
Start Time:6am – 7pm (every 15 mins)
Route:starts from Shanghai Science and Technology Museum Metro Station on Metro Line 2 in Pudong, through the tunnel bridge system to another major town on Chongming Island.
Bus Fare: CNY 12

Shanghai Tourist Distribution Centre (Hongkou Football Stadium)
Start time: 7.30am (once a day)
Bus Fare:
CNY 100 (Terminal – Dongping Forest Park)
CNY 120 (Terminal – Qianwei Eco-village)